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Dark Knight, The
Warner Bros. Pictures


9.0

based on 39 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 1262 votes
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Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace

Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker. (Warner Bros.)

GENRE(S):	Action \| Crime \| Drama \| Mystery \| Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Bob Kane (characters) David S. Goyer (story) Christopher Nolan (& story) Jonathan Nolan
DIRECTED BY:	Christopher Nolan
RELEASE DATE:	Theatrical: July 18, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	152 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Variety Justin Chang

Enthralling...An ambitious, full-bodied crime epic of gratifying scope and moral complexity, this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some.

100

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Bale again brilliantly personifies all the deep traumas and misgivings of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne. A bit of Hamlet is in this Batman.

100

Time Richard Corliss

Beyond dark. It's as black -- and teeming and toxic -- as the mind of the Joker. "Batman Begins," the 2005 film that launched Nolan's series, was a mere five-finger exercise. This is the full symphony.

100

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Christopher Nolan has provided movie-goers with the best superhero movie to-date, outclassing previous titles both mediocre and excellent, and giving this franchise its "The Empire Strikes Back."

100

Village Voice Scott Foundas

The Dark Knight will give your adrenal glands their desired workout, but it will occupy your mind, too, and even lead it down some dim alleyways where most Hollywood movies fear to tread.

100

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

Twisted, tortured, terrifying - and terrific.

100

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

"Batman" isn't a comic book anymore. Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is a haunted film that leaps beyond its origins and becomes an engrossing tragedy. It creates characters we come to care about. That's because of the performances, because of the direction, because of the writing, and because of the superlative technical quality of the entire production.

100

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Sensational, grandly sinister and not for the kids, The Dark Knight elevates pulp to a very high level.

100

Empire Mark Dinning

Ledger's performance is monumental, but The Dark Knight lives up to it. Nolan cements his position as Hollywood's premier purveyor of blockbuster smarts – and the Batbike is kinda cool, too.

100

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

With The Dark Knight, the cinematic superhero spectacle comes closest to becoming modern myth, a pulp tragedy with costumed players and elevated stakes and terrible sacrifices. It's the new gold standard for superhero noir.

100

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

That Ledger stands out in such a powerhouse ensemble is a tribute to his radically unhinged interpretation of a familiar character: The lank hair tinged seaweed green, the darting tongue and faint lisp that call constant attention to the ghastly rictus of his mouth, the nightmarishly smudged make up… taken together, they make previous Jokers feel like, well, jokes.

100

USA Today Claudia Puig

When was the last time you saw a blockbuster that was impeccably executed and simultaneously thought-provoking, audacious and unnerving while consistently being fun and entertaining?

100

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

succeeds as an action film, character study and metaphor for our own terrorism-obsessed time.

100

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

May be the most hopeless, despairing comic-book movie in memory. It creates a world where being a superhero is at best a double-edged sword and no triumph is likely to be anything but short-lived.

100

Slate Dana Stevens

Nolan turns the Manichean morality of comic books--pure good vs. pure evil--into a bleak post-9/11 allegory about how terror (and, make no mistake, Heath Ledger's Joker is a terrorist) breaks down those reassuring moral categories.

100

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

The film's capes and cowls suggest one genre, but it's a metropolis-sized tragedy at heart.

NPR Bob Mondello

The real relationship here is between a Batman in existential crisis and a Joker who'd love to leap with him into the abyss -- tight-a--ed yin and anarchist yang in a fantasy franchise that Nolan has made as riveting for its psychological heft as for the adrenaline rushes it inspires at regular intervals.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

This comic-book movie is more disturbing, and has more freakish power, than anything else I've seen all year.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

At two hours and 32 minutes, this is almost too much movie, but it has a malicious, careening zest all its own. It's a ride for the gut AND the brain.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

The Dark Knight may not be a masterpiece, but it easily vaults to the top of any list of "best superhero movies."

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Pitched at the divide between art and industry, poetry and entertainment, it goes darker and deeper than any Hollywood movie of its comic-book kind.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

The Dark Knight is dark, all right: It's a luxurious nightmare disguised in a superhero costume, and it's proof that popcorn entertainments don't have to talk down to their audiences in order to satisfy them. The bar for comic-book film adaptations has been permanently raised.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

No fair giving away the mysteries of The Dark Knight. It's enough to marvel at the way Nolan -- a world-class filmmaker, be it "Memento," "Insomnia" or "The Prestige" -- brings pop escapism whisper-close to enduring art.

New York Post Kyle Smith

The highest praise I can give a superhero movie is that it makes me forget about its 10-cent-comic-book soul.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Because make no mistake: The Dark Knight is many things, some of them deliriously fun, some of them deeply impressive, and some of them puzzling and frustrating. But most of all it is dark.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The moral dilemmas are perfectly fused with the amped-up action and outsize characters, but they're impossible to miss: like all of us, the people of Gotham have to protect themselves from evil without falling prey to it.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

You come away impressed, oppressed, provoked, and beaten down, holding on to Ledger's squirrelly incandescence as a beacon in the darkness.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Shakespearean but overlong, The Dark Knight is two hours of heady, involving action that devolves into a mind-numbing 32-minute epilogue.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Mixing bravura filmmaking with flat clichés in about equal amounts, The Dark Knight is all about dualism. Appropriately, the movie's half-inspired, half-frustrating.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

An action blockbuster extravaganza that's sadder than sad and never pretends otherwise.

Premiere Eric Kohn

Nolan's strong suits are maniacal schemers and moody character-driven intrigue, both of which make The Dark Knight a sleek (if, at close to three hours, somewhat distended) detective story.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

You keep waiting for the movie to clarify, to settle down to its archetypal purity: icon of psychotic evil against icon of neurotic good. Music by Wagner in his "Götterdämmerung" mood, screenplay by Nietzsche, with additional lines by Babaloo Mandel. Oh, what a great big movie wallow, what a transformational blast of cine-pleasure. It never quite arrives

Newsweek David Ansen

You may emerge more exhausted than elated. Nolan wants to prove that a superhero movie needn't be disposable, effects-ridden junk food, and you have to admire his ambition. But this is Batman, not "Hamlet." Call me shallow, but I wish it were a little more fun.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Christopher Nolan's latest exploration of the Batman mythology steeps its muddled plot in so much murk that the Joker's maniacal nihilism comes to seem like a recurrent grace note.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

A handsome, accomplished piece of work, but it drove me from absorption to excruciation within 20 minutes, and then it went on for two hours more.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

The novelty wears off and the lack of imagination, visual and otherwise, turns into a drag. The Dark Knight is noisy, jumbled, and sadistic.

The New Yorker David Denby

The Dark Knight is hardly routine--it has a kicky sadism in scene after scene, which keeps you on edge and sends you out onto the street with post-movie stress disorder.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

The only thing here that feels truly, utterly alive is Ledger's maniacal, muttery Joker. The last laugh is his and his alone. It's enough to make you cry.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Nolan may want us to believe in the darkness that lurks within each of us, but instead of leading us to it visually, he chops it up and sets it out in front of us, a grim, predigested banquet.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 1262 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

devesvar gave it a7:
A lot of fun, love the cast, not as good as Batman Begins, but a good ride. Heath rules -we miss you.

Jacob F. gave it a9:
I thought this is a refreshing burst for superhero films. Yes it mite have gone on for a bit, and yes nolan mite chop scenes a bit. But, the acting by Ledger was absolutely stunning, making this film sinister and dark without him playing that role the film would have the edge that it does have. Bale for me has secured the role of batman for a long time, giving wales yet another thing to be proud of! and SIR michael caine and morgan freeman give a performance which we know EXPECT from the two of them. Nolans directing was refreshing for a superhero film and one of the best i have seen for a long time.

Sasha gave it a0:
Historically, the most overhyped movie ever released. This corny monstrosity beats any Michael Bay film in the size of nativity. Plus the amount of epilogs is just overwhelming. Everyone sacrifices for everyone, and the bad guy is flipping a coin for every hostage. Pathetic.

Philip M. gave it a9:
Close to perfection, the only thing I didn't like was a certain character faking his death. Thank you Nolan.

Vanessa M. gave it a10:
Quite easily the best film i have seen in years- or possibly one of the best films i have ever seen in my entire life. Going into the theater, i had every belief that it was going to be a lamo like the boring "Batman Begins", but wow was i wrong. I ended up loving it so much, i went to see it three more times in theater. As of now, i have seen in a total of four times and look forward to seeing it again (hopefully at the IMAX! that would be spectacular). The movie itself is pure artistic genius. The beautifully epic shots- to the loud, heart racing music- to the fantastic acting from Freeman, to of course, the absolutely AMAZING Heath Ledger- the Joker as a character itself- the fantastic psychological depth required to watch the film- the one liners that make the film a classic "Die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain". All of this makes up for one hell of a good movie. I give it 10 stars- it's every bit deserving of a perfect score. The story was well-written, and instead of being your typical good vs. bad guy, they made it so much deeper and darker than that. The Joker was my favorite villain of all time. Heath Ledger awed me with how talented he is, he has an incredibly gifted mind. I have now seen him in other movies (Brokeback and 10 Things I Hate About You) and am just as impressed. But his hugest, most eerie role to date was the Joker and it will be in history as one of the most terrifyingly fantastic villains of all time. I absolutely loved it and when i went to the bathroom and missed a Joker scene, i was furious. He must be seen at all times, it's just that good. Christian Bale is a nice cleancut look for Batman. Though the husky disguised voice continues to anger some, i found it rather annoying at times, however it's understandable that Bruce Wayne must have a huskier, deeper voice to disguise himself as Batman. Michael Caine was a nice classic touch to the movie. Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckheart, also, shockingly surprised me with how well they acted. Morgan Freeman- well, loved him. And i actually loved the idea of Maggie Gyllenhall replacing Katie Holmes- i just don't think Holmes is a very good actress and comes across blah. The music was terrifying and heartpounding. The action scenes were ecstatic to watch- they were absolutely heart racing. I especially loved when the truck flipped over, and the Joker comes out shooting at everything saying "C'mon hit me hit me." It was terrific. Overall, such a job well done. Christopher Nolan- my hat tops off to you. You are quite the director with completely erasing the label "comic book" or "superhero movie" and replacing it with "crime/thriller" or "an epic". Job well done. Fantastic movie. I loved it. My number one.

Holy Mulroneycakes gave it a10:
You don't realize until you leave the theatre that this is probably the bleakest blockbuster ever made, with the Nolans and Goyer absolutely refusing to compromise the story. At least one, extremely tragic, thing happens in this that I was 100% certain would be prevented. The Joker's games are genuinely sadistic and often painful to watch. All in a summer blockbuster about a man in a cape. This is what Ang Lee tried to do with Hulk (but only got about 57% there) - make a superhero film that really IS a film. It helps that he's assembled a fantastic cast: Christian Bale as the first Welsh Batman, maybe overdoing the Bat-throatiness but the first one to properly brood since Michael Keaton (who to be fair was also the last one to have the opportunity); Sir Michael of Caine as a still pre-tache Alfred Pennyworth, finally coming across as the wise vizier from the comics; Morgan Freeman, who seems to an extent to be in there simply because he's Morgan Freeman and he rules, in the crucial role of Luicius Fox, finally bringing the dimension of Waynecorp into the movies properly; Aaron Eckhart, who has quietly rocked for years, who is even better as Harvey Dent than I thought he would be. WB were considering Justin Bleeding Timberlake for the role, you know. Then there's Maggie Gyllenhaal, who for the record is easily pretty enough with change, being both cute and strong as Rachel; Gary Oldman still stoic and principled as a young James Gordon (incidentally, since we saw his family in this one, anyone want to take odds on Sarah Essen appearing in the next one? And who could play her? Ellen Barkin might work). And Heath Ledger. Now, obviously objectivity is compromised when discussing his performance, but it is absolutely mesmerizing, and genuinely terrifying, and god damn it, just god DAMN it. In conclusion, Batman Begins was great. This is better, but much, much bleaker.

Abdul M. gave it a10:
Amazing. Everything you'd want from a blockbuster movie. Great script, unbelievable acting. Awesome cinematography. Movie of the year.

Dark Knight, The Warner Bros. Pictures

Dark Knight, The
Warner Bros. Pictures