Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is no doubt still not only one of the most celebrated comic book movies of all time, as well as one of the greatest films ever made, especially in the 21st century.
Nolan's sequel to Batman Begins goes even grander and bolder than its predecessor showcasing more complex themes such as the pain of personal sacrifice, chaos and destruction, but most of all, justice versus corruption.
The film is full of an A-list cast including performers with the likes of Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhall, and Michael Caine to name a few of the key members of the supporting cast.
However, despite the overwhelming amount of talent throughout the film, unquestionably, this movie is led by its three leads.
Repressing his role as the Caped Crusader, Christian Bale gives an intense performance as Batman, while also furthering his case as perhaps the best on-screen Bruce Wayne we have seen thus far. Then we get to the star of the show, Heath Ledger as the Joker.
Ledger's Oscar-winning performance is a masterclass in portraying evil while also understanding where he is coming from and why he is doing all of these terrible things throughout the movie.
Thus, that leads us to one more standout performance, whose role may be the most important to the film, Aaron Eckhart's portrayal of Gotham DA, Harvey Dent turned Two-Face.
Eckhart's Harvey Dent is supposed to be viewed as Gotham's "White Knight", trying to better his city in the public eye as himself, as opposed to Bale's "Dark Knight", who uses his wealth and fame to dress up as a vigilante while fighting crime at night.
The two of them are helping Gotham become a safer place, but unlike Wayne, because Dent is constantly in the public eye, he has become more of a target (specifically by Ledger's Joker), to corrupt him, as well as danger the ones he loves.
Eckhart's ability to play a man who seemed to have it all at the start of the film, to a man who had almost nothing by the end, as well as showing a range of emotions add a ton of weight to Nolan's dissection of justice vs corruption, as well as morality and chaos. While Ledger’s Joker steals the spotlight, Eckhart’s performance could be considered the heart and soul of the film.
Lastly, we cannot forget it, he has the most iconic line of this movie, which sums up his character's arc beautifully, yet so tragically.
"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain".
What a movie.
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