From minute one to minute 157 this movie had me hooked. I left the theater wanting more and anytime that happens I know the director, actors, screenwriters, everyone did their part. Starting with Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, it absolutely blew me away. The depth and precision that he must have put into that role was amazing. A real breakout and sadly last performance that we will see by him. The complexes that Batman goes through are quite evident throughout as he chooses between his lost lover or the hope of a city, between saving himself some face or showing the true colors of Two Face, no pun intended. The Joker stole the show but there was no point where I felt disappointed in any way in how the movie played out. Even though, Bale's gruff Batman voice got kind of irritating, it was important because it gave Wayne/Batman some distinction between the two personalities that frequently collided.