The Dark Knight

Watched: 17th August 2015
Top 250 position: 4 (Correct as of 22/11/2015)
Rating:  9.0/10 from 1,534,876 users  (IMDB)

Who's In It:
Christian Bale
Heath Ledger
Aaron Eckhart
Michael Caine
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Morgan Freeman
Cillian Murphy

Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Year: 2008
Duration: 2 Hours 32 Minutes
Accolades: Won 2 Oscars (Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger, awarded posthumously, and Best Sound Editing. Nominated for a further 6 Oscars; Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.

Plot:

The Dark Knight's resolve and determination are tested when The Joker starts to cause chaos and terror around Gotham City. Could this enemy be the end of the Dark Knight and those he holds dear?

Interesting Facts About the Film:

• Heath Ledger's sudden death on January 22, 2008 prompted immediate speculation over the film's state. Soon after Ledger's tragic passing was announced, Warner Bros. Pictures issued a statement that verified that Ledger had finished all of his scenes in principal photography, as well as post-production fulfillments (i.e., looping), thus making The Joker his final, completed film role.
• Heath Ledger designed the Joker make-up himself, using white clown makeup and cosmetics from a drugstore, reasoning that since the Joker himself would design and apply it, Ledger should do so as well. Once his design was approved, the makeup team was responsible for replicating the look each day for filming.
• The first comic book movie to ever win an Oscar for achievement in acting, specifically to Heath Ledger (posthumously) for his supporting role as The Joker.
• While filming the chase scene with the Joker and the SWAT vans, one of only four IMAX cameras in the world at that time was destroyed.
• The first film to be ranked #1 on the IMDb within two days of its theatrical release.
• Made more money than Batman Begins (2005)'s entire domestic run in only 6 days of release.
• Cillian Murphy reprises his role as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow from Batman Begins (2005) in this film. This makes him the first actor to reprise the role of a Batman villain in the whole film series. He also reprises his role in The Dark Knight Rises.
• In their face to face confrontations, neither Batman nor Joker refer to one another by name.
• 39 vehicles are crashed, shot, blown up, bumped, or otherwise involved in some sort of violence in this film.
• Cost an estimated $185,000 to produce.

(Source IMDB.com)

Review:

On the back of watching Batman Begins last night I could not help myself but to watch the second instalment. It did not let me down.

With this movie I kept up a lot better with the plot twists and turns. It maintains the dark and sinister elements from the first film while building the characters and their interactions with one another.

Heath Ledger plays such a perfectly menacing villain. It is hard to believe his tragic death came after he completed the filming of his part of the Joker and would be his last completed movie. The Oscar he was awarded posthumously was very well deserved in my opinion.

The entire cast seem like a very coherent, well run machine, you almost wish that Maggie Gyllenhaal had been cast as Rachel from the outset of Batman Begins to maintain the continuity of the series. But other than that this is spectacular, if anything I think it should have won more Oscars.

This is what I would call a proper film and I would happily watch this many more times.
 
For more information on the film visit; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4