I am not going to talk much about the storyline because to do so would ruin and possibly spoil the film for you. I will however talk to points of the movie., I will start my review with this next sentence.
Christopher Nolan is a genius. What he has done with the Dark Knight is to take his first movie, Batman Begins, and ratchet it up 300%. I left the theater thinking that both movies were equal, but the more I have had time to digest the roller coaster ride I just took, I realize this movie is even better than it's predecessor. Christopher Nolan and JJ Abrahms may very well save Hollywierd from the crap it continues to spew out and may prove George Lucas wrong. With what i saw tonight, Blockbusters are very much alive.
The story that Nolan weaves (co-scripted) is intricate and asks many questions. It also, whether intended or not, uses many parallels with a real life hero that walked the Earth 2,000 years ago. In Dark Knight, Batman is a modern day messiah fighting evil one criminal at a time, one sacrifice at a time. The entire time he is enticed to cross the line by the ultimate evil character, The Joker. What I like about Nolan's story is that there is a definite line drawn in the sand about good and evil. We have front row seating to a throw down between good and evil, and yes, we see shades of grey on both sides, Batman and Joker withstanding. But one thing that Hollywierd fails to do is show evil for what it really is, Evil. Nolan shows this and helps us to recognize that there is Evil in the world and we need to admit it.
What I also appreciate about Nolan's story telling is that he shows that everyone, no matter who, has a chance at redemption and making the right choice. There is a scene where a convicted killer has the choice to end a standoff created by the Joker. The standoff pits the dregs of society against the normal Joes. We see on both sides (and we in the audience judge) that people are in it to save themselves. But we are also treated to characters who choose the right choice, self sacrifice. The convict and this part of the story really reminded me of the 2 thieves on the cross and the thief who repented. I will say no more than this, I judged this killer to be a bad man and was shown that I shouldn't judge. Thank you Mr. Nolan for the morality lesson, one of many that pepper your movie.
When I first heard that Heath Ledger had been cast as Joker I was intrigued and yet unsure of how he would do. Tragically we will never know what greatness he was destined for as an actor beyond this film. Let me say this, Heath Ledger made this film, this is his Swan Song. He was amazing and I do not know how they will replace him. I was taken by his portrayal of Joker from beginning to end. Heath, you will be missed.
Joker is ruthless and that being said, this movie IS NOT FOR KIDS. Regardless of what you may think, this movie is for adults and for all intents should be treated as an R rated movie. The violence is non stop and intense. I found myself laughing nervously at the ruthlessness of the Joker. There are some parts both scripted and visually that will make you nervous and squirm. There is very little swearing but it's in there. And once again, Nolan proves that you can have a great film without throwing in Nudity (though there are some skimpy cleavage bearing outfits) or a sex scene.
The merits of the film are as follows.
Fox shows his loyalty to Batman but is unwilling to compromise his beliefs to help him if it means taking away the rights of others. He even goes so far to resign because of the immense power that Wayne has gained in order to fight Evil. The message here, are we willing to take away liberty for the greater good? In the end, no.
Lt. Gordon shows that he is a man of character and integrity and lays down his life and puts his life and his family in danger to protect his loved ones and the city who he has sworn to protect.
Bruce Wayne continues to put his money and life in jeopardy to protect and clean up a city that is not sure it wants to be cleaned. He protects the innocent and tries his best to keep the police safe as well. In the end, he loses someone close to him and has to break his own tenants to save a character from himself while fighting to save Gordon's son. In the end, he takes on the sin of others (sound familiar) to protect the images of those people, becoming hated in the end by the very people he is sworn to protect.
Christopher Nolan has assembled an incredible cast that makes the movie come to life. The only disappointment was Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel, I liked Katie Holmes better in the role. Underscored by Ledger's performance, Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Michael Cain are all amazing in their roles.
There is obviously a sequel in the works. (one hopes) I will be intrigued who Nolan will choose as the villain/s for the next film. Possibilities are Penguin, Riddler, Bane, and Cat Woman. Only time will tell.
In 1977, a Director with little known background turned the world on its head with a space film. He became an agent of change for the film industry. I see the mantle being passed to Christopher Nolan. At the very least, Nolan is a master storyteller. I will be interested to see what he does with his career, not to mention what he has already done with films like Memento and The Prestige. But for this film goer, he has brought hope to Hollywierd and comic book movies.
The Dark Knight delivers and is one of my favorites of all time. I truly enjoyed this film and I hope you will too.
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