Built upon the sturdy foundation of its engaging predecessor, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is an unnerving action film that defiantly refuses to play by the rules. From the opening moments until the uneasy ending, the movie is an unrelenting exercise in audience manipulation and character examination. Surpassing the promise of its commercial packaging and summer movie hype, this comic book crime drama is simply one of the most engaging flicks you’ll ever see. From the avant-garde filming discipline to the now memorable musical score, this sequel easily equals any other ever made.

Fresh-faced district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) reshapes Gotham City’s system of law and order, creating hope for the torn metropolis. Even billionaire Bruce Wayne considers retiring and returning to the somewhat normal lifestyle of the rich and famous. The desperate and divided gangsters are forced to choose new leadership, and entrust an anarchist called The Joker to reorganize the city’s criminal underground. As the scarred terrorist leaves his mark on the city with a wave of murder and mayhem, he calls for The Batman to disclose his identity and end the abstract standoff. All the while, intricate plot threads and explosive action passages keep anyone witness on edge. Despite the fail-safe PG-13 rating, the film is a disturbing and sometimes downright scary exploration of human desperation.

From Nolan’s daring, breathless direction to the pulse pounding pacing of Wally Phister’s cinematography; from its thematic dichotomy of alternating light and darkness—each jagged piece of this difficult puzzle forms a dazzling whole. Christian Bale is in absolute command of the title role, and makes the subtleties count as a hero whose good deeds go largely unrewarded. Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon is promoted for his aggressive policing of a city ever on the brink, and Maggie Gyllenhal’s Rachel Dawes is now fully realized—caught between the two men she loves.

Eckhart’s portrayal of Harvey Dent is a modest but powerful one, whose character arc becomes essential to the core of the story’s examination of shades of gray, where right and wrong are but two sides of the same coin. Returning supporting actors Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are also given plenty to do along the sidelines, and other characters from Batman Begins make key appearances as well, lending Nolan’s fictional world a realistic continuity and credibility.

And then there’s the late Heath Ledger, whose tragic passing mere months before this film’s release created another layer of anticipation for moviegoers. Be assured that his work here as the “Clown Prince of Crime” is nothing short of phenomenal. Despite a film packed with excellent characterization, intricacy, and innovation, Ledger creeps into the mix and makes the entire show his own. His Joker is an insane product of dysfunction and dementia—a loose cannon whose only goal is destruction and disorientation. Skulking about the city streets with his knives, his tongue working at his disfigured face, he is equally disturbing and frighteningly funny. He now and forever embodies the classic comic book villain and deserves an Academy Award for this, his final completed film.

Walter Simpkins is Senior Writer of www.featurefilmreview.com. Send comments to him at walter(@)featurefilmreview.com.