In 1989, Tim Burton brought comic book's dark hero onto the big screen with a sinister feel and some great acting.

The Plot

Gotham City's underworld is ruled by Carl Grissom. Jack Napier, left for dead following a run in with the police, returns with a vengeance, disfigured and calling himself the Joker. Taking over the underworld, he terrorises Gotham. Only the Dark Knight, Batman, can stop this menace. In his true identity as Bruce Wayne, the Dark Knight is a multi-millionaire and strikes up a relationship with Vicki Vale, a journalist who is trying to uncover the 'bat', and find out the secret behind Batman. The Dark Knight, however, is more interested in stopping the Joker for good.

The Cast and Performances

This is by far the best of this run of Batman films. This spawned a run of sequels which could not measure up to the combination of the dark filming preferred by Burton and the marvellous acting by the cast. Michael Keaton plays Bruce Wayne/Batman, and gives the hero a very calming front, and an emotionless portrayal is probably what is needed in this very dark film. Kim Basinger gives a sultry and probing turn as investigative journalist Vicki Vale, and there is good support from Jack Palance as Grissom and Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent, the District Attorney struggling to bring the city under control. Michael Gough is well cast as butler Alfred, as is Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon.

But the star of the show is Jack Nicholson. As the Joker, he completely steals every scene he is in, no matter the array of acting talent around him. His portrayal of a man with nothing to lose that is disfigured and quite possibly going mad is nothing short of fantastic and for me makes the film superb.

My Opinion

I am a big fan of this film. The mood set by Burton is funneled along by outstanding performances, particularly by Nicholson as the Joker. Burton's control of Keaton's Batman is evident in the dark mood surrounding the Dark Kinght throughout the film, and the charisma the director allows the actors to bring to the screen is overwhelming.

The plot is a well balanced one, and leaves the storyline open for the succession of sequels. Batman's struggle to control a city full of crime is well portrayed by all involved, and you get the feeling that this is a timeless masterpiece that will be ranked highly for many many years to come. I certainly will.

Conclusion

I rate this film at 5 stars out of 5.

The DVD is available from amazon.co.uk for £5.98.