If not for the outstanding and undeniably iconic performance given by Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight wouldn't have been nearly as memorable. In fact, it has more fat around the belly than almost any other Batman film, clocking in at about half an hour too long. Not surprisingly, most of that thirty minutes involves the titular knight. But despite that extra fluff, The Dark Knight manages to provide one of the most thoroughly entertaining films in the expanding franchise. He remains the measuring stick by which all modern superhero villains will be compared. Whereas Aaron Eckhart's take on Harvey Dent is considerably less interesting, with his eventual turn as Two-Face coming off as ironically one-note (Zing!), Ledger's Joker had no shortage of layers. Each scene made him a more compelling villain. Unlike his predecessor, Jack Nicholson, Ledger knew when to chew the scenery and when to nibble. The Dark Knight does hold the distinction of Least Effective Use of a Cameo, with Scarecrow showing up just long enough in the opening scenes to constitute a misguided passing of the torch to the ultimate super villain. How do you think the Batman movies should be ranked? Share your order in the comments thread below.
