This movie should have been called 'Joker Begins.' It is literally the Joker's show and it is such a tragic shame to lose such a rivetting actor in his artistic prime. Heath's performance is terrifyingly kinetic. Each twitch and swallow captivates and builds a truely manic monster. Christopher Nolan moves Gotham from the dark world of 'Batman Begins' to an even more lost Gotham driven by apathy and anarchy. Christian Bale delivers another solid performance, as do the other veteran actors. The addition of Maggie Gyllenhal is far less annoying than Katie Holmes, and Aaron Eckhart is perfectly adequate as Harvey Dent. Though the villain Two-face pales to Ledger's joker. But who am I kidding, each scene without the Joker lacks that something special.