The new Batman film, The Dark Knight, was a real dark gem. Outside of feeling a teeny bit long (I would have cut a bit off the Harvey Dent chase sequence) the film sets the bar for superhero, summer blockbusters. Heath Ledger’s Joker lives up to all the hype and keeps you tense and on the edge of your seat in every scene he is in. As Alfred reasons with Bruce Wayne, “Some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” This Joker will join the ranks of the Tyler Durden’s of film lore.

The film accomplishes to move the image of superhero and villain away from stereotypical depictions of infallible good and black/white evil and explores the complexities of vigilante justice, psychological conflict and human morality.