I'm a man of my word.

This review contains minor spoilers.

Once in a lifetime does a piece of entertainment come along and cause you to question your standards. Perhaps it's some movie, some book that causes you to wonder if the bar can be raised any higher. The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's finest work thus far, not only achieves this lofty plateau, but also sets a new standard, for not only comic book movies, but film in general.

This sequel to the reboot of the Batman franchise, Batman Begins, is visionary. Nolan retains what was so entertaining about the first movie, doing away with the embarrassingly campy movies that were made by Joel Schumacher and embracing a dark and gritty portrayal of the Caped Crusader. Nolan's grim, almost noir, vision of Batman returns with a vengeance in The Dark Knight, painting an extremely compelling picture of Gotham City. As opposed to the colorful and almost silly version of Gotham in, say, Batman and Robin, Nolan's Gotham is decaying, about ready to eat itself from the rampant crime and corruption. Even though Christian Bale's performance as Batman and Heath Ledger's portrayal of the maniacal Joker are nothing short of amazing, Nolan's ability to make Gotham City feel like a real place, one about to tear itself apart, is just as impressive.

Of course, any review of The Dark Knight is going to talk about Heath Ledger's performance. My opinion on this is that Heath Ledger didn't play the Joker. The Joker played the Joker. It's so natural that it doesn't feel like an actor playing a role, it feels like they actually hired an escaped convict from Arkham Asylum to act as Batman's foil. Ledger's cackling insanity perfectly and precisely nails what makes the Joker so special. He's extremely crazy, but at the same time scheming and manipulative (heh, despite his claims to the contrary). What's impressive about the Joker is that he serves as Batman's opposite. They're two sides of a coin, they're fire and water, and they're order and chaos. And despite the Joker's insanity, you wonder throughout the movie whether or not he's really crazy, not inconsistency on Ledger's part, rather it's just more of that schizophrenia that manifests within the character. Would a loony be able to pull off these complicated schemes or is there something deeper within him?

Nolan also adheres to the "Two villains per movie" quota, throwing in the character of Harvey Dent, the man who becomes Two-Face. Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent is disturbing, and serves a greater point than just another villain. Dent, Gotham City's self-proclaimed "White Knight" is used as a pawn to prove that even the noblest men can be corrupted. Two-Face isn't used as a simple villain in the movie, he represents the lengths to which Batman won't go to fight crime, coldly executing crooked cops and criminals by leaving their fates up to chance. And while he may be a simple character in his methods and motivation, you can't help but sympathize with him, admiring the deep tragedy that has befallen the one legitimate ray of light in Gotham.

The rest of the cast are equally fascinating. Christian Bale plays the role of a conflicted and complicated Bruce Wayne extremely well. His portrayal makes you realize that Batman's just flesh and blood, despite being an immortal symbol of hope for Gotham. It makes his character all the more compelling.

The supporting cast are exceptionally strong as well. Michael Caine returns as Bruce Wayne's sardonically amusing butler Alfred Pennyworth, who serves as Bruce's father figure and adviser, striking another contrast between the Joker and Batman ("I hated my father!" cackles the Joker as he holds a knife to an old man's mouth). Morgan Freeman is equally amusing as Lucius Fox, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Gary Oldman plays a convincing Commissioner Gordon, and Maggie Gylenhaal makes the best of the role she's given as Rachel Dawes, doing a much better job than Katie Holmes did last time around.

Nolan's epic movie encompasses a wide range of themes that really make you think while delivering high-octane thrills and plenty of "whoah, did that really just happen" moments. Nolan manages to hit on how order cannot exist without chaos, how easily corruptible the human race is, and the "freaks" of society while meshing it seamlessly with high-speed chases, raw and gritty combat sequences, and deep and provoking dialogues; a feat to be admired.

When I left the theater at around 3:30 in the morning, I was trying to wrap my mind around what I had just seen. I tried to muster some flaw, some reason to believe it wasn't perfect. I'm usually extremely good at that kind of thing; I managed to criticize Batman Begins' schizophrenic action scenes and Katie Holmes' wooden acting, but I couldn't think of a single flaw. The extraordinarily talented cast, combined with Nolan's "haunting and visionary" direction and writing whips you into a maelstrom of emotions, resulting in a movie that can only be described as flawless.

PS. I was thinking of excluding a PS note today because I wanted the entry to be serious, but what fun would that be?

Total number of screenings since the movie came out: 2