The Top 25 Movies of the Decade

21. 
Nolan's Batman films should be the standard against which comic book franchises are measured.  This second installment pushed the genre to new limits, becoming the first major motion picture to integrate IMAX footage with traditional 35 mm.  Heath Ledger's performance is astounding, a complete immersion into a psyche.  


Nolan keeps things grounded.  He's smart and disciplined, putting his $185 million to good use.  He favors special effects over computer-generated visual effects.  Almost everything here is done for real, or at least, without relying on CGI.  With the exception of the helicopter crash, nothing here looks fake.  Nothing.

The Top 25 Movies of the Decade

22.


I marvel at this adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho, a book made infamous by the extremely detailed misogynistic violence.  Mary Harron interestingly decided to show very little gore and presumably copyright issues prevented her from delving too much into the brand obsession of the 80s.  Instead, she focuses on her greatest asset:  Christian Bale.

Bale's breakout (for the second time) performance launched his career as one of the top leading men of this generation.  The strongest aspect of Bale's portrayal is his ability to make the audience root for Patrick Bateman, despite his behavior.  He finds the comedy in the role, an aspect most actors would dismiss but Bale sinks his teeth into it.