The Dark Knight

Welcome to a world without rules.

RELEASED 16 Jul 20082h 32m★ 8.5 TMDB★ Essential pick

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

WATCH NOTE

Covers Christopher Nolan's 2008 live-action theatrical feature. BBFC measures theatrical 2D at 152:03 and IMAX at 152:18, rounded to 152 minutes; the separately recorded 145:48 home presentation, trailers and supplements are excluded from this theatrical runtime. US theatrical release was July 18, 2008; the catalogue's July 16 international date remains unverified from successfully opened evidence. Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Michael Caine's Alfred Pennyworth and Gary Oldman's James Gordon resolve to existing official DC identities. Rachel, Ramirez, Wuertz, Lau and Mayor have explicit performer-role evidence but unresolved official character-profile matches. The existing Batgirl association remains under review: Barbara Gordon and Gordon's daughter are separately credited, without establishing a Batgirl identity. Complete supporting, uncredited, archival and silent/background appearance coverage remains unresolved. Batman: Gotham Knight is separate supplementary animation intended between Batman Begins and this film; its material is excluded from this feature's coverage.

Why it matters in DC

Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent try to make progress through different forms of authority, while the Joker attacks the stability of their partnership. The film matters within the trilogy because the cost of defending Gotham becomes inseparable from the methods used to defend it.

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1 title to watch before The Dark Knight — 2h 20m in total.

Batman BeginsStory prerequisite2h 20m★ 7.7
Batman Begins is recorded as a direct predecessor to The Dark Knight in The Dark Knight Trilogy, establishing the version of this world carried into the later title.

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How this title is selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

The Dark Knight is title 2 of 3 in our The Dark Knight Trilogy viewing sequence. Christopher Nolan's second Batman feature continues the story begun in Batman Begins. Start with Batman Begins, watch The Dark Knight, then continue with The Dark Knight Rises to complete this separate trilogy.

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