THE DARK KNIGHT: THE JOKER IS WILD
Written: Jul 18 '08
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Strong acting, great script, great special effects and music
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: The movie is great and Ledger's performance is legendary.
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| mike.holmes's Full Review: The Dark Knight |
I tried to see "The Dark Knight" at a sneak preview at midnight last night. All four screens had been sold out so I had to wait until this afternoon. The movie lives up to its hype. As the title of the film suggests, the movie is indeed "dark". There is little or no comedy with the exception of some dark humor on the part of the Joker.
The film is also extremely intense and never lost my interest even though it is over two hours thirty minutes long. As one professional reviewer stated, "The Dark Knight" raises the bar on all films based on so-called comic books.
THE PLOT
There are actually several interwoven sub-plots in this film. One has to do with The Joker (Ledger-"Brokeback Mountain", "Candy") and his assault on the city of Gotham. Another plot concerns the "Mob" and its control over the same city. The Joker actually becomes involved with the mob in a manner that does not thrill organized crime.
Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne, (Christian Bale-"Batman Begins", "The Prestiege") is, of course, again fighting against all the evil going on. However, a large portion of the population now believes that Batman is a rather sinister "vigilante" who is a menace to the city. In his place, a new, crusading district attorney, Harvey Dent, (Aaron Eckhart-"Thank You For Not Smoking") is viewed as the best hope against fighting all the evil forces.
Dent has even replaced Batman as the "significant other" in the life of Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhall-"Secretary", "Adaptation"). Rachel is an assistant D.A. with Dent and the two of them are fighting the mob together.
I don't want to give too much away about The Joker's involvement with both the mob and Batman. I'll just say that this Joker is the epitome of evil. He has no particular motivation for his behaviour other than the pure "enjoyment" of creating anarchy. He is, in my view, the closest character without a soul that I've seen on the big screen since Hopkins' Hannibal Lector.
WHY I LIKED THE FILM
Christopher Nolan as director and co-writer of the film with his brother Jonathan have not made many movies but the ones they make are compelling ("Memento", "Batman Begins"). However, nothing they have done before approaches the greatness of "The Dark Knight". The movie is not only an examination of good versus pure evil but also an essay on the gradations of both concepts. The Joker challenges Batman in a manner that causes the caped crusader to think about his role in society.
Ledger took the role to new heights of pure hostility and evil. His performance will certainly win him major awards (although sadly, of course, he won't be around to accept them.) As with the character of the Joker, Ledger as elevated the role of villain to new heights with his haunting portrayal.
As with "Batman Begins", I think that Christian Bale is perhaps the best Batman yet. In this film, he again shows a power although he is sometimes overshadowed by The Joker.
Eckhart gives a sympathetic and believable performance as a man who wants to make a difference. Sadly, his character changes in the film which is all the more tragic because Dent really is a decent person.
The secondary characters, including Gyllenhall, all do an excellent job of acting. Michael Caine is back as the "personal assistant" to Batman, Alfred Pennyworth. Morgan Freeman is again the "science wizard" Lucius Fox who helps provide Batman with all of his super devices.
I read that Gary Oldman is thrilled that he is getting to play the "good guy" in films. Here, he is the hardworking Lt. James Gordon who has to balance the public's feeling about Batman with the reality of Batman's usefulness.
Particularly impressive in this version of Batman was the fact that there are not as many computer generated special effects. What you see is often the real thing.
The music of James Newton Howard ("Batman Begins", "Collateral") and Hans Zimmer ("Gladiator") was also an important element of the movie, especially during tense moments in the film.
This is one of the best films of the year and deserves the big audience that it is getting.
FIVE STARS
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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mike.holmes
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Member: Mike Holmes
Location: Odessa, Texas
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