This is a hard movie to review for me. I want to like it, but I have a number of problems with it. Critiquing this movie seems both over analytical and unnecessary to a point ... because it had its good points.

First ... the good, Christian Bale has been a favorite actor of mine since I saw him in American Psycho. I enjoy a movie where he seems to pay homage to that role - he appears to have done that several times in The Dark Knight. Both Bale and Ledger at times compete for who's the craziest - the dynamic plays out well.

Any movie with Morgan Freeman in it is a good movie. Who doesn't love his voice and good ole friend feel? Same goes for Michael Kaine as Bruce Wayne's butler.

Jack Nicholson's version of the Joker still reigns supreme in my mind ... but Ledger gave a strong, convincing role - he should win best supporting actor. As a "cool thing to do" I'm sure the Academy will award it to him.

Now for the bad casting ... Maggie Gyllenhall is just ugly to me. She isn't someone who looks like Bruce Wayne or Batman would fall for. I commented after the movie that she would have made an excellent Harley Quinn (A Joker sidekick in the comics). Rachel Dawes was played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins - I'm not sure if I thought much better of her, but anyone with a prettier face, a more sultry voice, and a beautiful body would have been better than Maggie Gylenhall.

The movie seemed 30-45 minutes too long ... as it seemed screen time was being thrown in for Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Maggie Gylenhall. Too much detail was given to these characters that played little to no advancing of the plot.

The movie, as most Batman movies, is full of great one liners - the director and writer (Christopher Nolan) proves his talent here.

Joker:"I don't have a plan. I'm like a dog chasing a car, I wouldn't know what to do with it if I caught it."

And I can't exactly recall the phraseology of the next line by Alfred,

"Sometimes the world isn't looking for a hero, sometimes they just want a knight - a knight does what's expected of them and lets the king take all the credit"

The vehicle design, choreography, and action was incredible.

The only scene that seemed very cheap was the hospital. Gotham General was a small building in a remote place, near an industrial yard. They either need to matte a better hospital in with special effects or find a different building. That one scene seemed to cheapen the movie for me.

On a scale from 1 to 10 - I give Batman: The Dark Knight a 7.5