Who directed the 2008 action film "The Dark Knight"?

Christopher Nolan directed the 2008 action film "The Dark Knight."

The film is the second entry in Nolan's Batman trilogy, following "Batman Begins" (2005) and preceding "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012). Nolan also co-wrote the screenplay with his brother, Jonathan Nolan, and helped shape the film's grounded approach to superhero storytelling.

Christian Bale returns as Batman, while the plot brings together Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon, and district attorney Harvey Dent in an effort to break organized crime in Gotham City. Their plans are disrupted by the Joker, played by Heath Ledger, whose campaign of chaos tests Batman's moral limits.

Nolan's direction is often associated with practical effects, large-format cinematography, and a serious crime-thriller tone. The film was a major commercial and critical success, and Ledger received a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Tim Burton directed the earlier Batman films starring Michael Keaton, while Zack Snyder later directed other DC films, making both names common but incorrect alternatives here.