The Dark Knight (2008)
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A vigilante and a district attorney must form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City while facing an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to plunge the city into chaos.
The story
The plot follows the vigilante Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon, and district attorney Harvey Dent, who form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City. Their efforts are derailed by the Joker, an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far Batman will go to save the city from chaos. The film follows the trio as they navigate a landscape of escalating violence and moral dilemmas. As the Joker's tactics become increasingly unpredictable, the boundaries between law and order begin to blur, forcing the heroes to confront the consequences of their actions in a city pushed to the brink of collapse.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a gang of masked criminals robs a bank, the Joker emerges as the mastermind. Batman, Gordon, and Harvey Dent form an alliance to dismantle Gotham's organized crime. Batman's identity as Bruce Wayne is kept secret as he supports Dent as the city's protector. The Joker interrupts a meeting of mafia bosses, offering to kill Batman for a fortune. Batman retrieves a key witness, Lau, but the Joker retaliates by targeting high-profile figures and eventually kidnapping Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent. During a rescue operation, a series of explosions occurs; Rachel is killed, and Dent is severely scarred. The Joker then manipulates the injured Dent into becoming a violent vigilante known as Two-Face. The Joker later creates a scenario where two ferries must choose between sacrificing passengers or prisoners. Batman stops the Joker but fails to stop Dent's descent into chaos. After Dent kills several people and falls to his death, Batman takes the blame for Dent's actions to preserve the city's image of him as a hero. The film ends with the city mourning Dent as a hero while the police hunt for Batman.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 152
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Christopher Nolan
- Writers
- Jonathan Nolan · screenplay; Christopher Nolan · screenplay; Christopher Nolan · story; David S. Goyer · story
- Cast and characters
- Christian Bale · Bruce Wayne / Batman; Michael Caine · Alfred Pennyworth; Heath Ledger · the Joker; Gary Oldman · James Gordon; Aaron Eckhart · Harvey Dent / Two-Face; Maggie Gyllenhaal · Rachel Dawes; Morgan Freeman · Lucius Fox
- Genres
- superhero; crime
- Themes
- terrorism
- Tone and mood
- mature; gritty; realistic
- Premise and plot tags
- superhero; crime; anarchy
- Source material / true-story basis
- DC Comics superhero Batman
- Franchise connections
- The Dark Knight trilogy
- Reception
- The Dark Knight received acclaim for its mature tone and themes, visual style, and performances—particularly that of Ledger. It was assessed as one of the greatest superhero films ever, one of the best movies of the 2000s, and one of the best films ever made. It is considered the 'blueprint' for many modern superhero films.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · 2009 · win; BAFTA · Best Supporting Actor · 2009 · win; Golden Globe · Best Supporting Actor · 2009 · win; Grammy · Best Motion Picture Score · win; People's Choice · Favorite Movie · win; People's Choice · Favorite Cast · win; People's Choice · Favorite Action Movie · win; People's Choice · Favorite On-Screen Match-Up · win; Critics' Choice · Best Action Movie · win; Critics' Choice · Best Supporting Actor · win; Empire · Best Film · 2009 · win; Empire · Best Director · 2009 · win; Empire · Best Actor · 2009 · win; MTV Movie · Best Villain · 2009 · win; Saturn · Best Action or Adventure Film · 2009 · win; Saturn · Best Supporting Actor · 2009 · win; Saturn · Best Writing · 2009 · win; Saturn · Best Music · 2009 · win; Saturn · Best Special Effects · 2009 · win
- Production trivia
- The first major motion picture to be filmed with high-resolution IMAX cameras.; The first comic-book film to receive major acting awards.; The first comic book adaptation to win an academy acting award.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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