The Joker

Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight'Believe the hype. "The Dark Knight" is my favorite movie of the summer (so far) and probably one of the most satisfying action blockbusters of the past 10 years.

It's not just a good comic book movie. It's a great movie, first and foremost, that happens to be about comic book heroes and villains.

I'd say it has more in common with classic crime dramas such as "Heat" and "The Untouchables" than it does with "Spider-Man" or "X-Men." It's a gangster film about a handful of noble crime fighters, some who wear suits and ties, some who wear badges and guns, and one who wears a cowl and cape, all battling evil and corruption.

Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson
as The JokerWhen Jack Nicholson became the Joker for 1989's "Batman," he delivered an all-time great performance — one for the history books — and he easily stole the show from Michael Keaton aka Bruce Wayne/Batman.

The Associated Press reports the late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in the forthcoming "The Dark Knight" is even better.

After attending an early press screening of "The Dark Knight" (the rest of us get to see it starting July 18), the AP's reviewer wrote, "Ledger elevates Batman's No. 1 nemesis to a place even Jack Nicholson did not take him ... Nicholson's Joker was campy and clever. Ledger's Joker is an all-out terror, definitely funny but with a lunatic moral mission to drag all of Gotham, the city Batman thanklessly protects, down to his own dim assessment of humanity."

Christian Bale and Heath Ledger
in 'The Dark Knight'"The Dark Knight" star Christian Bale recalls his co-star, the late Heath Ledger, was an easygoing guy when he wasn't performing as the Joker.

Details magazine recently interviewed Bale for its June/July cover story and he told writer Adam Higginbotham, "(Ledger) was incredibly intense in his performance but incredibly mellow and laid-back. Certainly there was this great anarchistic streak to it — just getting dirtier than anybody's envisioned the Joker before. This character has power because he has no limits — absolutely nothing to lose."

Bale is a successful star now, but the full interview reveals some of the hard times he went through on his way to the top. Just a few years ago, he was struggling with his house payments.