As everyone else is parroting, Heath Ledger was amazing. It was the kind of performance you ache to see every time a promising villain comes along. His cold ruthlessness and disdain for the status quo never waver, thankfully.

This is not a story of redemption. It's a tale of sacrifice, true nobility and bravery. However, when I say that, I refer to ideals to which Lucius, Alfred and Commissioner Gordon hold true, not the questionable methods used by Batman. And I believe that the film deliberately draws that distinction, but leaves a certain amount of moral ambiguity precisely because these situations are never cut and dry.

Aaron Eckhart gave an excellent performance as Harvey Dent. He was charming and self-assured until his world collapsed. He brings the necessary intensity to the role of a wounded crusader.

Gary Oldman completely redefines Commissioner Gordon as an independent and sympathetic character with steely quiet strength. As per usual, he delivers a beautiful performance. Though he makes an incredible villain, this switch only serves to illustrate his talent and versatility.

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman use their legendary talents to bring depth and meaning to their supporting roles.

One of the major failings in this film is the lack of intimacy between Christian Bale and Maggie Gyllenhaal. There doesn't seem to be any passion, no real connection. Her character seems to be an undeveloped plot device. Very disappointing.

Christian Bale has always seemed wooden to me, and this movie only reaffirmed that belief. There were real opportunities in there to show a wounded psyche, to illustrate how heavily his decisions weighed upon him, but they were lost. An adequate performance just isn't enough with a cast of this caliber.

As for the rating, I don't believe that this movie had that much more violence than a number of PG-13 movies. I rather enjoyed the fact that most of the violence was amoral, with no Bond villain diatribes to draw it out or attempt to rationalize the bloodshed. Though it isn't graphically violent most of the time, I still wouldn't show this to young kids.

Despite all the flaws, I really enjoyed this movie. Don't expect a Batman movie; everyone else steals the show, making this into more of a crime drama than a superhero movie. The acting transcends the holes, pitfalls and disappointments... to a point.

I'm going to miss you, Dean. Fortunately, there will be delicious pancakes to ease my suffering. ;)

"The Nosebleed Section" was my introduction to the Hilltop Hoods and I played that song nearly to death before I was able to get my hands on their other albums. The Hoods integrate a wide variety of samples into smooth, jazz-influenced mixing. The Hoods' rhymes are intelligent and their passion resonates throughout. Listening to their songs will get your head nodding along, your body swaying and put a smile on your face. They are the quintessential Aussie hip-hop group, polished and unique in their sophisticated claim on the genre.