In writer-director Christopher Nolan’s startling feature debut, an aspiring author (Jeremy Theobald) researches his first book by following strangers in London. One of these, the dark, stylish Cobb (Alex Thaw), catches the young man in the act and befriends him. But Cobb is a burglar, and his follower grows to love the illicit thrills of breaking and entering - until the two steal from a blonde (Lucy Russell) who turns out to be a gangster’s girlfriend. Shot in black-and-white on a shoestring budget, the film keeps audiences guessing with a nonlinear storytelling style similar to Nolan’s breakthrough follow-up, MEMENTO. “A taut, ingenious British neo-noir.” - Los Angeles Times

Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) must protect Gotham City from the Joker (Heath Ledger, in an Oscar-winning performance), whose path of destruction turns Batman’s potential successor, district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), into the disfigured villain Two-Face. The all-star cast includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. While the bravura action sequences come fast and furious, Nolan’s exploration of the characters’ psyches - and the issue of vigilantism - is equally skilled.

MEMENTO director Christopher Nolan and BLADE scribe David S. Goyer reinvent the BATMAN franchise, with the help of the best cast ever assembled for a comic book film. Christian Bale infuses the Caped Crusader with emotional gravity, an approach that’s underscored by Nolan’s effectively realistic approach to the material. Michael Caine, Tom Wilkinson and many other noteworthy character actors provide solid support in this adventure film that’s as smart as it is rousing.