The Dark Knight poster & wallpaper

Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart

Batman and Gordon find alliance with a newly appointed DA Harvey Dent to stop a vicious killer with a warped sense of humor known only as The Joker, a threat to both the good, and the evil of Gotham C...( read more  read more... )ity.

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PG-13, 2 hrs. 30 min.

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Release Date: July 18, 2008

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DVD Release Date: December 9, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (153,765)

  • magnum32004
    November 1, 2008
    magnum32004
    Not just better than "Batman Begins", it's really better than all the Bat-films combined. It's more than just a good superhero movie, this is a really enthralling crime thriller.
  • AgentLexi2132
    November 13, 2009
    AgentLexi2132

    ''You just couldn't let me go could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible aren't you? You won't kill
    ...( read more)me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness, and I won't kill you, because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.''

    Batman and James Gordon join forces with Gotham's new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, to take on a psychotic bank robber known as The Joker, whilst other forces plot against them, and Joker's crimes grow more and more deadly.

    Christian Bale: Bruce Wayne / Batman

    Heath Ledger: The Joker

    When we think back to truly worthy sequels, sequels which surpass even their original predecessors, many of us would proclaim such masterpieces as Aliens, Godfather II, Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2...So with the coming of 2008 yet another sequel will be honoured enough to take it's place among these glorified masterpieces.
    Undoubtedly, English Director Christopher Nolan begins to resemble the mythical King Midas, in the sense that every film project he breathes life into results in a deep, puzzling masterpiece of depth and serenity. Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige have all mesmerized and set alight mindful debate among critics and fans alike, and for me been hailed as 5 star masterpieces which breach the synapses.
    2005 sees the release of Batman Begins, under the helm is none other than English Director Nolan and Warner Bros. The batman franchise, after Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever and Batman & Robin had been taking it's last dying breaths after turning into a colourful farce of nipples and cartoony villainy.
    Only a miracle could of repaired the damage done, and if any man can provide miracles Christopher Nolan surely can. Batman Begins not only gave new life to a dying franchise, it redefined comic book/Graphic Novel adaptations in terms of realism, acting, and adrenaline pumping cinematography. This was a whole new re-imagining for Bruce Wayne becoming the Batman, and quite frankly even more believable than Tim Burton's efforts in 1989.

    So 2008 sees the The Dark Knight, from Warner Brothers and once again the directorial genius of Nolan.
    David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan collaborated on the story of this film. The script itself was written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan. funnily enough after watching The Dark Knight, Goyer stated "I can't believe my name is on a movie this good".
    This time the hype, the anticipation, and the attention has increased a hundred fold since it's predecessor. New cast additions include Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and the late Heath Ledger, while old veterans return such as Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Micheal Caine and the Dark Knight himself Christian Bale. Obviously the tragic death of Heath Ledger after the completion of the movie warranted alot more attention for viewers due to the complexity of seeing his last performance. However, The Dark Knight is testament to Ledger's legacy, his swan song, his immortal role among many chameleonic characters in his resume. His roles in Brokeback Mountain, Candy, showed his adult raw talent for tackling sensitive controversial material, while A Knight's Tale, The Patriot and 10 things I hate about you showed he could entertain and be charming. So with The Dark Knight we witness his best film to date, his guaranteed Academy Award grabbing carnation of the maniacal nemesis of batman, The Joker. Let it just be said Heath truly is immersed 100% into the confines of the character, he makes us believe and sometimes agree with his views on society and people.
    Joker never seized to make me laugh in appreciation despite what could be considered sick antics, I considered genius. Who else could do a pen trick with someone's head? Dress as a nurse with a silencer in hand and his clownish face glistening? Hide in a body-bag to infiltrate a mob boss's joint? Who else could immortalize Batman's most famous nemesis Joker? Without a doubt Heath Ledger bar none.

    ''Sometimes, truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.''

    To prepare for his iconic role as The Joker, Heath Ledger hid away in a motel room for about six weeks. During this extended stay of seclusion, Ledger delved deep into the psychology of the character. He devoted himself to developing The Joker's every detail, namely the voice and that sadistic-sounding laugh. Ledger's interpretation of The Joker's appearance was primarily based upon, of the chaotic, disheveled look of punk rocker Sid Vicious combined with the psychotic mannerisms of Malcolm McDowell's character, Alex De Large, from A Clockwork Orange. Ultimately for his efforts, The Dark Knight was the first comic book movie to ever win an Oscar for an achievement in acting, specifically to Heath Ledger (posthumously) for Best Supporting Actor.
    Heath Ledger posthumously won a total of 32 Best Supporting Actor awards for his work on this film, including the Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG and Critic's Choice award.

    Christopher Nolan beautifully captures Gotham City (filmed on location at Chicago). Whereas Batman Begins was styled after the iconic piece from Ridley Scott's rainy, dirty Blade Runner, the sequel The Dark Knight mirrors the feel and look of Micheal Mann's Heat giving us a true homage to masters of cinema and film, and we see Nolan has been inspired by the best, rein-visioning his own unique directing and styling to give us a fresh and powerful Gotham City.
    Indeed, a similar scene in Michael Mann's crime saga, Heat, inspired this film's introductory bank robbery sequence. As a matter of fact, William Fichtner, who had a notable appearance in this scene, was also in Heat.

    ''I am an agent of chaos. And you know the thing about chaos? It's fair...''

    The Dark Knight runs at nearly 3 hours, yet never ceases to lose any momentum. It doesn't waste a scene or moment of it's run-time; every event is utilized and necessary to a meaningful complex plot. Nolan tells a story worth telling and like his other film projects, nothing is ever as it seems, he is in a way the new master of suspense, a shadow of Hitchcock proportions.
    Action-sequences are mind blowingly frantic, old-school, eye-grabbing stunts and in their chaotic intensity we see that they serve purpose to the plot, yet even more interestingly, are not played for pure entertainment-value alone.
    Audiences are meant to watch, petrified, simply hoping that the outcome will go the hero's way and another show stealing performance from it's villain. Attention is never lost because we are immersed in a breathtaking, almost completely-unpredictable story, that makes us think and more importantly gains our emotional liability. We come to care for the characters, because they are believable, developed, and personified.
    Interestingly, this film and its predecessor have one-word themes which are driving forces in the stories and explanations for villains: Batman Begins centers around Fear(Scarecrow/ Ra's Al Ghul), while the focus of The Dark Knight is Chaos(The Joker/Two Face).

    ''Sometimes, truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.''

    Maggie Gyllenhaal results in being a more mature Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes. Morgan Freeman again provides his authoritative presence to the role of Wayne-Enterprise CEO Lucius Fox, and under anyone else's portrayal, the part would be less than memorable. Legendary Gary Oldman underplays his world-wearied lawman with such honest finesse and plausibility, you never feel for a second any of it is artificial. The irreplaceable Michael Caine makes a gentle, reassuring, foster parent presence for Bruce Wayne yet again as faithful Alfred, and the story would surely diminish without his strong presence and interlacing moments of humourous quips and anecdotal advice for the masked hero.
    Aaron Eckhart whom plays Harvey Dent, really excels in being ''The White Knight'' politician of Gotham City whom is likable, and charismatic. The attraction between Gyllenhaal and Eckhart is believable, whereas the love triangle which forms between the complexities of Harvey, Rachel and Bruce are greatly helped by amazing chemistry between them.
    Dent's dual personality comes into effect very well, as we the audience scratch beyond that exterior, we see a dark side to Dent. A dark side the Joker inevitably wants to exploit for his own agendas.

    Brilliant scores by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer. In fact the scores could be two new characters in the film in the sense of depth and emotion they stitch together with the powerful resonance in the scenes. The chase where Batman first uses his Bat-pod bike is nerve tinglingly delivered thanks to the effective use of musical genius and poignant sound. The movies climax and final scenes elevate The Dark Knight's soul into the heavens, creating a moving, emotional, turbulent, deep message of honour, sacrifice and themes of the greater good. Batman isn't the hero we deserve, he's whatever we need him to be...He's strong, he can take it...and as we hear deep words like this, the tones in the score give the words even more power. A power they deserve.

    Overall The Dark Knight rightly received 8 Academy Award nominations, more than any other film based on a comic book, comic strip, or graphic novel. First film based on a comic book, comic strip, or graphic novel to win an Academy Award for acting (Best Supporting Actor).
    The Dark Knight was everything I expected it to be and even more so in places, it's certainly the dark masterpiece I predicted, but I do get the feeling that it's been overly hyped for the wrong reasons. See it not just for Heath's performance which is defining and immortalized, but also see it because Dark Knight is the greatest comic book/graphic novel to movie ever. DC comics & Warner Bros. must be singing and praising Nolan a hundred fold.
    Dark Knight really does have the last laugh. An astonishing achievement that really does succeed in redefining sequels and graphic novel comic book adaptations.

    ''Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.''
  • 76Majikat
    October 31, 2009
    76Majikat
    In my usual style with such big scale blockbusters, I waited until all the hype calmed down before viewing this film.



    I am so pleased to say that Heath Ledger truly did give a great performance in this and the film and character weren?t just hyed because of the tragi...( read more)c circumstances. A fantastic opening scene, this film is packed with content from the storyline, the huge all star cast, to the impressive effects and it was no doubt a huge job of a film to bring together and one that was worthy of all it?s praise. Along with Batman Begins, both films have taken the Batman series to a much more realistic level (if that is at all possible?).



    A personal high moment for me was the changing of (the ever so annoying) Katie Homes with the much more talented Maggie Gyllenhaal, with likeness noted.



    Jack Nicholson put his mark on the original Batman movie some 20+ years ago and made a great Joker, Heath Ledger stepped up the role to recent times with a different but fantastic portrayal of the character.



    Brilliant make up and the best Batman film to date.
  • lewiskendell
    September 18, 2009
    lewiskendell
    Very good, but a bit too long. The Joker was clearly the star of the movie. Any scene with him in it was better than any without him. Great plot, great acting, and it was nice to see an end to the eternally poorly cast Rachel Dawes character. The Dark Knight stands along with Spi...( read more)der-man 2 and X-Men 2 as one of my favorite superhero movies.
  • SirPant
    September 14, 2009
    SirPant
    A fantastic sequel that is better than the first! Believe the hype! Bale, Ledger, Caine, Gyllenhaal & Freeman are fantastic but for me Oldman & Eckhart steal the show! The Joker was a much anticipated villain and fantastically executed by Ledger but the Harvey Dent story line is ...( read more)the one that really got my heart beat going. The evolution of the Batman story goes from strength to strength. Nolan knows what he's doing, thank God, his political statements (The patriot act) are handled well too, raising debate without bias. This is the best Superhero/Comic adaptation since 1978's Superman! Fantastic! I can't wait until the next instalment but I'm puzzled about how the Joker character is going to continue without Ledger.
  • SpunkyJamez
    December 7, 2009
    SpunkyJamez
    The ending of Batman Begins prepared us for a sequel, and this is it. This is unlike any Batman film that we've ver seen before. We get a great story, fantastic action and a peformance of The Joker that is even better than Jack Nicholsan's performance.

    Well, this is the second...( read more) installment of the new Christopher Nolan Batman films. At the end of the first film, they tell us that a new villain has appeared - The Joker. That's where this movie picks up from. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is still protecting the city of Gotham from crime as the Batman. There is a new threat about known as The Joker (Heath Ledger). Batman and Gordon (Gary Oldman) decide to team up with the new DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) who is dating Bruce's close friend Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal). But when The Joker threatens that he will kill innocent people everyday unless Batman reveals who he really is, the people of Gotham go wild, and Batman himself is put under pressure. This is a very intelligently written script. The screenplay is ver ystrong and there are some amazing lines in this. The characters are fabulous. The Joker is fantastic. I mean, they almost rewrote the original Joker's character. He is intimidating, scary and even funny. He is probably one of the most effective villains in cinematic history. Harvey Dent is also a very good character, and as he transforms to Two-Face at the second half of the film, it's just so amazing. Two-Face is also a very cool villain. I love the climax at the end, and the way they've written the Joker's plans is really clever.

    I did laugh everytime when Christian Bale talked as Batman, very funny, but he was good as Bruce Wayne. Heath Ledger was the stand out performer. He was terrific as the Joker! He was definitley casted very well (R.I.P Heath Ledger). Aaron Eckheart was great as Harvery Dent/Two Face, and Gary Oldman's performance as Gorodn was outstanding. Maggie Gyllenhaal was decent as Rachel, but I still prefer Katie Holmes - who played Rachel in the previous film "Batman Begins." Morgan Freeman was good as usual, in this film he was playing Batman's gadget guru Lucius Fox. The whole cast did a pretty good job.

    The action was so well done. Christopher Nolan is such a great director, and some of the scenes in this film are just so exciting and fun. I was disapointed that I didn't see this in IMAX because I heard it was great. The explosions are really well filmed and I thought it was terrific that they didn't use as many special effects as they did in the first one. Everything was done so well and it looked really realistic.

    This has been really well directed by Christopher Nolan. The action is very energetic, the acting is amazing and the script is very clever. It may be 2 and a half hours, but you'll enjoy every moment of it. Not only is it the best superhero film I have ever seen, it's probably up there with some of the best films I've ever seen. It's mind-blowing!
  • kmansell1
    December 6, 2009
    kmansell1
    i had heard a lot about this film before watching it and was expecting something really great. It's clear they spent a lot of money and the action pieces are done very well. there are some visual treats along the way. I found the story a bit hard to believe with the idea that the...( read more) same people keep getting threatened and attacked but nobody thinks to protect them. the performaces were okay but i had trouble hearing what batman was saying. Heath was good as the joker but it didn't stand out for me. i could see most people could of done what he done so i'm not sure about all the hype. the harvey dent side of the story was good.
  • SkywalkerJones
    December 6, 2009
    SkywalkerJones
    You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.-Harvey Dent

    ...( read more)63_gal.jpg" border="0"/>
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    Director:Christopher Nolan
    Cast:Christian Bale,Heath Ledger,Gary Oldman,
    Aaron Eckhart
    Genre:Action,Crime,Comic Book Adaptation
    Year of release:2008
    Running Time.153 minutes

    Plot:
    With just one year having passed after taking out Ra's Al Ghul's plan to have Gotham eliminated and the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Jonathan Crane AKA the Scarecrow, and after the city was nearly plundered with his toxins, Bruce Wayne and his vigilante alter-ego the Batman, continue the seemingly endless effort to bring order to Gotham, with the help of Lt. James Gordon and newly appointed District Attorney Harvey Dent. But a new threat has now emerged into the streets. The Dark Knight faces a rising psychopathic criminal called The Joker, whose eerie grin, laughter, and inhuman morality makes him as dangerous than what he has yet to unleash. It becomes an agenda to Batman to stop the mysterious Joker at all costs, knowing that both of them are in an opposite line. One has no method at all and seeks to see the world plunge into the fire he has yet to light. One represents the symbol of hope and uses his own shadow to bring the peace and order he has yet to accomplish doing.

    Review:
    I was very excited to see The Dark Knight because i enjoyed Batman Begins and it was great to see my favorite superhero back to the big screen in a huge way.I also was curious about Heath Ledger s perfomance as The Joker right after his shocking death.After i walked to the cinema,i wasn t excepting The Dark Knight to a be an oustanding masterpiece.This movie was definetly 2008 s best movie and puts other comic book movies to the shame because not only sets a new standard in the comic book genre but is such a phenomenal movie .This is the Batman i wanted to see and deserves to be on the list of the greatest movies of all time.

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    Christian Bale delivers once again a excellent perfomance as Batman/Bruce Wayne.His perfomance was fantastic,showing a more darker and tortured Batman while he tries to end crime in Gotham City and the same time his presence atracts a lot of freaks like the Joker.Bale is by far the best actor playing Batman since Michael Keaton and he is simply phenomenal.Heath Ledger (Rest in Peace)was absolutely amazing and phenomenal as The Joker.Ledger delivers one of the greatest and the most legendary perfomances of all time.He shows a Joker like we have never seen before:a dangerous ,maniacal and phsycotic criminal who doesn´t care about the money and also takes Batman to the limit.No disrepect for Jack Nicholson but Ledger gives here his finest perfomance ever and he totally deserved the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. And of course the rest of the cast were amazing including Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent aka Two Face and the lovely Maggie Gyllenhall as Rachel Dawes.She was way better than Katie Holmes.

    Christopher Nolan is an amazing director.He has not done a bad movie yet and thank god for that.Nolan made a film much darker than the previous one and the script is amazing and of course maintains the spirit of the comic books.

    The Dark Knight is one of the best movies i ever seen in my life and i m so proud of this movie just i m proud of Batman Begins and honeslty is very superior to Tim Burton s version.The Dark Knight proves that Batman is truly back and better than never.Thank Nolan and Bale and RIP Heath Ledger.
  • AmrSherif
    December 6, 2009
    AmrSherif
    Really Heath Ledger The Man
    the incredible talent of Heath
    Helped this movie
    and Loved every movie Heath Ledger ever made
    what a TALENT ! ! !

    R.I.P Heath
  • dipa89
    December 5, 2009
    dipa89

View All The Dark Knight Reviews

Critic Reviews

October 1, 2008
Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com

An amazing piece of filmmaking that rockets the Batman legacy to heights never imagined, fueled by Heath Ledger's amazing re-invention of The Joker. full review

August 14, 2008
Emily Blunt, Blunt Review with Emily Blunt

A big summer blockbuster dripping in characters. full review

July 24, 2008
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

The Beginning of the End for the Superhero Craze? full review

July 20, 2008
Mike McGranaghan, The Aisle Seat

Not just a comic book movie but a virtual dissertation on the nature of good and evil, as well as the thin line that sometimes separates them. full review

July 18, 2008
Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine

Far from offering traditional summer escapism...a brainy, action-packed morality play meant to throttle the audience, body and mind, for a solid 152 minutes and haunt them for days and weeks later. full review

July 17, 2008
Michael Sragow, The Baltimore Sun

It's the standard-bearer for the school of comic-book movies that confuses pompousness with seriousness and popular mechanics for drama. full review

July 17, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

You come away impressed, oppressed, provoked, and beaten down, holding on to Ledger's squirrelly incandescence as a beacon in the darkness. full review

July 16, 2008
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

[Ledger gives] a fine performance regardless, and I wish the movie around it were more deserving. full review

July 16, 2008
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle

It's jam-packed with flawlessly designed set-pieces and skullduggery, sure, but it's also shrouded in grim portent, overlaid with a filigree of despair, and, for good measure, covered in a patina of d... full review

July 16, 2008
Claudia Puig, USA Today

As much as this is Ledger's movie, that should not diminish the notable accomplishments of other key cast members. full review

View more The Dark Knight reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • yorkiepoo15
    July 6, 2009
    yorkiepoo15
    This movie was the serious stuff!
  • R0L0D3X
    June 7, 2009
    R0L0D3X
    This Was A Good Movie But I Still Think Michael Keaton Is The Best Batman :P
  • momma0206
    May 25, 2009
    momma0206
    OMG... I didnt think i would like this movie...But come to find out I did.... This movie rocks....
  • Benologist
    April 7, 2009
    Benologist
    TDK was robbed. You know it. I know it.

    What bothers me though, is that if The Dark Knight had won Best Picture, everyone who didn't see the film would attribute it's award to the death of Heath Ledger. The name of the Dark Knight has been cocked up forever because of one tragedy. Shame.
  • karthu1993
    March 31, 2009
    karthu1993
    it was good but not as good as batman begins.
  • liliecv1
    March 21, 2009
    liliecv1
    :]
  • liliecv
    March 2, 2009
    liliecv
    it was good
  • sitabouha93
    January 29, 2009
    sitabouha93
    THIS MOVIE SUX!!! IT WAS OOOOVERRATED!!! AND EVERYONE MADE THE "JOKER" A "GOD"!!! IT IS THE SAME STORY BEING REPEATED OVER AND OVER AGAIN FOR GODS SAKE!!!! I WAS EXPECTING BETTER THAN THAT ACTUALLY!! (Thats my opinion).
  • itbegins2005
    January 27, 2009
    itbegins2005
    Damn you, Academy. I don't care WHAT you say, this movie has Best Pictire written all over it.

    You could have made history, people, but instead you just proved how close-minded and elitist you really are.
  • mmz20
    January 26, 2009
    mmz20
    I recommend all of my friends in all over the world to watch THE DARK KNIGHT, harvey is a very nice character, pay attention to him dialogs, it'll be valuable!!!
    BE THE BEST IN YOUR REST,
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The Dark Knight Trivia

  • from the movie "the dark knight" Aaron Eckhart is playing a part previously played by 'Billy Dee Williams' in Batman (1989) and Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever (1995). Eckhart and Jones appeared together in what other movie?  Answer »
  • WAT IS THE NEXT BATMAN FILM STARIN CHRISTIAN BALE GOIN TO CALLED?  Answer »
  • Which one-shot comic book was given to Heath Ledger to help him prepare for his role as the Joker in the new Batman film "The Dark Knight"?  Answer »
  • Heath Ledger plays what charecter in 2008's the dark knight?  Answer »
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