Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.
152 Minutes
Written and Directed By: Christopher Nolan
You crossed the line first, sir. You hammered them. And in their desperation they turned to a man they didn’t fully understand. Some men aren’t looking for anything logical. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn. -Alfred
Synopsis
Christopher Nolan returns with The Dark Knight to follow what was left off from Batman Begins. Commencing with Gotham at it’s most hopeful it’s new villain, the evil incarnate: The Joker, begins to tear the city and all it’s inhabitants apart. Suddenly with no rules and nearly everyone a suspect of wrong doing, Bruce and Batman face choices they never had to make before.
Review
The Dark Knight certainly lived up to it’s hype with an action packed story, enigmatic and perplexing characters, and undertones that leave chills twisting down your spine. The brilliant script and direction of Christopher Nolan shines through with a film that balances action, crime, the very nature of good and evil while still maintaining it’s comic book genre. It blows what other comic movies have tried to do out of the water, they aren’t even in the same category. The internal struggles of the character’s and desperation of the choices each makes is the catalyst for the story.
To put the entirety of The Dark Knight in a nutshell was the scene with the Joker in the hospital with Harvey Dent. The verbal exchange between the two, and the exploration of the fine line between good and evil, right from wrong, and who’s good and who’s bad really sums up the entire feel for the story. Also, a scene in the interrogation room between Batman and The Joker really draws the line that separates who and what they are by simultaneously blurring it again.
Harvey Dent’s character actually seems to be the nucleus of the story, even though it’s not really about him, our hero and foe pawn him about the board for their own personal goals, be they good or evil. His inevitable metamorphosis becomes clear early on, and eventually leaves the dynasty open for another sequel.
The dangerous mix of real life terrorism and the fine line between who’s good and bad, and the basic wonder of interpretation in situations and basic perception was a much more in depth plot than one would surmise to get from a movie titled: Batman, but it’s there, vibrant and alive. I saw it 24 hours ago and everything about it is still lingering in a very realistic way with me. Plain and simple, this movie blows away anything that has been made in 2008 thus far.
Cast
- Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Heath Ledger as The Joker
- Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/ Two-Face
- Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth
- Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox
- Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon
- Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes
- Monique Curnen as Dec. Ramirez
- Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathon Crane/ The Scarecrow
- Eric Roberts as Salvatore Maroni
- Nestor Carbonell as The Mayor
I will declare it here and now: Heath Ledger should be nominated for an Oscar for his performance. It is the best male performance of 2008 hands down. His maniacal depiction of The Joker as a twisted sociopath with no real intention or motivation behind his actions makes him a viscious foe who craves nothing more than chaos, danger, and destruction. The most interesting aspect of the performance was the layers behind the Joker’s seemingly mindless behavior. Even as gruesome as the Joker was, there was something sadistically charming about him. It was Ledger’s truly owning and living the character that made the Joker something so much more profound than a silly comic villain. I found myself breathless during each scene he was in, and unable to move. I can’t speak more highly of what he achieved, and to rise above the expectations I had, I literally find myself dumbfounded. His demonic portrayal of the classic villain is staggering.
Not to diminish anyone elses performances, Ledger’s was just that phenomenal. Christian Bale again proves that a popcorn action hero can have more complexity and interest than a tough guy kicking butt. the internal struggles that Bruce Wayne vs. Batman have with one another between one another becomes a delectable trial of pain, sorrow, and regret. The supporting actors played by Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, and especially the ever talented Aaron Eckhart bring even more legitimacy to the story taking each of their roles to the mattresses.
Ratings And Suggestions
If you are a Batman junkie, this movie is for you. If you are an action hero or superhero junkie this movie is for you. If you are a chick flick junkie this movie is for you. It doesn’t matter who you are, this movie is for you. Don’t bother to wait for it to hit DVD’s, go to your theatre this second, stand in line for an hour, buy a ticket and prepare to be blown away. Three years seemed a long wait after Batman Begins, but now I can’t seem to muster the patience to wait five months till I can own it on DVD. Best movie this year. Heath Ledger’s performance as the harbinger of death and chaos is alone worth every penny and every second devoted to this film. Four out of Four Serious Stars.
Brilliant Heather!
I kept hearing how great this movie was and all this hype, but i was skeptical casue most of the batman movies were decent nothing that was just amazing. To my surpirse this was one of the best movies I think I have ever seen. There are only two things I can think off the top of my head that was dispointing and that was the fact Scarecrow was only given about 2-3 mins of screen time and played such a small part and Batmans voice but i quickly got over that. Heather is right about this go see it now (in Imax or ultra screen for added pleasure) it will blow you away there is no excuse to ever advoid this movie.
I agree about the Scarecrow, though I can’t see where hey actually could have wrote him in anywhere more without already affecting the plot and pacing, and certainly the timeframe which was already considerably lengthy. Thanks for the comment Fiji and Jeffrey!
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Cheers! Sandra. R.