“Some men don't look for anything logical, like money. You cannot buy them, intimidate them, reason with them or negotiate with them. Some men just want to see the world burn..." After astutely exploring the origins of the caped crusader in Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan places Gotham City in a whole new perspective in The Dark Knight, the thrilling second installment of his superb reinvention of the superhero franchise. Gotham has returned to a state of fraud and crime. Crime lurks on every street corner. People are afraid to go out at night. Citizens rely on Batman to solve their problems. However, crime continues through secret organizations. And an emerging criminal mastermind is about to plunge Gotham into chaos. Soon, the people of Gotham lose faith in their beloved hero. Billionaire playboy by day and savior of Gotham by night; Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) finds his double life tedious. He considers ending his superhero days and tries to find someone Gotham can look up to to encourage and reassure him. As for Gotham's new "white knight", District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman, along with his incorruptible ally Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman), are trying to eradicate organized crime once and for all. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the all-star cast as Rachel Dawes, showing a much softer side to her character than Katie Holmes. Heath Ledger reprises the role of the Joker, the main antagonist of this film. In his role, he embodies a side of the Joker never seen before: a psychotic, ruthless and sadistic killer who doesn't care about money, but wants to establish fear and anarchy in Gotham. His performance is exceptional, unlike anything ever seen. Part of you almost wants him to beat... middle of paper ... and the Joker reveals what he did. The Dark Knight is both a work of art and quality entertainment, and has set a new standard for the superhero genre. It still contains the action elements that make it such a tense and unpredictable film, as well as the usual cheesiness of superhero films, without which the film would be incomplete. This movie left me speechless after watching it. It was awesome and literally breathtaking. It has all the action elements that make it such a tense and unpredictable film, while still containing that usual superhero cheesiness that it would be incomplete without. The Dark Knight set a new standard in the superhero genre, and I highly doubt any other film will be able to top its brilliance. It's quality entertainment and art rolled into one, making it one of the most memorable films I've ever seen..