First things first, is Ledger's performance worth the Oscar win? Absolutely. His role as a menace to society is so underdeveloped that it greatly works in its favor. If Ledger is not able to to win the Oscar, nomination should be for sure, I say put him up for the lifetime achievement award, if anything. Bale and Eckhart deserve recognition for their work as well, while Eckhart's character is not put into a lot of development; it is easy to see how his role evolves quickly. The supporting cast is extremely well put-together. Maggie's role is heavily underwritten but it works a lot better than Holmes' work. Freeman and Caine and Oldman really raise the ethical boundaries in the film and they do it well to ground Bale's Batman. If only Nolan were around to direct all the previous Batman entries in the franchise. Bottom-line this is just a great movie to watch over and over again.