The Dark Knight

(USA, 2008, 152 minutes)

Gotham City is terrorised by the Joker, an anarchic, psychotic, unpredictable killer, and despite the heroic efforts of new DA Harvey Dent, Batman is the only one who can take on him. If the franchise reboot of 2005's Batman Begins was dark, this disquieting sequel from the same team takes it even further, attaching a sleek action-adventure sheen and a classic thriller framework to a bleak meditation on violence and morality, anchored by an extraordinary villain performance by Heath Ledger, who sadly died three months after completing shooting and six months before the film was due to open.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Legendary Pictures a Syncopy production. Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal; and Morgan Freeman. Directed by Christopher Nolan; produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan; screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, based on a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer and on the comic-book character created by Bob Kane; music by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard; director of photography (Technicolor, Panavision), Wally Pfister; production designer, Nathan Crowley; costume designer, Lindy Hemming; film editor, Lee Smith; visual effects supervisor, Nick Davis; special effects supervisor, Chris Corbould.