Comic book movies are usually just shiny happy explosions combined with good guys beating bad guys. - Fun to watch but lacking in substance. Fortunately The Dark Knight is not like the rest of them, and neither was Batman Begins. The two “new” Batman films are definitely my favorite ones. Gotham City is properly portrayed, as Dennis O’Neil would put it “Batman’s Gotham City is Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November.”. The acting is superb! Christian Bale is perfect as Bruce/Batman and Heath Ledger marvels as The Joker. I must admit that I was some what skeptic about Heath Ledger’s performance - It has been hyped across all medias - could it really be that great? I mean, I like Heath, but could he really beat Jack? The short answer … Yes! - He’s really that good! I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes the dark side of Batman. A side that until Batman Begins had been way to understated.