Christian Bale is Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman.  Batman is described as a vigilante in the film, but he’s so much more than that.  He’s a conflicted hero, who has everything he could ever want, except for the one thing he wants the most, love.  He knows that he has to give up his crime-fighting ways if he is to be with the woman he loves, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhall).  But in order to do that, he has to be sure that the city of Gotham is in good hands.  His instincts tell him that Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), the city’s district attorney, is the true hero, and the hope that he desperately wants to leave with the people.  But alas, a new villain has arrived, one more dastardly and psychotic than Batman has ever faced: the Joker.

The Joker tells Batman “you complete me.”  He is the antithesis of all that is good and right with Batman.  The Joker gets off on stirring things up and creating chaos, and that’s just what he does, gleefully.

I give all the credit to the success of the film to its director, Christopher Nolan.  He gives Batman that “wow” factor.  It’s definitely dark, but with interesting messages.  He certainly gives us a lot to talk about.