Who was the Dark Knight actually?

How often does the villain manage to upstage the hero in a movie named after the hero. Heath Ledger's Joker does so and how!. Easily the best Batman villain in a long time and I do remember Jack Nicholson as the Joker. What I would give to know what was his inspiration for this character.

Every facial expression had a meaning, the tics and the angles loaded with menace, improbable humor and the impression of a feral beast restrained only by a thin thread every second. Mind blowing.

Christian Bale was a poor rodent pitted against the villains and the supporting crew. Michael Caine as Albert and Morgan Freeman as a rather subdued Lucius Fox strolled through their parts effortlessly. The thespians managing to convey meaning with subtle expressions and smiles. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent felt like a pain in the wrong place though.

Defenitely DVD worthy.