Christopher Nolan revolutionized the superhero genre with his The Dark Knight Trilogy. Dark, gritty, and realistic, Nolan's films rely on character-driven storytelling, seamless special effects, and provocative social commentary to retell the story of the Caped Crusader. 2008's The Dark Knight is the incredibly successful sequel to 2005's Batman Begins.
The Dark Knight sees Christian Bale's title vigilante superhero protecting Gotham City from Heath Ledger's chaos-driven Joker. The highest-grossing film of 2008, The Dark Knight also features performances from seasoned actors like Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman. For those who can't get enough of the film's talented cast, some of their lesser-known (but acclaimed) features might just do the trick.
Christian Bale: Metroland (1999)
Long before he was Batman, Welsh actor Christian Bale starred alongside Emily Watson in this British adaption of Julian Barnes's novel of the same name. Set in 1977 London, Bale plays Chris, a suburbanite enjoying a peaceful life with his wife Marion (Watson) and child.
One day, Chris gets a phone call for his former pal Toni. Toni's reappearance in Chris's life sparks memories of Chris's time as a photographer in the avant-garde Paris of the 1960s. Soon, Chris starts to question just how happy he is as a predictable family man.
Michael Caine: The Ipcress File (1965)
A classic British spy thriller, a young Michael Caine stars in The Ipcress File. A gloomier, more intelligent alternative to the James Bond movies, Caine plays Harry Palmer, an agent tasked with uncovering a conspiracy involving disappearing British scientists.
Palmer, a jaded army sergeant with a criminal past, is led into a traitorous plot against the British government. Caine gives an understated performance as Palmer - an ability carried over into his role as butler Alfred Pennyworth in The Dark Knight. Directed by Sidney J. Furie, The Ipcress File skips the glamorized storytelling and digs into the gruesome reality of espionage.
Heath Ledger: Two Hands (1999)
A native Australian, Heath Ledger stars in this independent crime drama. Ledger plays 19-year-old Jimmy, a strip club employee who side hustles for the mob. Jimmy is asked to deliver $10,000 to a woman in another town. Unfortunately, the woman isn't home, and the money is stolen from Jimmy.
The mob wants the money back, but poor young Jimmy has no way to repay the debt. Instead, Jimmy goes on the run. Fellow Australian Rose Byrne co-stars in Two Hands.
Gary Oldman: Prick Up Your Ears (1987)
Gary Oldman is a prolific British actor who plays Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight. The Oscar winner's filmography spans pages and decades. Prick Up Your Ears is a biopic about the calamitous relationship between queer playwrights Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell. Oldman plays Orton, and Alfred Molina co-stars as Halliwell.
Working in 1960s London, the lovers struggle to maintain their relationship (at a time when homosexuality was illegal) while pursuing their individual careers. After Orton's career takes off, a jealous Halliwell takes both men's lives in a tragic murder-suicide.
Aaron Eckhart: In The Company Of Men (1997)
Considered Aaron Eckhart's breakout movie, In The Company of Men is a darkly comedic exploration of misogyny. Without his engrossing performance as a businessman named Chad, Eckhart may not have gone on to play Harvey Dent (aka Two-Face) in The Dark Knight.
In In The Company of Men, Eckhard's Chad joins up with his colleague Howard in a quest to seek revenge on the female gender. Embittered by failed relationships, the two men decide it's all women's fault. They want to target an insecure woman, date her at the same time, and then dump her. Needless to say, the plan backfires.
Maggie Gyllenhaal: Sherrybaby (2006)
In The Dark Knight, Maggie Gyllenhaal plays assistant DA and Bruce Wayne's childhood friend Rachel Dawes. Gyllenhaal is noted for her diving head-first into characters, which is on full display in the independent drama Sherrybaby.
Gyllenhaal gives a raw performance as a former drug addict who, after being released from prison, returns home to her young daughter. As Sherry's family doubt her ability to create a healthy life for herself and her child, her resolve to stay clean and sober suffers.
Morgan Freeman: Clean And Sober (1988)
Speaking of clean and sober, Morgan Freeman stars alongside Michael Keaton in the movie that helped Keaton land the role of Batman in Tim Burton's takes on the DC Comics superhero. Freeman, who plays Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight, plays a drug rehab counselor named Craig in Clean and Sober.
Clean and Sober focuses on Keaton's character Daryl, a successful real estate salesman in Philadelphia who literally crashes and burns after developing a cocaine addiction. In rehab, Daryl attempts to piece his life back together while remaining committed to sobriety.
Eric Roberts: The Pope Of Greenwich Village (1984)
Eric Roberts plays Italian mafia boss Sal Marino in The Dark Knight. Back in the 1980s, Roberts worked with Mickey Rourke in the dark comedy The Pope of Greenwich Village. The pair play two scheming cousins who are fired from restaurant jobs after being instigated in a check skimming plot.
Roberts's character Paulie convinces Rourke's character Charlie to steal $150,000. Instead of just running off with the cash, Paulie thinks they should use it to bet on a "sure thing" race horse. Before they know it, the mob and the cops are on their tails.
Anthony Michael Hall: Pirates Of Silicon Valley (1999)
Former teen idol Anthony Michael Hall has a small role in The Dark Knight as Gotham Cable News reporter Mike Engel. After Hall's heyday as the star of John Hughes comedies, he played Bill Gates in Pirates of Silicon Valley.
The film traces the simultaneous developments of Apple and Microsoft, the two companies that still rule the tech world. Noah Wylie co-stars as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Michael Jai White: Black Dynamite (2009)
Michael Jai White is known as Gambol in The Dark Knight, an African mob boss. White is credited as one of the first black actors to play a superhero thanks to his starring role in the 1997 movie Spawn.
White also stars in Black Dynamite, a satirical comedy that pays homage to blaxploitation films. Black Dynamite is a former CIA agent who protects his neighborhood from The Man. Directed by Scott Sanders, Black Dynamite simultaneously deconstructs the genre while uplifting it.