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| The Dark Knight (Theatrical Release) | Jeff Harris, July 19, 2008 |
Genre: Superhero crime drama
Producer: Legendary Pictures/DC Comics Distributor: Warner Bros Pictures Director: Christopher Nolan Medium: American live-action Rated: PG-13 (for intense violence, adult situations, gunplay, chaotic madness, and explosive behavior) The Skinny: A crazed genius attempts to manipulate crime families and to discredit the city's one great hope, but the combination of a masked vigilante and a noble officer struggle to deal with this new threat or succumb to the imminent madness Think: The Untouchables blended with The Godfather, a heaping helping of A Clockwork Orange and a pinch of Silence of the Lambs mixed in with the mythos of DC Comics' Batman franchise.
Pros: From start to finish, a great film, spectacular acting from the cast, very unique redefinition of The Joker, Harvey Dent, and The Batman.
My Take:
A bank heist masterminded by some guy calling himself The Joker takes place in the opening of the film. Unbeknownst to those involved, the bank is mob-owned, and all the clown-masked robbers have to shoot each other. The only one left standing is The Joker (Heath Ledger, in his final fully-filmed appearance), a disheveled madman who is a self-proclaimed agent of chaos who sends a message to the crime families throughout Gotham City. He's the only one who can get rid of the Batman (Christian Bale), a masked vigilante who fights those that dare to threaten the peace in his city. The gravelly-voiced hero is aided by many people in his crusade on crime; Wayne Industries' Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), his butler Alfred (Michael Caine), and Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) of the GCPD. The alliance between the police officer and the dark knight detective is tested when they want to bring in the city's newest district attorney, an optimistic "white knight" named Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) who has created a face of change in the city. Batman learns more about the bank robberies, which takes him all the way to Hong Kong. Dent used what he learned to corral the largest assortment of criminals in a courtroom. Joker's plan is fleshed out even more baiting the hero by threatening to kill people unless he unveils and turns himself in to the authorities, which leads to the first confrontation between the two at a fundraiser for Harvey Dent. The Joker later goes on a spree to keep his word of killing people, including notable members of the government. Harvey confronts the problem and reveals to the public he is the Batman, though Bruce was willing to do likewise. This sets the stage for an elaborate plan by (and a trap for) The Joker. His arrest leads to tragedy on an epic scale, including transformations, destruction, and deaths, including a personal loss for both Bruce and Harvey, who was left as half the man he used to be in the ensuing chaos. His mind becomes corrupted, and he takes on the threats head on, both his enemies and his allies. As the citizens are forced to leave Gotham, one last plan is revealed, a "social experiment" that could lead to the deaths of citizens and prisoners. Final confrontations are made, and everyone is affected by the consequences of their actions. Dynamics are shifted as an unlikely winner emerges and a sacrifice is made. As the curtain closed, I am left completely in awe over what I've just witnessed. They transformed the Batman mythos into something bigger than itself. Christopher Nolan and company created a cinematic work of art comparable to classic and modern day crime dramas like The Godfather Saga, The Untouchables, and The Departed as well as intelligent psychological thrillers like Silence of the Lambs. While it won't completely make anyone forget the 1989 film that reintroduced Batman to the mass media (who are still insistent on using the 60s theme and iconography when talking about Batman and any other comic-based superhero project) and the non-comic reading populace (many of whom were upset that Adam West wasn't going to play Batman in the new movie), The Dark Knight seems to have rewritten the rules of superhero-based movies, not unlike last May's Iron Man. If you strip the superhero elements from the movie, you still have one of the best crime movies ever made. An mob outsider dares to take on a vigilante (who wants to create order from chaos), a great cop (who wants to create order in a traditional way), and a public defender (who represents a balance between order and chaos in public view instead of behind the shadows) in order to earn the mobs' respect as well as have his own hidden agenda. I'll get to Heath's role in a minute. But let me say this is one of the most well-rounded casts I've seen in a motion picture in quite a while, and everybody involved, from the three returning cast members from Batman Begins (I can't imagine any other live-action person but Christian Bale playing the role of the Dark Knight; Morgan Freeman continues to exude class in Lucius Fox; Gary Oldman, who mostly plays the bad guy, shows he can play the hero in the form of Jim Gordon) to newcomers like Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel actually had more to do this go around) and Aaron Eckhart (a tragic figure if there ever was one) as well as the "smaller" characters, all excelled in their performances. But, as many people will tell you, the one performance that stands out is that of Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker. Heath personified and created a character that looked like a throwaway rather than a master criminal with his facepaint slapped on rather than permawhite. Not exactly someone who looked like they knew what they were talking about (the character even suggests "Do I look like someone who has a plan?"), but within the layers is a character that is probably the most diabolical, most sinister, blood-thirsty, psychotic mind this side of Hannibal Lecter. He could have easily emulated the likes of Nicholson or Hamill, but Heath made The Joker his own, cementing his career which was cut way, way too soon. This will be seen as Heath Ledger's defining role in generations to come. The Dark Knight should be considered for many awards in the winter beyond Heath Ledger's penultimate role. The Dark Knight is probably the best film of the year and probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. It's also one of the greatest crime dramas and psychological thrillers ever filmed. My only fear is that Warner Bros. will ignore what they have set up with this film to make yet another toyetic mess of a movie for a sequel instead of a one-of-a-kind masterpiece film critics will examine in the decades to come.
FINAL REVIEW: (Five-Scale Rating)
FINAL JUDGEMENT: 5 out of 5 |
Perhaps it was fitting that I saw The Dark Knight at The Commodore rather than the Regal Cinema across the river. The character, created by Bob Kane and fleshed out by Bill Finger 69 years ago, would either feel right at home in it or have deep, emotional scars remembering the day that changed his life forever once looking at it. The theater is a restored, one-screen 40s-era building with a dining area on the lower floor. The entrance had bric-a-brac from Batman films and series of yore while the score of the film I was about to watch played before showtime. The curtains swung open, and the film begin.