It was Christian Bale's movie. He's one of the best actors out there right now, and he maintained that standard for "Batman Begins" when he could have easily slummed it if he'd wanted. With every other Batman film (even the 60s Adam West one), it was the villains who dominated the movie. But in "Batman Begins", Christian Bale delivered a performance with both heart and intensity, and at long last managed to make Batman the most engaging, compelling character in his own movie.
But I think kudos must also go to Cillian Murphy. His role as Dr. Crane was a relatively small one, but he played it very well. As well as the "creepy" elements many have commented on, I liked how he also added some nuance to the character. Notice how in the scenes with both Rachel Dawes and the woman at the police department, he's unable to make eye contact with the woman he's talking to, constantly fidgeting and looking away from them. I thought that was a nice little touch that not many others have picked up on.
But really, I don't think I could fault anyone in the cast - Narrow's Kid aside. The whole ensemble did great, and everyone had at least one moment to shine.
