If you want to see a "comic book movie", do not go see The Dark Knight. Calling it such is a great disservice to what returning co-writer/director Christopher Nolan has given us here. If you want a comic book movie, there are plenty of fine options available this summer such as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Hellboy II. The Dark Knight is as gripping as any drama, not to mention as tense and as nerve-wracking as any thriller could hope to be. It is an intelligent and psychological crime film that has more to say about the characters who inhabit it, and a little about people in general, than just about any other film that's been released this year. The Dark Knight is not only hands-down the best movie of the summer, it is also the best film of the year so far. Believe it.

This is a very dark movie, yes, but not in the way Tim Burton gave us back in 1989 with his original take on the character. The movie is not set in some sort of twisted and dark comic book universe inhabited by brooding costumed crime fighters. The movie exists in a world that seems very real, and that's because the characters in this movie are very real. The movie does not attempt to explain its villain because he fell off a ledge into a vat of toxic chemicals. There is no explanation, actually. He is just the embodiment of anarchy, chaos, and evil. Much has been made of Heath Ledger's final performance as The Joker, and for very good reason. He is sensational, worthy of all the accolades and talk of posthumous Oscar nominations it has generated. But it wasn't just the performance that captivated me, it was the character himself. His Joker is not a villain who wants to take control of Gotham City's underworld, and he has no interest in money, despite the fact he stages a bank heist in the film's opening scene. He simply wants to see things get destroyed, people get killed, and chaos reign. There is nothing truly funny about this Joker. His few one-liners come across as deadly threats. There is no winking at the camera, and there is no "dancing with the Devil in the pale moonlight". There is simply a man who fell apart long ago for whatever reason, and he simply wants everyone else to get in on the fun, wether they want to or not.

As for Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale), he is dealing with the legacy he has created with his caped alter ego. Imitators are starting to pop up throughout the city, and the criminal underworld has been left licking its wounds, wondering how they are supposed to deal with this "bat". The new D.A., Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), has decided to take on the crime world head-on, and Bruce is starting to wonder if maybe Dent can be the knight in shining armor that Gotham truly needs. After all, his private nightlife of being a costumed vigilante is starting to take its toll on him personally and professionally. His public image is one of a cocky millionaire without a care in the world, and always with a beautiful woman (a different one for each public function, or sometimes more than one) attached to his arm. But privately, he wonders just how much good he is actually doing, despite the reassurances of his closest allies Alfred (Michael Caine), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman). This is a theme that has been covered in many superhero films, where the hero starts to doubt what he is truly doing, but The Dark Knight takes it one step further by truly letting us into the world and fears of the man behind the mask. Let's just say there's a reason why this is the first Batman movie not to have the character's name in the title.

Bruce Wayne is no longer the secondary figure to the costumed crime fighter, who exists simply to provide a thinly developed love story. This is how he was treated in most of the past films. Here, he is the central focus, even when he is under the cape and cowl. The Dark Knight allows us to make the connection between the man and the bat, and because of this, it allows us to see so many sides of him. He is arrogant, he is protective of himself, and most of all, he longs for what he cannot have. The main person to fall under this category is Rachel, the returning female lead from Batman Begins. In that film, she was played by Katie Holmes, but here, she is portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. In my mind, the casting change is the best thing that could have happened to the character. Gyllenhaal holds herself up better in the role, and grabs our attention almost from the second she walks on screen. Much of her character revolves around the fact that she is dating Harvey Dent, while at the same time, obviously still holding feelings for Bruce. The way that the movie ends up making her more than just a piece in a love triangle subplot is challenging, and quite literally unexpected.

The Dark Knight is loaded with more than its share of thrilling action sequences that are beautifully staged, choreographed and edited. And yet, it wasn't just the action that had me grasping the arm of my theater seat. There is an unflinching sense of tension this movie is able to create. The major characters in this film, and the events they find themselves in, really are like a giant ticking time bomb. Some welcome it, such as the chaotic Joker, and some do their best to fight it, such as Harvey Dent, who tries his best to keep his composure and his status of a gallant and untarnished knight. Those who are even remotely familiar with the Batman universe, or those who saw 1995's Batman Forever, know Dent's fate before they even enter the theater. But the way Nolan handles it here is truly mesmerizing. Eckhart makes Harvey out to be a real person fighting the darkness within him and around him. He believes in his public image, and tries his best to maintain it at all times in his life. But he is also a man who is ruled by chance and luck. What he becomes is ultimately more terrifying than anything filmmaker Joel Schumacher could have dreamed up in Forever.

To accompany the mounting sense of tension and madness is the brilliant music score by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer. This is not your traditional "heroic" movie score. It is a score of building dread, one that is almost as out of control as the characters who inhabit the film itself. Shying away from the brooding and almost dream-like feel of Danny Elfman's memorable scores to the first two films, the music here is quiet, unassuming, and downright menacing. It does what a music score should do, which is to accompany the images, without drawing attention to itself. It's just one more thing in a long list of many that The Dark Knight does right. This is the kind of film that can truly transport you. You believe that the characters up on the screen are real, you forget the tragic passing of Ledger and simply focus on the character, and you are spellbound. This is not just me trying to find the words to describe the experience, either. I truly felt while I was watching the film that I was seeing another world being revealed up on the screen. It does this simply by captivating us with its characters, its story, and a truly white-knuckle climax that brings the nature of humanity into question.

There are a lot of times where I find myself watching a movie, and smiling, thinking to myself that I am enjoying it. This never happened with The Dark Knight, and yes, that is a complement. I was too wrapped up in everything to care what I thought about it. All I knew is that I was watching something truly special. That's really what this movie is. With its roots in film noir, the Batman franchise has always had the potential to be an unforgettable piece of crime fiction. Here, for the first time, is a movie that fulfills that promise.

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