The Dark Knight (2008)

"The Dark Knight" explodes off the screen with a legendary performance by Heath Ledger as the most iconic comic book villain ever created, The Joker. The hype around Ledger's take on the homicidal clown and arch-nemesis of Batman has been building for more than a year and skyrocketed when the actor died in January 2008 at the age of 28. And it is deserved. He is mythical here, disappearing into a role that even Jack Nicholson never fully developed nearly 20 years ago in Tim Burton's "Batman."

This is a Joker for our age, a terrorist with no purpose other than to kill as many people as he can and cause as much destruction as he can before he himself is killed. And the Joker gladly welcomes that death. Excuse the focus on Ledger, but he simply owns this film, taking it from the likes of Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and saints alive Morgan Freeman. See this film once and be floored by this young man's talent; see it a second time and be heartbroken over the loss of a generation's best film actor.

"The Dark Knight" is pitch-black material and an instant classic, digging deep into the darkest of Batman's storied legend for material never before seen in a super hero movie. As with "Batman Begins," Christopher Nolan directs and co-writes an adaptation that transcends its roots -- the entire plot seems to rest on America's war on terrorists who claim to be Muslim, but are the opposite of God/Allah -- they wish only to soak the world in blood and fire before they gladly die themselves. The Joker serves as their symbol here. How do you cope with that? How do you fight it, or even try and negotiate it? What are we wiling to give up and endure if it means the obliteration of those who so want to kill us?

These are the questions that Nolan and co-writer/sibling Jonathan Nolan lay out among the wild technology, stunts and set pieces. And the Nolans are not afraid to kill off major characters that will leave audiences reeling (unlike the dull third "X-Men" film which only pretended to do so).

The film opens with a bank robbery that more than tips its hat to the iconic crime drama "Heat" -- it uses one of that great crime drama's main actors as a would-be hero that crosses paths with the Joker. From there the film never lets up. A year after "Batman Begins," Bruce Wayne's alter ego (Bale) is still tracking villains that escaped his clutches whilst battling new enemies in the gist of mobsters (led by Eric Roberts) and wayward corporate demigods.

As Batman begins his duel with Joker, it's Alfred (the always excellent Caine) who tells his charge that there are times when the good must sink low to destroy evil. He tells a story from his own younger days (in the British special forces we can only surmise) as he helped track and kill a ruthless bandit by burning down an entire forest. It's heady stuff, and a road that Spider-Man wouldn't dare cross. Is Batman to kill the Joker, breaking his one rule?

Also on board is Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, the Boy Scout DA who has captured the admiration of Wayne and the heart of ADA Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, taking over for Katie Holmes who was miscast to begin with in the first film). Batman fans know most of what will happen with this plot thread, but the Nolans make it as fresh as ever.

This is a long film, too long maybe; but the balls are never dropped and the many plot lines weave into each other nicely, a feat "Spider-Man 3" failed miserably at. "The Dark Knight," far more than the still-great "Batman Begins," brings the world of costumed crime fighters into the adult world of chaos and uncertainty. I can't wait to see what's next. A