by Ivan Henley

Created on: July 26, 2008

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by three separate, yet equally important groups. The police who investigate crime, the District Attorneys who prosecute the offenders, and the Goddamn Batman.

This is their story.

Well, okay, this movie isn't exactly Law & Order. Thank heaven for that. But it does have that loose association: James Gordon (police), Harvey Dent (District Attorney), and Batman, who work to keep the city safe from criminals. There is one criminal in particular who threatens not only Gotham but our three heroes as well: The Joker.

On paper, The Dark Knight sounds pretty much like any other Batman story we've ever been told. In execution, however, it rises above and beyond expectations. The dialogue is intelligent and natural-sounding. The acting is superb. The twists truly are twists, very much in a "whoah, I didn't see THAT one coming!" sort of way.

In short, it's a damn good film.

As the direct sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight has the luxury of not having to explain Bruce Wayne or Batman (played again by Christian Bale), or his relationships with Alfred (Michael Caine) and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and can instead focus more on the new arrivals: Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Gotham's "white knight" who is as tough on crime as Batman himself, and The Joker (the late Heath Ledger), the scariest criminal ever to roam the streets.

Right from the get-go, the movie gives us a good idea of how director/writer Christopher Nolan brought the character back to his roots as we watch a meticulously-planned bank robbery in action, with a series of violent double-crosses leaving The Joker the sole winner of the loot. This isn't Caesar Romero's Joker. This isn't even Jack Nicholson's Joker. This is a truly insane Joker with such brilliant, complex ideas and such a casual approach to violence that you'd have to be some kind of nutcase yourself to not be terrified of the guy. We don't end up with any real explanation as to what made him this way, and you know what? That's fine. The mystery makes him that much more interesting.

The Joker has what sounds like a pretty simple plan: to kill people on a daily basis until Batman, the one crimefighter all the crime bosses are truly scared of, turns himself in. And The Joker keeps his promise, killing his victims in ingenious ways. The whole city is effectively his hostage.

In the meantime, The Joker finds other ways to get under Batman's skin, such as endangering the life of Rachel Dawes (Maggie

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