Gotham’s new District Attorney has been elected. His name is Harvey Dent, and he has a radical new agenda that threatens to take down Gotham’s organised crime underworld once and for all with an iron fist – but legally. But the emergence of the rogue vigilante known as Batman has caused problems for Dent and his agenda. A new criminal mastermind known only as “The Joker” has arrived and aims to take Gotham out from under Harvey Dent’s iron fist. The Joker stages a masterfully planned bank robbery and robs the Gotham mob without getting caught. He uses this money to stage a series of horrific and strategic attacks against the city and its people, each one carefully planned and aimed at Dent and Batman, while causing the rest of the city to enter panic mode. Meanwhile, Batman thinks he might have found a lead to The Joker thanks to Wayne Enterprises’ dealings with a shady Chinese banker, and that takes Batman and Alfred to Hong Kong. The Joker has no rules, but Batman has only one – he doesn’t kill, and the Joker aims to make Batman break his only rule by putting not just him in situations where he might have no other choice but to break his moral code, but other Gotham citizens as well. Will Batman take down the Joker or will Harvey Dent?
One of the best things that Christopher Nolan did in this movie happened in Batman begins! He saved the most iconic Batman villain not for the first movie, not for Batman’s big introduction, but in the next movie. He let you get into that world. He made you invested in the characters, and now that you’re invested, let’s bring out the big guns! The Joker! Heath Ledger gives the best villain performance of all time and of the best performances of all times. This is a performance of a lifetime. R.I.P. Heath Ledger! You went out with a bang! And a deserved oscar. Staying on performances, Heath Ledger’s performance in this movie is so good that the other performances are completely overlooked. Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart are fantastic in this movie, especially Aaron Eckhart! I would love to see a Two-Face/Harvey Dent solo movie with Aaron Eckhart in the lead role. Michael Caine is also great. This movie is also full of iconic scenes and quotes. The interrogation scene? One of the best if not the best confrontational dialogues ever filmed in my opinion! The hospital scene? Flawless writing! Batman’s suit is also awesome! Looks so comfortable to wear compared to the first movie where he could barely even move his head. I don’t have any major issues with this movie. I’m not a fan of Batman’s voice. You can hardly understand him without subtitles sometimes. That’s just a minor nitpick that’s not going to affect my grade. If I would change Batman’s voice in this movie, I would use Will Arnett’s LEGO Batman voice.
This is honestly as close to perfect as movies can get and I’m giving it 10/10*! The reason for my highest grade is not because I’m a Batman fanboy but because this is actually a well-crafted and well-written thrilling crime drama that just happens to be featuring Batman as the main character.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Bob Kane, David S. Goyer, Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhall, Aaron Eckhart
Runtime: 152 minutes
