Christopher Nolan steps back into the director's chair for this sequel to Batman Begins, which finds the titular superhero coming face to face with his greatest nemesis - the dreaded Joker. Christian Bale returns to the role of Batman, Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over the role of Rachel Dawes (played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins), and Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger dons the ghoulishly gleeful Joker makeup previously worn by Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero. Just as it begins to appear as if Batman, Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) are making headway in their tireless battle against the criminal element, a maniacal, wisecracking fiend plunges the streets of Gotham City into complete chaos.

In the exciting fourth entry in the successful action series, an attack on the Kremlin leaves IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team falsely accused of international terrorism. Forced to go underground, they must race against time to clear their names while trying to stop a plot to orchestrate a nuclear war between the United States and Russia. Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, and, in a cameo, Ving Rhames co-star in director Brad Bird's first live-action film. 132 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack English. Three-disc set.