The theatre sat silently in anticipation as the movie began. I was already impressed. The plot was well done as there were twists that seemingly came out of nowhere. Each actor honed his/her craft well as each actor was believable as the character he/she portrayed. Heath Ledger is a must see for his portrayal as he hits each mark and has a healthy balance in such an unhealthy character. He didn't miss a beat...but neither did anyone else and that was a pleasure. Of course Gary Oldman is one of my favorite actors of all time and I have really enjoyed watching him portray good guy Commissioner Gordon as opposed to the characters I was used to seeing him in. The joker was the first villain in a long time that was so intelligent and honest that it was hard to know he was the bad guy--until he would remind us in terrible ways...great choices on the writers, director's, and actor's part. The struggle for his own part in this game of the Joker's was very rich in the portrayal of Christian Bale...he showed a great deal of inner turmoil over his plight because of who Batman is, a vigilante hero. Christian Bale accomplished the goal very nicely. The movie is very interesting and telling for the human spirit and what makes a hero a hero.