Synopsis

Batman faces a dangerous new criminal force known as the Joker, whose escalating attacks plunge Gotham City into chaos. As district attorney Harvey Dent becomes a symbol of hope and Commissioner Gordon works to dismantle organized crime, Batman confronts increasingly difficult choices about justice, sacrifice, and the limits of his own moral code.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was shot partly with IMAX cameras, making it one of the earliest major Hollywood productions to use the format for extensive action sequences rather than only selected large-format scenes.

• During filming of a chase on Chicago's Lake Street, concerned residents reportedly called police because they believed an actual pursuit was taking place.

• One of the production's few IMAX cameras was destroyed while filming the chase involving the Joker and S.W.A.T. vans.

• Heath Ledger prepared for the Joker by isolating himself in a motel for roughly six weeks. His work on the character included developing the voice, laugh, physical mannerisms, and deliberately different interpretation from Jack Nicholson's earlier version.

• Ledger completed his filming as the Joker before his death on January 22, 2008. The finished film used his completed performance without changing the character's storyline.

• Ledger received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor posthumously at the 2009 ceremony. The film also won for sound editing and received eight Oscar nominations overall.

• The Dark Knight became the first comic-book movie to pass $1 billion in worldwide box-office revenue.