The "star" of this movie, Christian Bale, gave a somewhat stiff performance next to the fluid and lively performance of his co-star, Heath Ledger. All the other reviews praise Ledger's amazing performance as a psycho-killer, totally and utter blowing away Nicholson's "Crazy Circus Clown" portrayal of the Joker. I, however, am giving my sympathy to Batman himself, who really took a back seat in this movie. This was a great movie; it was less of a Super Hero movie and more of a crime-drama. Christopher Nolan should be proud.