Review: 'Dark Knight' Allows New Joker To Let Loose

As a lifelong Batman fan, one of my chief complaints about the Joker was that I always felt he was being restrained.

Even in "Batman: The Animated Series," the Clown Prince of Crime was toned back to make sure the kids wouldn't get scared.

I can't say that happened in "The Dark Knight," the sequel to "Batman Begins." Thanks to a terrific script and an amazing performance by Heath Ledger, the Joker has never been so brutal, so cunning and so destructive. In fact, during the 150-minute film, it became less about two men in costumes and more about two god-like beings fighting out good versus evil on a universal scale.

The Joker is less Cesar Romero and more Loki, the norse god of mischief. Literally, everything and everyone he touches, he corrupts, deceives and destroys.

And isn't it always a good villain that makes a hero seem greater?

Of course, some folks are missing the point entirely. For example, the Washington Post ran an article last Sunday saying that people actually like the Joker more than Batman because the Joker wears brighter colors and is funnier than the dark, brooding Batman. Never mind that the Joker would kill you. No one cares about that, apparently. (That swishing sound is the point going over some reviewers' heads.)

The movie picks up where the first film left off, with the Joker mostly robbing banks, including those that have money from Gotham's crime syndicate. In the first 10 minutes, we learn just how long one usually stays as one of the Joker's henchmen. It's kind to say that life insurance would be a good investment.

Citywide, Batman's influence is being felt as many criminals are actually afraid at the very hint of Batman.

That lasts until the Joker gets the bright idea of taking over the mob, one piece at a time.

Harvey Dent, recently elected district attorney, also is helping to clean up crime. It doesn't take long before Lt. Gordon and Batman take Dent under their wing, and half of the syndicate in Gotham is in jail.

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