One for the Ages...

Believe the hype about The Dark Knight. It IS that good.

I'm gonna keep this spoiler free out of respect for those of you who haven't seen it, cause I would never want to ruin for you what I experienced last night.

I love event movies. There is nothing like experiencing a movie like Indy 4 or TDK at midnight as soon as it becomes release day with a bunch of superfans just like you (many of whom are in costume) who view the movie with the utmost respect. These are the people who burst into applause at the right moments. The people who were so quiet once it started you could hear a pin drop in a massive theatre on 42nd Street (a rarity if you have ever seen a movie there). Not one cell phone went off during the movie. No one talked in inappropriate places. We were all at the church of movie going, and no one wanted to ruin the experience for any of their fellow congregants...

The Dark Knight is a movie that transcends all definitions of genre. It is just an excellent movie. My only minor quibble with it is that after the opening set piece, the exposition and set up takes a wee bit too long in my opinion. But really, it's a MINOR problem, cause said exposition was still enjoyable. The script, penned by director Christopher Nolan and his brother, is excellent. It's dark and twisty. It takes you to places you don't really expect it to. It shocks and it awes. The direction (with the exception of the very beginning) is taut and has you on the edge of your seat.

The cast is excellent as can be expected. Christian Bale once again turns in a fantastic (and understated) performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. What makes him so good is that he is good at playing both Hero and alter Ego, whereas previous actors have been good at one or the other (like Michael Keaton was an excellent Batman, he wasn't as good as Bruce. The very opposite was true with George Clooney). Excellent support comes from Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman, perfectly cast in their roles. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a vast improvement over Katie Holmes, even though the role of Rachel Dawes is still a pretty thankless one. Aaron Eckhart was excellent as Harvey Dent...his golden boy looks and chiseled features perfectly embodying the potential white knight DA of Gotham. He was also a great foil for Bale looks wise, All American Blondie vs. Dark and Brooding. Well done.

But the movie belongs to the late Heath Ledger, who truly does give a performance for the ages. The performance has been hyped ever since his tragic passing, so it had alot to live up to...and it surpassed my expectations. I was prepared to be upset and think about his death when he showed up on screen, but Heath so fully embodied the character that you forgot about it. He was just so ALIVE in the Joker...a performance that oozed out of every pore of his being, one so fully and terrifyingly realized I couldn't get enough of it. He was both comic and evil, a ticking time bomb of a character that fills you with a visceral dread anytime he comes on screen. Only when the screen went dark, and the "In Memory of our friend Heath Ledger" screen came up, was I jolted back into the reality that he is no longer with us.

It breaks my heart that he is not here to see the reception and accolades this performance has been given (although it probably would have made him uncomfortable). It hurts me that we will never again see what else this immensely talented man had up his sleeve. Because I feel like he was only beginning to really come into himself as an actor. But what a swan song he gave us...

Rest in Peace, Heath. You are missed already.