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.

And no one in recent years has personified evil more convincingly on film than Heath Ledger as The Joker.

Picture Hannibal Lecter and Jigsaw rolled into one. That's a halfway decent description of Ledger's performance, but it's still a disservice. I've never seen anything quite like it.

I'm not even going to get into Two-Face. You just have to see him for yourself. And try not to lose your popcorn.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com [2])