The Dark Knight — It's All About a Better Class of Criminal
Written: Jul 20 '08 (Updated Jul 26 '08)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Bang For The Buck |
 |
|
|
Pros: Ledger is brilliant; excellent story; everything else
Cons: I wish Harvey Dent was introduced in the first movie instead
The Bottom Line: The Dark Knight just raised the bar to new heights. After all, that's where the bats usually hang out.
|
|
|
| elvisdo's Full Review: The Dark Knight |
Bruce Wayne: "I knew the mob wouldn't go down without a fight. But this is different. They crossed the line."
Alfred Pennyworth: "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."
In trying to rise above the corruption in Gotham City, Bruce Wayne has become a symbol for its denizens when he takes on the mantle of the Batman by putting fear into cowardly, superstitious lot. But by doing so, he has also invited others to do the same, minus the altruistic motives he possesses. This is the dilemma presented in The Dark Knight, the sequel to director Christopher Nolan’s successful 2005 Batman Begins, as the Joker exploits Batman’s very existence and uses it against him.
I truly love how Nolan introduces the Joker as he explodes right out of the gates. No introduction is needed at all. No origin story is wasted on him. The Joker is bit of an enigma and should be portrayed in such a manner. He shouldn’t be someone that is easily figured out as he is not the average Gotham City criminal—he doesn’t look for power, fame or wealth at all; it’s all about causing complete chaos and mayhem on a grand scale just because he gets a kick out of it. To me, that’s an even more terrifying thought because there is no rhyme or reason to his antics.
The Joker is not an easy character to portray at all. On the surface, he looks fairly simple in terms of motive and personality. Quite honestly, this is far from the truth. The Joker is one of the most complex characters, even moreso than Batman. It’s a testament to any actor who can find some semblance in understanding the psyche of this madman. There are those who can play a character and there are those who are the character. Jack Nicholson played the Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. Heath Ledger, on the other hand, is the Joker, just as Christopher Reeve is Superman or Hugh Jackman is Wolverine. Ledger so immersed himself in the role that there were no traces of him at all but the Joker. In fact, I half expected the credits say “The Joker as Himself”. For those who are used to Cesar Romero’s version of the Clown Prince of Crime or prefer Nicholson’s, they will be shocked to learn that Ledger’s version really hits the right notes in terms of how this character was introduced back in the 1940s as a mass murderer. In fact he wasn’t supposed to survive after his second appearance. Apparently, someone saw the potential in this character.
And this is what Nolan exploits. The Joker is evil incarnate. If there was ever a time to be afraid of clowns, Nolan and Ledger’s version of the Clown Prince really is the stuff of nightmares; he is pure, unadulterated evil as he returns to his roots as a homicidal maniac who casually murders people on a whim, while enjoying battles of wits with Batman. This becomes a crucial aspect of the movie as the Joker forces Batman’s hand using deadly results: if Batman does not turn himself in to the police, the Joker will kill people every day. It’s as simple as that. But what it really comes down is whether the Joker can bring anyone, especially Batman, to his level.
Unfortunately, the newest district attorney of Gotham City, Harvey Dent, does descend into the darkness. This is really his story from his rise as Gotham’s “White Knight” to his fall as “Harvey Two-Face”. Interestingly, Two-Face is really Batman’s counterpart without the scruples and morals holding him back. Bruce Wayne skates on the edge between sanity and lunacy hoping that a day will come when Batman will no longer be necessary in order to lead a normal life. This is what he saw in Harvey Dent, a hero for the people who doesn’t wear a mask to get the job done. But Dent proves the Joker’s point. While Batman may be incorruptible, Dent isn’t as Harvey’s madness unleashed onto the city. Aaron Eckhart really shines in this role as he allows sympathy for this character. The Joker, however, is irredeemable.
Once again, Christian Bale proves that he is the right choice to portray both Bruce Wayne and Batman. The first movie saw Wayne’s intensity in training and finding an identity for himself. This movie shows him to be more comfortable in his role, yet at the same time he wonders if this crusade of his will ever end. This is Batman’s dilemma throughout the whole movie and Bale successfully gets this point across.
Gary Oldman’s role as Lieutenant-Commissioner James Gordon becomes more important. In the war against crime and corruption in Gotham City, Gordon, Batman and Dent form an alliance to make Gotham a better place. Michael Caine is still the father-figure to Bruce Wayne as Alfred Pennyworth, while Morgan Freeman provides Batman with all his wonderful toys as Lucius Fox. These two men figure prominently in Bruce Wayne’s life and prove to be important allies. A big change in the cast is the inclusion of Maggie Gyllenhaal, as Rachel Dawes, who takes over the role from Katie Holmes. Gyllenhaal adds more depth and credibility to the character.
I can see where both Batman: The Killing Joke and Batman: The Long Halloween have heavily influenced this tale. The former is an influence on how the Joker’s belief comes into play while the latter deals with the trinity of Batman, Gordon and Dent, and its subsequent dissolution after Harvey’s misfortune.
The Dark Knight set the bar high for comic book movies. Incredibly though, this didn’t feel like a comic book movie at all. Because Nolan grounded the entire film to be as realistic as it can possibly be, there is more grit to the entire thing. Maybe that’s why I feel the danger to be even more urgent than I’m used to feeling. Take away the bat costume and the movie still works.
I also like how there are three villains in this movie even though they all didn’t share screen time together. If you blinked in the beginning, you probably missed the return of the Scarecrow. The Joker becomes the engine that drives Batman to the point of no return. And the eventual appearance of Two-Face was inevitable. However, nothing was forced to make it all work. Instead, the story flowed in an organic and natural manner. This is how you make multiple villains work in one movie.
Nolan has crafted an intelligent and morally complex tale between good and evil, now peppered with a shade of gray. Even though the film clocks at 2 ½ hours, the storytelling is tight and edited in the right places. The violence isn’t cartoonish but frightening real and disturbing. It definitely deserves its PG-13 rating. My only nitpick is that Harvey Dent should have been introduced in the first movie. Even though I like his story, I felt it had to be rushed to advance the storyline further.
The bottom line is whether Batman is even necessary. Bruce Wayne saw a need for a symbol to fight against the corrupted. But Batman’s presence has created a new breed of criminals as they have learned to adapt to the change as well. So it all begs to ask if Batman is the root of Gotham City’s problem? He becomes a magnet for all the lunatics who need to display their machismo to try and eliminate him once and for all. This is what Nolan explores as the epic battle between good and evil continues. This isn’t your father’s Batman. It may be your father’s father’s Batman instead.
__________________________________________________________________________
Other Comic Book Movies
DC Comics
Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941) || Batman (1943) || Batman: The Movie (1966) || Batman (1989) || Batman Returns || Batman Forever || Batman & Robin || Batman Begins || Batman: Mask of the Phantasm || Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero || Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman || The Batman Superman Movie || Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker || Catwoman || Constantine || Steel (1997) || Superman: The Movie || Superman II || Superman II: The Donner Cut || Superman III || Superman IV: The Quest for Peace || Superman Returns || Superman: Brainiac Attacks || Superman: Doomsday
Marvel Comics
Daredevil || Doctor Strange (2007) || Elektra || Fantastic Four (2005) || Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer || Ghost Rider (2007) || Hulk (2003) || The Incredible Hulk (2008) || The Invincible Iron Man (2007) || Iron Man (2008) || The Punisher (2004) || Spider-Man || Spider-Man 2 || Spider-Man 3 || Ultimate Avengers: The Movie || Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther || X-Men || X2: X-Men United || X-Men: The Last Stand
Independent Comic Books
The Mask of Zorro || Men in Black || Popeye || Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles || Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze || TMNT || Transformers: The Movie (1986) || Transformers (2007)
_____________________________________________________________
And the 2008 Funny Pages Write-Off still continues with this review.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
elvisdo
|
 in Movies, Books |
 in Movies, Kids & Family, Books |
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Charles "The Grim One"
Reviews written: 863
Trusted by: 311 members
About Me:
Thank you to everybody who participated in both my write-offs. Until the next one!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.