Second part of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy owes much of its reputation to the tragic death of Heath Ledger. Actor who posthumously won Oscar for his portrayal of Batman's archenemy has done a great work, becoming the best and most formidable Joker ever to appear on the big screen. In The Dark Knight he easily overshadowed Christian Bale and his Batman (and Jack Nicholson in 1989 film) creating one of the most disturbing portrayal of pure, unapologetic and absolute Evil. Everything else, despite Christopher Nolan's obvious talent and great effort, wasn't that impressive. Complicated plot about Bruce Wayne/Batman attempting to retire and end his masked vigilante campaign was more suitable for mini-series than feature film. Nolan directs film with great confidence and skill and his serious approach to the source material is underlined with couple of disturbing scenes, including the deaths of characters that normally survive Hollywood blockbusters. There are even some hints of socio-political commentary, namely the questions about surveillance and other aspects of War On Terror, with Joker and Batman serving as allegorical counterparts of Osama Bin Laden and George W. Bush. Yet, full potential of this film was never used.
RATING: 7/10
