My reactions to The Dark Knight fall in three categories – the good, the bad, and the ugly. First the good: Heath Ledger’s performance was every bit of amazing as has been ubiquitously claimed; his characterization undoubtedly makes the film. As with Memento, director/screenwriter Nolan keeps the audience on its toes and does so with a bang right from the get-go. Many times I couldn’t have predicted the plot twists and even when I thought I could, there was always some aspect that I failed to see coming. I loved the bits of game theory that permeate the film. The acting was pretty solid across the board, and the cinematography was sharp despite the fact that sometimes the lighting was a bit (purposely, I’m sure) too dark. Next the bad: the Bruce Wayne character was insufferable, nor did I like the character Rachel very much. It’s not the acting I abhorred but the actual personalities of these characters. Another complaint for me is that the film felt relentless. After two-and-a-half hours, I felt beaten up. I can’t point to any frivolous scenes that should have been trimmed, but it was too much for me to take in at once. Last the ugly: so Batman has all this high tech gadgetry but the best he can do to disguise his voice is an emphysema whisper? Complaints aside, I can admit The Dark Knight is head and shoulders above others of its genre and this may be the new standard. For sure, some of it is brilliant, but I didn’t always have fun watching it.