In this movie, Batman is a solidified entity in the Gotham circles. The police still aren't sure about him, but there are others that believe what he's doing is right. He and Gordon are BFF's more than ever, and Bruce has finally figured out how to balance being Batman and Bruce Wayne.
A new villain emerges, when we see the Joker heisting a bank that is known to have it's vault full of mob money. I just love how the bank guy pulls out a huge gun and starts fighting back. When he steals all this money, the cops are able to take the few bills that were left behind and trace it to other banks. Mr. Lau, who is in cohoots with all the mobs takes all their money and stashes it away in a secret spot so that it wont be taken away by the cops. Mr. Lau also happens to be in the middle of business negotiations with Wayne Enterprises.When Gordon and Dent make it known to Batman that they need Lau back in Gotham, Bruce is able to come up with a nifty little plan to get him back in the states. He and Lucius Fox travel to Hong Kong, cause some damage, and then bring Lau back, all under the guise of a business trip/vacation. Lau lets the DA know about the big stash of money, and Dent realizes that he can charge them all at the same time. So he is able to put away over 500 mobsters. The head guys make bail, but all the other goons are stuck in prison for a while. All with the help of his fiery assistant/girlfriend Rachel.
In the meantime the joker is reigning terror all over the city. He's got the whole city demanding Batman's head. He will keep killing more people until Batman reveals his identity. Well Bruce finally decides to reveal his identity, and stop hiding behind his mask. But instead Dent claims to be Batman at a press conference. So Dent is then taken into custody and will be transported to the main jail. This is Joker's chance to not only kill Dent but also possibly get Batman. Batman doesn't disappoint and shows up to save Dent and fight Joker. He could have killed him but chose not too. Then he's vulnerable and the presumed dead Lieutenant Gordon saves him.
Joker is taken into custody where he's ruffed up a bit but soon escapes using a cell phone bomb implanted into another inmate. During his time in jail, he uses the corruption of the Gotham police force to his advantage, and has them separate Dent and Rachel. Then each of these are hooked up to drums of oil and a bomb, and Batman/police will only be able to save one. Joker gives them the addresses of their location, and Batman says he's going to save Rachel while the police go to get Dent. Well that sneaky Joker told them the opposite addresses, and Batman is surprised to see Dent in the warehouse. They escape just in time, but Dent's face still gets half burned off. Rachel doesn't make it. Before she dies she told Bruce that she would wait for him to be done with his Batman phase, but then later wrote a letter to him that Alfred burns, saying she was choosing Dent. This later carries on heavily with Bruce in the next movie.
Then an accountant who discovers the connection between Batman and Wayne Enterprises says he's going to reveal the truth on TV. Joker then issues a decree saying that unless the accountant is dead within an hour, he's going to blow up a hospital. It just so happens to be the hospital Dent is at, and he has a nice little conversation in which he pushes Dent into embracing his evil side. Dent escapes the hospital before it blows up, and then goes on a killing spree of those involved in Rachel's death. He then kidnaps Gordon's family.
The Joker also has another little game up his sleeve in which two ferrys, one filled with normal civilians, and the other with prisoners are each given a remote control that will blow up the others boat. The civilians take a vote that says they will push the button, whereas the prisoners throw their remote out of the window. But the civilians don't have the guts to do it. Knowing about the Joker's trickery, I can't help but think that perhaps the remotes were actually rigged to blow up the boat that it was on, to punish the people for choosing to kill the other boat. Alas we will never know.
Batman has his final fight with the Joker, and leaves him hanging from a building for the cops to find. He then rushes to help Gordon in his troubles with Dent. Gordon and Batman are both pretty disheartened by the turn that Dent has made, and as Dent almost kills Gordon's son, Batman takes him down. They decide to hide the hideous monster that Dent became, and say that Batman killed all of Dent's victims. He could be the person they needed to hate, so that all the good that Dent did would not be undone.
I really enjoy the fact that these aren't just flashy awesome action movies. They are that, plus there is also a lot of depth to them, including lots of discussions of right/wrong, justice/injustice.
Andrew apparently saw this movie 11 times in theater.
I totally agree that Heath Ledger posthumously won an Oscar for this role. He really went to another place in his characterization of the Joker. A lot of people wonder what happened to the Joker's storyline once Ledger passed away. We read that after all of the prisoners were moved over to Blackgate prison in the next movie, he was the sole remaining resident of Arkham Asylum. I think he probably just remained there and wasted away, what with no one there to feed him or anything like that, but who knows.
Andrews's Closing Thought: Maggie Gyllenhaal should have been blown up earlier in the movie
Up Next: Beetlejuice
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