'The Dark Knight', 10 years later

What a year for movies in 2008.

'Slumdog Millionaire' claimed Best Picture. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was kicked off with 'Iron Man', and Robert Downey, Jr. rejuvenated his career. The Indiana Jones franchise was destroyed with the release of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'. One of my all-time favorites, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', was one of Brad Pitt's great performances. Pixar continued its run of dominance with 'WALL-E'. Will Ferrell's film career apexed with 'Step Brothers', while also setting up John C. Reilly for a nice comedy run.

But the movie that ruled the box office, resonated in pop culture, and featured the greatest acting performance of the 21st century was 'The Dark Knight'.

Without a doubt, TDK was the best Batman film ever produced. Tim Burton's 1989 adaptation is good and made superhero movies bankable, but it pales in comparison to Christopher Nolan's crown jewel.

10 years later, this movie is still being copied by Warner Bros. The dark tone of 'The Dark Knight' can be seen in 'Man of Steel', 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice', and others. However, all of these fail to replicate the unmatched quality of the original.

Other than 'The Godfather Part II', TDK might be the best sequel ever made. It's hands-down better than 'Batman Begins', and that's saying something. Nolan's first Batman outing took on a new angle in regards to the main character, going for a much darker tone while re-hashing his origins. Christian Bale shined as Batman, but was more impressive as Bruce Wayne. Prior to Nolan's films, both Burton and Joel Schumacher never really gave us a look inside the mind of Bruce. For Nolan to outdo 'Batman Begins' in the way that he did is just remarkable. 

Let's talk about the best parts of 'The Dark Knight' and the reasons why it's the best superhero film of all time, as well as one of the best crime thrillers ever made.

5) The Hospital Explosion/Joker and Harvey's Talk

This scene gives us a look at just how insane Joker is, while also showing us how smart he can be. Harvey Dent has been through hell and back, and the Joker takes this opportunity to try and make an ally out of a man who should 100% be his enemy. His insanity shows through when he allows Harvey to flip the coin to determine his own fate, but his smarts outshine his insanity. He realizes that Harvey is a symbol of hope for Gotham City's citizens. By turning Harvey into Two-Face for good, Joker knows that it will be Batman's greatest defeat.

I included the explosion because it's just great visual effects. When Nolan gives us the aerial view of the building coming down, it's a really impressive shot. We also see classic comic book Joker as he casually walks away from a burning building, then angrily presses the detonator when it doesn't work at first.

4) The Rise and Fall of Harvey Dent

Harvey Dent is the most tragic character in The Dark Knight trilogy. When he's first introduced in TDK, he's a charismatic district attorney who's dedicated to putting an end to organized crime in Gotham. By the end of the film, he's Two-Face, a mass-murdering psychopath created by the Joker whose sense of justice has been twisted by the death of Rachel and his burnt face.

As the DA, Harvey seems like a guy that any city would want as the man putting criminals behind bars and defending the people in the courtroom. He's so fiercely beloved in the community that Batman is forced to take the blame for the crimes he committed as Two-Face, which leads to Jim Gordon being able to help pass the Dent Act, a law that allows mafia and gang members to be prosecuted easier.

The ripple effect of Dent's actions is even felt in 'The Dark Knight Rises', when Bane reveals that the Dent Act was based on lies, as told from Gordon's letter from the beginning of the movie. This leads to all the criminals that were imprisoned by the Dent Act to be released and Gotham to once again be on the brink of disaster.

Harvey also directly effected Bruce's love life, as Rachel wrote in a letter that she was going to marry Harvey instead of waiting for Bruce.

Allowing Harvey to fall into the Joker's hands has to be Batman's greatest defeat of the whole trilogy. He knew Harvey could be a hero that Batman never would be, somebody that all of Gotham could look up to and not just supporters of the cape and cowl. Harvey's downfall and eventual death ultimately led Bruce to give up the Batman mantle for 8 years, until Bane's appearance in 'The Dark Knight Rises' forces him out of exile.

3) The Chase between the GCPD, the Batmobile, and the Joker's truck (watch top video first)

The best chase scene of the 21st century. Explosions. Ramming through concrete. A truck flip. The Batpod. Batman coming so close to running Joker down in cold blood. What more do you want?

I'm still not entirely sure how Nolan and the crew were able to film this so perfectly. As the GCPD are trying to transfer Harvey to a safe location, the Joker comes in with other plans. In his semi-truck, they all but make the tunnels collapse. Joker's crew even turns to a bazooka in an attempt to get Harvey out of the police's custody.

The chase is topped off by the Batmobile, and eventually the Batpod, in one of the most dazzling sequences in movie history. We see just how much destruction the Batmobile can cause, as well as how relentless Batman is in his crusade against crime.

If you need to watch the video again, go right ahead.

2) The Bank Robbery

The best opening sequence of all time and our first look at Heath Ledger's Joker. 

The first time I saw TDK, I was trying to figure out just what the hell was happening in this scene. Guys were taking each other out one at a time, the guy who turned out to be the Joker wasn't saying anything, and a bus crashed through the front of the building.

When it was over, I wanted to see it again.

The genius of this whole robbery scene is just amazing. It also shows us just how intelligent the Joker is and how much Batman is going to be up against. Of all the villains that Batman has faced on-screen, the Joker proved to be the most worthy adversary, with Bane coming in a close second. This sequence here is probably what gives Joker the edge.

1) Heath Ledger as the Joker

The best acting performance that I've ever seen. Period.

In one of his last acts before his death, Heath Ledger gave us one for the ages as the Joker. There have been plenty of great characters throughout the years, but I know for a fact that this iteration of Batman's greatest foe will never be replicated.

There were plenty of stories surrounding Ledger's preparation for the role. He reportedly locked himself in a room for days on end and wrote in a journal as the Joker would've. And to think that Ledger's casting as the clown was met with a lot of fan backlash. Ask Batman fans nowadays, and they'll say they can't imagine a better Joker.

We'll never see a performance as unique and scary/interesting as this one. Ledger is able to balance the craziness of the Joker with his sheer intelligence and criminal knowledge. He's always one step ahead of his mob friends and was the only one to recognize that tearing down Harvey should be the goal, not tearing down Batman. 

My personal favorite scene of the Joker was the interrogation between him and Batman, but I decided to include the party scene along with the mob meeting. You can see how murderous the clown can be in both, but you also see how he blows his competition out of the water.

'The Dark Knight'. Released on July 18, 2008. 10 years later, still the greatest superhero film of all time.

But it seems to be much more than that. This movie is really a crime thriller. Yes, you've got people in costumes and a guy in makeup, but it all works.

It all works great.

Image credits: DualShockers, Dark Knight ARG Wiki

YouTube channels: BlackView HD, CVN Soundtrack, FAVROx Media, Heath Ledger, Ryan