Heath Ledger's flawless portrayal of The Joker has raised the bar for all villains in comic adaptations. Watch him when he responds to being called crazy: it's chilling and sells him for the rest of the movie. Eckhart nails his role as Harvey Dent and the Good Boy Lost All character. By far the best Alfred/Bruce partnering I could have hoped for. Caine delivers the father figure and reality slap Bruce Wayne needs to push on, with ease. Oldman simply is Gordon. Period. Bale plays suitableness very well, and you have to pay attention to him pretending to be Bruce Wayne pretending not to be Batman. I've seen this movie six times but - next - I can't wait to see the new suit handle... Cats. ;-)