As far as comic book adaptations go, Christopher Nolan’s reinvention of the Caped Crusader in Batman Begins was one of the most interesting attempts ever to turn pulp into celluloid; and The Dark Knight consolidates his reputation in no uncertain terms. His screen version of Frank Miller’s savage graphic novel hits all the right buttons, but it’s far from the camp, theatrical overkill of Tim Burton’s films. This is a movie that leaps from one thrilling set piece to the next, yet still manages to invest its characters with the kind of depth that moves way beyond two dimensions.

Nolan’s Batman is a flawed vigilante who often displays the same qualities as the villains he goes up against. Here, of course, it’s Heath Ledger’s Joker who commands most of the attention; and what a blistering swan song it is. Ledger gives us a villain totally consumed by self-hatred, a giggling conglomeration of facial tics and weird body language that effortlessly dominates every scene he’s in. Christian Bale’s Batman inevitably becomes the second string in his own movie, but unlike Michael Keaton before him, he doesn’t go down without putting up a fight. Into this festering brew comes heroic D.A. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who Batman acknowledges as Gotham’s true hero, a love rival for Bruce Wayne’s squeeze, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhall, stepping into Katy Holmes’ high heels). But even Dent cannot resist being tainted by the evil that lies all around him and perhaps the true subtext throughout the film is the way that evil corrupts all who come into contact with it.

If this all sounds a little cerebral, don’t despair, because The Dark Knight positively abounds with big screen action. Boys who like toys will drool over the redesigned Batmobile and an equally funky Batbike and there are car chases, explosions and shootouts aplenty. Heath Ledger’s untimely demise has given the film an added resonance but it was going to be a hit anyway and a deserved one. If there is a third movie, one has to hope it won’t involve the Joker. I pity any actor who dares to try and follow Leger’s interpretation. Mind you, it would be great to see what Nolan could do with The Penguin. Watch this space…