The Dark Knight (A or 4/4 stars)
The Caped Crusader is back in 'The Dark Knight', directed by Christopher Nolan. Set 1 year after the events of Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) & Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) join forces with new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), to take on a psychotic enforcer for the mob, The Joker (Heath Ledger). What a full-bodied, dark, enthralling film this is. It's audacious, ambitious, thought-provoking ... yet, still fun & entertaining enough to please most summer crowds. I do have some minor issues (pacing, editing). But this is one of the best films of 2008.
Following his defeat of Ra's Al Ghul, Batman has become an enigma. Is he the Gotham City's great hope, or a careless vigilante? It doesn't help his image when crude copycat Batmen are everywhere. So now, Bruce has to nail his own impersonators, clean up organized crime syndicates, & keep civilians from disliking him; this is no easy feat. In helping to fight crime, Batman finds an unfriendly ally in D.A. Harvey Dent. 'Unfriendly' because Dent's girlfriend happens to be Bruce Wayne's ex, Asst. D.A. Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes). Rather than turning a blind eye to all the crime or accepting $$, Dent aims to be Gotham's heroic white knight - with or without Batman. But neither men are prepared for or realize how hard it will be to take down the sadistic Joker.
The Joker makes one demand to Batman: reveal his true identity & turn himself in. Until then, the Joker would kill one civilian for every day that Batman remains behind the mask. Conflicted, Batman knows that turning himself in would be both defeatist & prove detrimental to fighting crime. He also doesn't know if revealing himself would make the Joker stop, anyway! With the Joker 'working' for the mob, led by Sal Maroni (Eric Roberts), will he play by rules that are other than his own? Can Batman & Dent put aside their differences to keep Rachel & their beloved city safe? With growing power, will the Joker break into Batman's already floundering psyche? By what means will Batman resort to in resisting him? With no sight of dawn on the horizon, how long will it take for the good people of Gotham City to start turning to the dark side?
'TDK' does something that most superhero films do not. It instills the palpable feeling that anything can happen to anyone at anytime; even Batman is destructible. Most superheroes are self-assured enough to know that good will triumph; that plugging away at what he/she's been doing is the right answer ... not so, this time. Christian Bale's Bruce is as suave as ever. But as the brooding Batman, you sense how unsure/inwardly nervous he is about the consequences of his every action. People are (indirectly) blaming him for the deaths of authority figures. Bale does well to convey Batman's grim outlook of the future. As to the final decision he makes (in this film): not only will it send citizens further into an uproar, but it has him questioning himself ... 'is all the good that I've done worth it?'
Bale is stellar (if underdeveloped, compared to Batman Begins). His physical presence is potent. And his dual personifications of Bruce & Batman's strengths & weaknesses are apparent. Oldman is great as the lieutenant who's juggling so many people (corrupt & incorrupt) that it's a wonder his head doesn't fall off. Gyllenhaal portrays Rachel as feminine, yet strong. Though it's a minor role, she does very well with it. Freeman's Lucius has a good time, particularly in one scene when a man is trying to blackmail him. Caine's Alfred is a pillar of compassion, knowledge, & understanding (particularly when handling an important letter sent for Bruce). And Eckhart is superb. As Harvey, he exudes charisma, nobility, & confidence. But when tragedy strikes late in the proceedings, his character arc/transition is quite horrifying.
Which brings us to Heath Ledger. The 1st time you see him, your heart will sink (due to his untimely death). But afterwards, you sit back in awe at his twisted, psychopathic performance. His greasy haired, snake-like tongued, make-up smeared monster is out for no one but himself. Watching him get the utmost enjoyment (frenetic giggles, body jerks) from inflicting pain or death upon someone is quite a thing to behold. But he's not only physically imposing. Whether the Joker is divulging his tragic personal history, or his next diabolical plan, he has a way of haunting his captor(s) into a frozen, bumbling state. His every plan is meant to pose moral, ethical, & deadly dilemmas for all his victims. His success rate (even with major characters) is alarming. And for as nuanced as Ledger's Ennis del Mar was in Brokeback Mountain, his Joker is the polar opposite here. We've lost an amazing actor.
The editing in 'The Dark Knight' is very good. I enjoyed the action scenes involving a plane & the Bat-cycle (Hell, those scenes practically elevated me out of my seat in excitement). But some of the smaller, dialogue-driven scenes could have been more cleanly executed. The 2:30 hours go by quickly. But individual scenes (here & there) were off in pacing. The cinematography is bleak, oppressive, & beautiful (whether in flinchingly static shots, or sweeping shots). The musical score is astounding (it's still in my head). And The Dark Knight's tragic subtext is more powerful than any other superhero adaptation: it's hard to sustain power; it's hard to keep a clear head amid the madness in the world; it's easy to sacrifice, but even easier to be selfish. Every action and/or complex moral decision (good or bad) has a consequence. Batman & Harvey Dent know this better than anyone.
Following his defeat of Ra's Al Ghul, Batman has become an enigma. Is he the Gotham City's great hope, or a careless vigilante? It doesn't help his image when crude copycat Batmen are everywhere. So now, Bruce has to nail his own impersonators, clean up organized crime syndicates, & keep civilians from disliking him; this is no easy feat. In helping to fight crime, Batman finds an unfriendly ally in D.A. Harvey Dent. 'Unfriendly' because Dent's girlfriend happens to be Bruce Wayne's ex, Asst. D.A. Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes). Rather than turning a blind eye to all the crime or accepting $$, Dent aims to be Gotham's heroic white knight - with or without Batman. But neither men are prepared for or realize how hard it will be to take down the sadistic Joker.
The Joker makes one demand to Batman: reveal his true identity & turn himself in. Until then, the Joker would kill one civilian for every day that Batman remains behind the mask. Conflicted, Batman knows that turning himself in would be both defeatist & prove detrimental to fighting crime. He also doesn't know if revealing himself would make the Joker stop, anyway! With the Joker 'working' for the mob, led by Sal Maroni (Eric Roberts), will he play by rules that are other than his own? Can Batman & Dent put aside their differences to keep Rachel & their beloved city safe? With growing power, will the Joker break into Batman's already floundering psyche? By what means will Batman resort to in resisting him? With no sight of dawn on the horizon, how long will it take for the good people of Gotham City to start turning to the dark side?
'TDK' does something that most superhero films do not. It instills the palpable feeling that anything can happen to anyone at anytime; even Batman is destructible. Most superheroes are self-assured enough to know that good will triumph; that plugging away at what he/she's been doing is the right answer ... not so, this time. Christian Bale's Bruce is as suave as ever. But as the brooding Batman, you sense how unsure/inwardly nervous he is about the consequences of his every action. People are (indirectly) blaming him for the deaths of authority figures. Bale does well to convey Batman's grim outlook of the future. As to the final decision he makes (in this film): not only will it send citizens further into an uproar, but it has him questioning himself ... 'is all the good that I've done worth it?'
Bale is stellar (if underdeveloped, compared to Batman Begins). His physical presence is potent. And his dual personifications of Bruce & Batman's strengths & weaknesses are apparent. Oldman is great as the lieutenant who's juggling so many people (corrupt & incorrupt) that it's a wonder his head doesn't fall off. Gyllenhaal portrays Rachel as feminine, yet strong. Though it's a minor role, she does very well with it. Freeman's Lucius has a good time, particularly in one scene when a man is trying to blackmail him. Caine's Alfred is a pillar of compassion, knowledge, & understanding (particularly when handling an important letter sent for Bruce). And Eckhart is superb. As Harvey, he exudes charisma, nobility, & confidence. But when tragedy strikes late in the proceedings, his character arc/transition is quite horrifying.
Which brings us to Heath Ledger. The 1st time you see him, your heart will sink (due to his untimely death). But afterwards, you sit back in awe at his twisted, psychopathic performance. His greasy haired, snake-like tongued, make-up smeared monster is out for no one but himself. Watching him get the utmost enjoyment (frenetic giggles, body jerks) from inflicting pain or death upon someone is quite a thing to behold. But he's not only physically imposing. Whether the Joker is divulging his tragic personal history, or his next diabolical plan, he has a way of haunting his captor(s) into a frozen, bumbling state. His every plan is meant to pose moral, ethical, & deadly dilemmas for all his victims. His success rate (even with major characters) is alarming. And for as nuanced as Ledger's Ennis del Mar was in Brokeback Mountain, his Joker is the polar opposite here. We've lost an amazing actor.
The editing in 'The Dark Knight' is very good. I enjoyed the action scenes involving a plane & the Bat-cycle (Hell, those scenes practically elevated me out of my seat in excitement). But some of the smaller, dialogue-driven scenes could have been more cleanly executed. The 2:30 hours go by quickly. But individual scenes (here & there) were off in pacing. The cinematography is bleak, oppressive, & beautiful (whether in flinchingly static shots, or sweeping shots). The musical score is astounding (it's still in my head). And The Dark Knight's tragic subtext is more powerful than any other superhero adaptation: it's hard to sustain power; it's hard to keep a clear head amid the madness in the world; it's easy to sacrifice, but even easier to be selfish. Every action and/or complex moral decision (good or bad) has a consequence. Batman & Harvey Dent know this better than anyone.