The Dark Knight is a complex film. It does not offer up any easy answers, but instead adds layer upon layer of depth. The characters grow, breathe, change, develop, and become more than mere characters. All of the primary players take on important roles in a play that reaches Shakespearean heights, as they are forced to make more difficult decisions than they had ever had to make in their lives.

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By now, you have probably read your fill of praise for Heath Ledger's performance. Critics must be sounding like a broken record, and let me tell you that the praise being doled out is much deserved. Heath Ledger is a force of nature; he commands your attention, he draws you in with a maniacal charisma. You dare not look away lest he turn his sights on you.

The jaw-dropping performance, the way he commands attention, the way Heath poured himself into this role, everything points towards Oscar for Heath Ledger. It is a career defining performance, one that would have definitively placed him on the Hollywood map.

Christian Bale turns in yet another strong performance. He is fast becoming the definitive Batman. He has the skills and the presence to portray the conflicted Bruce Wayne, the emotionally tortured soul whose very existence is a battle within himself. Not only can Bale portray the emotional gravitas, he is more than capable of delivering the fisticuffs

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Aaron Eckhart leads the charge as Harvey Dent, the new, take charge DA who is not afraid of putting himself in the line of fire, although he too is a conflicted soul waiting for a push in the right direction. Then there is Maggie Gyllenhaal, who steps into the role of Rachel Dawes vacated by Katie Holmes, and delivers. She carries a lot of emotional weight with ease. Not to be left out are the returning players from the first film, Michael Caine as Alfred, who is always ready with words of wisdom as well as possessing the wisdom to know when to deal with certain items (you will see in the film), Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon in a performance that gets you personally involved, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne's chief gadget maker and confidant.

Bottom line. I cannot recommend this movie enough. It is unrelentingly dark, but it is also emotionally involving as it takes you on a cerebral and visceral roller coaster through the darkened streets of Gotham. This is the finest film to reach the screens thus far this year, and one that actually deserves all of the praise it has received. From top to bottom, this is an amazing experience and one of the few summer blockbusters to work on this high an artistic level as opposed to just trying to deliver an enjoyable summer cinematic experience.

Everyone should watch The Dark Knight (TDK) at least once. It matters little whether you are a fan of the Batman character -- this is a movie that transcends its origins and is recommended viewing for one and all.

A common review would be that TDK is the greatest movie based on a comic book, but that would be too-obvious a thing to say, and would also be doing the movie a disservice. The Dark Knight shines as a commendable work in itself. In many ways, the movie is the script. A script that is perfect, flawless, masterful, and drives the movie throughout -- this is one flick that doesn't have to rely on the crutches of action and explosions to carry it forward. The action serves to add to the movie's flavour, but it does not define TDK.

The actors are obviously inspired by the tight writing and exacting characterizations that the script offers -- everyone does a great job with his or her role, there isn't a single actor that brings the show down. And then there's (the late) Heath Ledger playing the Joker. Amongst all the good performances, the Joker -- ever the wildcard in the deck, steals every scene, every shot -- he is electric with his nuanced delivery, frightening through his expressions, hilarious in his body language, a presence through his makeup. It is a performance that is simply put, breathtaking. If there is a character that defines the dark soul of TDK, it is the twisted Joker. I pity the guy who has to fill Heath Ledger's shoes in future outings.