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The Dark Knight (2 Discs) [2008] | ![The Dark Knight (2 Discs) [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jc6OZBguL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Christopher Nolan
Actors: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £22.99
Buy New: £10.72
You Save: £12.27 (53%)
New (19) Used (9) from £9.99
Rating:  148 reviews
Format: Pal
Languages: Arabic (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Italian (Subtitled), Hebrew (Subtitled), Icelandic (Subtitled), Greek (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 152 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.7
EAN: 7321902176581
ASIN: B001CEE1W6
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: December 8, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: brand new factory sealed and in stock, ready to send
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy element of the superhero genre and makes it all terrifyingly real. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is Gotham City's new district attorney, charged with cleaning up the crime rings that have paralysed the city. He enters an uneasy alliance with the young police lieutenant, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale), the caped vigilante who seems to trust only Gordon--and whom only Gordon seems to trust. They make progress until a psychotic and deadly new player enters the game: the Joker (Heath Ledger), who offers the crime bosses a solution--kill the Batman. Further complicating matters is that Dent is now dating Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, after Katie Holmes turned down the chance to reprise her role), the longtime love of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne. In his last completed role before his tragic death, Ledger is fantastic as the Joker, a volcanic, truly frightening force of evil. And he sets the tone of the movie: the world is a dark, dangerous place where there are no easy choices. Eckhart and Oldman also shine, but as good as Bale is, his character turns out rather bland in comparison (not uncommon for heroes facing more colorful villains). Director/co-writer Christopher Nolan (Memento) follows his critically acclaimed Batman Begins with an even better sequel that sets itself apart from notable superhero movies like Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man because of its sheer emotional impact and striking sense of realism--there are no suspension-of-disbelief superpowers here. At 152 minutes, it's a shade too long, and it's much too intense for kids. But for most movie fans--and not just superhero fans--The Dark Knight is a film for the ages. --David Horiuchi
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| Customer Reviews:
 so much more than a superhero movie July 24, 2008
R. Fisher (west midlands uk)
168 out of 196 found this review helpful
The dark Knight a hype machine so revved up it seemed impossible to live up to the expectations but not only does it meet expectations it exceeds them.
A year has passed since the events of Batman Begins. Batman (Christian Bale) is rounding up the last escapees of Arkum asylum (including a cameo form Cillian 'Scarecrow' Murphy.) as the crime families of Gotham city are being brought down at an impressive rate. Batman teams up with old ally Lt Gordon (Gary Oldman) as well as new one D.A Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to close the case on them for good. Out of desperation the mob turn to the Joker (Heath Ledger) who offers his services to get rid of batman for good. Batman must balance his intertwining lives as the love of his life Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) becomes romantically involved with Dent while trying to keep Gotham safe from the increasingly violent attacks by the Joker.
Batman Begins pumped life back into the seemingly dead Batman franchise reinvigorating it with a harder gritter edge more in tone with frank millers comics but Begins is only a prelude to brilliance as the Dark Knight sweeps onto the screens.
Perhaps the quickest 2 and 1/2 hours of my life flew by watching this as co-writer/director Christopher Nolan brings a epic to the screen of proportions which no other comic book movie can match. This is dark and gritty its not an average superhero movie and bares little resemblance to its genre it's more of a hard boiled crime caper akin with Michael Mann's 'Heat' of martin Scorsese's 'The Departed', a world of corruption and decadence though it carries a 12A certificate it's one of the most mature comic book movies ever made (Also parents be warned its dark and violent), the script zigs and zags around creating a complex moral character driven drama.
As good as the script may be it would be nothing without its actors/actresses as everyone gives there all even if there only side characters like Michael cane or Morgan freeman. Maggie Gyllenhaal steps up to fill the role of Rachel after Katie Holmes declined returning to the role, she does an excellent job creating in equal if not better portrayal of the character. Eckhart shines in his pivotal role as Gotham's white knight as he begins to crack under the pressure of trying to reform as evil is ever present around him a good person trying to the right thing which makes it even more shocking as he sinks into the realms of madness when he becomes Two-Face , a dark foreboding scarred remains of a what he was a deep portrayal of a man who's lost everything which is perhaps overshadowed by Ledger's performance. Bale the hero of the piece continues to excel delivering the same quality of Begins as he yearns for a normal life and longing to hang up his cape to be with Rachel.
The late Heath Ledger gives an unforgettable performance of the Joker surpassing Nicholson's in Batman '89. Every second he is on the screen he owns it, a character so richly drawn you can't help but be mesmerised by it, manipulative, cunning, the one thing Batman Begins lacked was a central villain as it hopped from one to the next but not here, here we has a raging psychopath who knows no bounds and has no remorse. Like a force of nature the joker effects everyone's life he comes into contact with. an outcast who relates to our hero for that very reason as he plays his twisted games to see how much it takes to break a person how long it takes to abandon their morals. Ledger excels in the role. He is the joker less of a prankster played by Nicholson and more of raging killer with a sick sense of humour ( Eg, the disappearing pencil trick), a performance that will live forever and one that most definitely deserves an Oscar nomination.
Being a summer blockbuster Dark knight ups the ante with exciting action sequences directed with flair the stand out sequence being that of the attack on the prison transport truck by the joker and ensuing chase by batman as you'll find yourself unable to tear your eyes away from the screen.
However don't expect a glossy none-stop action roller-coaster about 20 -25 minutes of the 2 and a half hour film make up the action scenes, the rest is devoted to developing the characters a smart move which is where one of the films numerous strengths lie
Destined to go down as a classic, a tour de force of talent in front and behind the camera which delivers a as perfect as you can get comic book movie. Regardless of what you think about superhero movies check it out I seriously doubt there will be a better movie this year. A triumph in every respect- 10/10
I only went for the hype.... October 30, 2008
D. R. West (England)
44 out of 64 found this review helpful
To be fair, I've never cared for the Batman films. I only went because I wanted to see if the hype surrounding Heath Ledger's performance, and the quality of the film lived up to what I had heard.
And I was not disappointed.
First off, having never really cared for Heath Ledger's acting before, (perhaps the exception for Brokeback Mountain)I was amazed at the attention to detail he took into performing the Joker. The voice, the body language, the shiftiness of his eyes, the licking of the lips, it was all perfect. So much so, I couldn't think of anything else for days. His performance mesmerised me and I honestly believe, once again, not being a fan boy of Ledger, that it does deserve a posthumous Oscar. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe this because he is dead, I believe this because he has given the performance of the year. If anyone can top that then so be it.
Secondly, the film itself was a work of art in itself. Christopher Nolan has managed to steer the Batman saga away from the comic book, childish, pansy movies that were once performed, (although I did enjoy the Burton Batman films for their Gothic style, which worked really well) and made them a realistic film. Gotham City is a character in itself, dark, dreary and depressing, in which the cinematography depicted. My only complaint really was the acting of Christian Bale, whose acting as Batman was wooden, and let's be honest, is there really any reason for that silly, gruff voice. I realise that is an attempt to hide his identity, but an actor of his calibre must be able to muster something better than that. His acting as Bruce Wayne was pretty good, which kind of balanced it out.
I believe everyone should watch this film at least once.
More than worth the hype November 13, 2008
H (London)
35 out of 51 found this review helpful
The massive media focus on Heath Ledger's tragic death has in its way done this film a disservice - sure, it was publicity, and Ledger's performance really is that astoundingly brilliant, but it tends to overshadow the fact that this entire film is just as astoundingly brilliant.
From start to finish, this is an incredible, dark and tortured tale of a man who realises that in order to truly be a hero, he must allow himself to be painted the villain. Christian Bale improves on his first outing as Batman to bring out these dilemmas and the conflict between his public images (both as millionaire playboy and vigilante) and private desires - if they do another one I really hope he agrees to reprise the role. The story is involving, Bruce Wayne's struggle to understand and thus effectively combat a nemesis whose only motivation is chaos for its own sake is an engaging and intriguing struggle and the action sequences are nothing short of spectacular. The whole film is visually stunning and incredibly well acted on all counts. The fall of Harvey Dent/Two Face is especially well played out and there is not a single moment of this film that is not enthralling. It constantly asks difficult questions of us and our morality - the big finale with the two ships is a great one, though I shan't spoil it with details - and the whole thing is just pitch perfect throughout. Chris Nolan has done a stellar job here.
As for Heath Ledger... I was always a big fan of him, from his early teen fare right through to the end, but this is a performance beyond what even I as a fan thought him capable of. His Joker is sadistic, cruel and yet perversely funny, and he is a revelation. It just makes me sad to think what he could have been doing in ten or twenty years' time if this was the calibre of work he was managing as a younger actor.
So when it comes to The Dark Knight, I say don't trust the hype - for this movie far exceeds it. Hands down the best comic book adaptation I've seen, and I do have a penchant for them (especially for a girl)
The best movie adaptation of a super hero July 27, 2008
P. DATTA (Stockton on Tees, Teesside)
30 out of 44 found this review helpful
Dark Knight is by far the best showing of any superhero movie adaptation I have seen in recent months. The Dark Knight proves to be a significant improvement compared to the 90's versions.
The cinemagraphy is excellent. It is supported with a fine blend of day nights and dark scenes to establish a clearly defined plot. A host of action scenes and rentleless chases of villans are used to good effect, without sacrificing strong storyline and dialogues. The characters strenghten the movie. The performance provided by Heath Ledger is uplifting as the villain of the piece the Joker and Christian Bale maintains a solid performance as the psycho and sinister hero Batman. The characters are well developed and we gain a solid understanding of the two contrasting characters. The support acting deserves praise.
The storyline is well executed and cleverly unfolded. It is about Harvey Dent who teamed up with Batman.Harvey Dent is a district attorney who gambled to make Gotham a save city by destroying network of notorious gangster groups operating the city, with the mad Joker dominating proceedings. In the public eyes, he is perceived as a welcome hero. What are the implication of the actions? That is the general plot surrounding the movie. The movie is an enduring 2 and half hours. The time limit is justified as story heads a direction and reaches a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, the best adaptation of superheroes I have seen in a long time. It is a refreshing change, as I am not leaving the cinema a disappointed audience from watching previous super heros movies. I really enjoyed Dark Knight, as it is thrilling and richly entertaining, with a purposeful storyline, solid characters and an excellent cinemagraphy.
Why I love this film (in less than 500 words) December 11, 2008
least toughest in the infants (here there and everywhere)
26 out of 38 found this review helpful
Well...I might as well have my say - everyone else on Amazon is!
Like practically everyone, I loved this film. As a 30-something lifelong batfan, it delivered the kind of quality movie that I always wanted Batman to have. It really is the diametric opposite of those late 90s efforts: intelligent, challenging and...sophisticated. This is a film which does not talk down to the audience.
Like all the other Nolan efforts, at its core is a great story well told. But why is it SO flipping great though? You could go for the present-day ordinary city setting, the strong crime-thriller/mob money storyline, the quality actors cast in every role (even the minor ones.) Or what about the fantastic effects or gadgetry on display?
For me, the best element was the willingness shown to twist each main character so they almost become inverted: Dent goes on a moral rollercoaster trying to clean-up a totally corrupt city, Batman starts to move from being an outright hero to something darker - the sense that he is having to get right down in the dirt and it's not all going to wash off.
The biggest thrill for me though, like many people, was the portrayal of the Joker. Ledger manages to conjure a sharply defined character from practically a blank slate. More than that - and you only really pick this up after several viewings - there is a sense of almost empathy he manages to conjure. The Joker was always very enjoyable in the comics, but ultimately lacked a real depth. Here, Ledger gives you the sense of, if not outright understanding, then at least a hint that behind the smudgy makeup and brittle personality, there is/was an actual human being.
The Joker emerges as someone who, for all his insanity, has a very sobering (and sane)point to make about human behaviour and instincts, and the question as to whether he is right or not ultimately plays out through the film, and that is great writing. The Joker is rebooted from being the `classic entertaining villain' of the comics to a real nemesis: someone who attacks not on a physical level (though he does that too) but striking at the very beliefs you hold, and Batman's whole rationale. Batman wants to be a symbol, and it is that symbol the Joker wants to tear down, everything else is just grist for the mill.
I particularly liked Gary Oldman's performance - very easy to miss since he has no hero suit or gadgetry to rely on.
The DVD is solid - very much like the first film in terms of content. There's no commentary, just like last time, but enough other material to keep you watching. Am I wrong in thinking that there will be another edition at some point with the commentary - like Nolan did with the 3 disc edition of Momento? Let's hope so.
Controversial opinion time: they shouldn't make another one. Why? I think they would struggle to top this. It's Empire Strikes Back for Batfans - tragedy, great characterisation, unexpected plot turns.
Do I hope they make another one? Of course!!
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