Dark Knight, The (2008, USA) C-152m. SCOPE **½ D: Christopher Nolan. Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Monique Curnen, Cillian Murphy, Eric Roberts, Anthony Michael Hall, Nathan Gamble. Sequel to Nolan's BATMAN BEGINS (2005) follows the Caped Crusader's continuing fight against crime in Gotham City. State attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart) is so successful he rivals Batman (also in dating Gyllenhaal), and the Joker (Ledger), a lunatic, will do anything to make crime prevail. Big-budgeted fantasy(?) action, with large-scale action set-pieces, suffers from too much realism and a cold Batman character that is difficult to care about. Comic book adaptation usually have a different look and feel. It'S also not very entertaining. Ledger died of an accidental(?) overdose well before film's premiere, he posthumously won an Oscar (and 31 other awards!) for his unhinged work. Score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard.