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Dark Knight Dazzles

Heath Ledger's final performance burns in the dark

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 17, 2008 11:09 AM CDT

(Newser) – Dark Knight swoops into cinemas tomorrow and critics say the hype is more than justified. "This is not merely a Batman movie," Amy Biancolli writes in the Houston Chronicle. It is one of the year's best films "and far and away the most hypnotic chiller." The bleak Gotham tale is "audacious and unnerving while consistently being fun and entertaining," writes Claudia Puig in USA Today.

At the movie's pitch-dark heart is a stunning performance from the late Heath Ledger as the Joker—"more explosive than any of the bombs or crashes his character unleashes on Gotham," writes Bill Goodykoontz in the Arizona Republic. "The irony of his loss is that in this, his biggest and best role, his character, while demented beyond repair, is so alive."

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

The late Heath Ledger stars as The Joker in his 'best' performance, writes the Arizona Republic. (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Stephen Vaughan)

In this file photo originally released by Warner Bros., Heath Ledger portrays The Joker in a scene from "The Dark Knight." (AP Photo/Warner Bros., Stephen Vaughan)

In this image released by Warner Bros., Heath Ledger starring as The Joker, is shown in a scene with Christian Bale, starring as Batman in "The Dark Knight." (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Stephen Vaughan)

In this image released by Warner Bros., Christian Bale stars as Batman in "The Dark Knight." (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Stephen Vaughan)

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Trailer for 'The Dark Knight.' (charly1281)

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Dark Knight Dazzles