Well what do you know....
I was going to totally stick to my guns that American reviewers do not react to (or at least do not comment specifically about) massive violence in films as opposed to the age limit (which was what I was saying previously, I did
not and did not intend to comment on American audiences in general). At the time of my post yesterday I could have pointed to all available reviews for TDK, as well as US reviews for a number of other films that have created age-limit fuss among reviewers here back home in the mountains, and I could have stuck to those guns, very Joker-like.

However, now as always, Murphy's law applies 100% in my life and therefore
both reviews made available today do in fact comment on the film's age limit vs. level of violence.
Here's reviewer David Poland:
"The movie works really well – however pitch black and undeniably inappropriate for any kid who isn’t over 12 or playing Grand Theft Auto with mom & dad’s blessing – in delivering The Joker’s mayhem in the first 100 minutes or so."Full review here:
http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotbutton/2008/07/the_darkest_longest_knight.htmlAnd here, even more troubling IMO, is Time Magazine's Richard Corliss :
"The mayhem and torture wreaked here, by saint or scum, are so vivid and persistent that it's a wonder, and a puzzle, why The Dark Knight snagged a PG-13 rating."Full review here:
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1821365,00.htmlBoth of them give overall positive, very positive reviews, but I'm back to really wondering whether I'll be up to seeing this movie.

It's really a sad irony of fate when I so much want to see Heath's much-lauded last fully realized role, but at the same time am afraid it'll give me nightmares and haunt my memory for
entirely the wrong reasons. I wish the darn film would just premiere already so I could get the opinion of discerning Brokies.
To end on a slightly lighter note, have you all seen Maggie Gyllenhaal's portrait on the cover of Tatler? Here's the link - and seriously, as one commenter says:
"Jokerizing is going mainstream."
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/25518472.html