Oh, you thought this movie would be at number one, did you? Think again. Still, what can be said about The Dark Knight that hasn't been said before? Christopher Nolan's follow-up to the brilliantly transformative Batman Begins improved upon its predecessor in almost every way, as the director continued on in his mission to bring a sense of reality to the world of Batman. Here, he renders something akin to a Michael Mann crime film, crafting an elegant, broody blockbuster that blew away pretty much everyone who laid eyes upon it. The major talking point of the film, of course, was Heath Ledger, who offers up a delirious, unpredictable and frankly astounding performance as The Joker - a talking point that was heightened by his untimely death just months before the film was released in theatres. True that Ledger is the undeniable centre piece of the movie, but props also to the likes of Aaron Eckhart, whose turn as Harvey Dent never got the praise it deserved, and to the supporting roles filled by Michael Caine and Gary Oldman. Epic in all the ways that the defining Batman film should have been, this is comic book filmmaking as its pinnacle; the absolute right movie for the right time.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
