Angel of Chaos The late Heath Ledger as the Joker.

To call The Dark Knight a superhero movie is like saying that The Godfather is a gangster movie, The Unforgiven is a Western or 2001: A Space Odyssey is a science-fiction film. All these movies are certainly of their genres, but they also transcend genre. And yes, I really do think The Dark Knight is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as those other films. I hate it as much as anyone when a movie gets over-hyped, but in this case it's not just hype. Earlier this summer, Iron Man proved it was possible to make a superhero movie that could entertain even people who normally hate superhero movies. But The Dark Knight proves it's not only possible to entertain those people, but also to do so in a film with substance and depth.

Writer/director Christopher Nolan took over the Batman franchise with 2005's Batman Begins, giving the character back the dignity he had lost in Joel Schumacher's execrable Batman and Robin. Still, as good as Batman Begins was, it was hindered by the need to rehash the character's origin and an incredibly weak female lead in the form of Katie Holmes. And the whole thing ended in an all-too-typical action-movie climax, undermining the tone of realism that much of the film had strived to create. Well, with The Dark Knight, the back story is out of the way, the excellent Maggie Gyllenhaal has taken over the role Holmes played and the big action set pieces are handled in a more believable way without sacrificing any excitement.

As the story begins, Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has been making some real headway in cleaning up Gotham City, thanks in part to the help of policeman Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and new district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who has more than just a working relationship with Wayne's ex, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhall). But with this success comes unintended consequences. The Joker (Heath Ledger), a dangerous new criminal, offers to help Gotham's crime bosses get rid of Batman. In return for his help, the Joker says he wants money, but this isn't his real motivation. In fact, none of the reasons that usually motivate a movie villain apply here. As the Joker himself says, he's an "agent of chaos," and all he wants is to see society reduced to its basest level. As for what kind of past could have forged a creature like this, we're given several possibilities. Which explanation is true, if any, is left uncertain.

It's hard to make a character like the Joker come across as believable in a real world sense, but Ledger does it. He makes the guy into true nightmare material while still being all too human. Sure, there's a humorous aspect to the Joker, but it's humor of the blackest sort. And as obviously insane as the character is, he makes a certain twisted kind of sense when he explains his views on human nature. Ledger is absolutely amazing in this part, making Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the character seem almost silly by comparison.

But perhaps the most interesting story arc belongs to the character of Harvey Dent. Dent is exactly the kind of decent man the Joker wants to corrupt, and Aaron Eckhart makes the most of the part. Eckhart is so central to this movie that I'd say he's as much the lead as Christian Bale. Speaking of Bale, he once again does a great job as the caped crusader. It's not as flashy a performance as Ledger's, but it's the right one for the movie. And as much as people are talking about a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Ledger, I wouldn't be surprised if Maggie Gyllenhaal makes the short list for Best Supporting Actress as well. Rounding out the cast are Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Eric Roberts, all of whom bring their A game.

Co-writing the screenplay with his brother Jonathan, director Christopher Nolan has crafted a complex and thematically rich story that will bear up to repeated viewings long after the CGI thrills of lesser movies have dissipated. In some ways, The Dark Knight doesn't even feel like a superhero movie. It's more like a gritty '70s crime drama where a couple of the characters happen to dress kind of funny. But all that aside, it's also just a blast to watch Batman kick some ass. You can have your cake and eat it, too.

THE DARK KNIGHT: Opens Friday areawide