The popular narrative set for The Dark Knight has been that the hype surrounding Christopher Nolan's follow up to the masterful Batman Begins is a result of the untimely death of Heath Ledger. There is no doubt, that this is at leat in part true. However, to embrace this narrative as the only explanation of the hype surrounding the film, is to sell Batman Begins short. At the time, many critics and fans alike considered Batman Begins to be the best comic book adaptation ever made. Christopher Nolan, had taken a franchise that was left in tatters after Joel Schummacher had left his mark on it, and successfully rebooted it for the 21st century. He did so in a way that appeased fans, but also recruited legions of new ones. Batman Begins challenged its viewers, it showed that even as Batman, Bruce Wayne was still human, and he had very real limits. He risked not only his own well being, but also those that loved him most. It is so prevalent in movies of our time, to glorify revenge and vigilantism. Batman Begins demonstrated the futility of a reactionary mindset. Individuals, even those that do bad things, are very often products of their environment. The societal decay rampant in Gotham had plunged the city into poverty and chaos. Batman Begins showed that a few corrupt and self-interested individuals could profit from that chaos.
The Dark Knight has lived up to and exceeded expectations. Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker easily suprasses Jack Nicholson's take in Batman, and that is no small feat. Ledger exhibits the utter insanity and mindless agression that embody the Joker with ease and style. As the rising force in Gotham's criminal underworld, the Joker kills with glee and at other times, total indifference. Gotham is the Joker's playground, and its people are his toys. Batman knows that he alone cannot bring down the Joker, and the criminal infrastucture that, at times, unwillingly supports him. He enlists the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and newly elected districty attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Eckhart is dazzling as Dent, he effectively juggles Dent's natural charm and instinctive brutality. While the marketing of The Dark Knight focused almost exclusively on the Joker, with the occasional mention of the Batman, this film is really about Harvey Dent's tragic fall and eventual rebirth as Two Face. As always, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is in the middle of this all as Harvey Dent's current flame, and Bruce Wayne's moral compass. Gyllenhaal, is a huge improvement over Katie Holmes, as she brings an element of depth to the character of Rachel Dawes, that Holmes could not possibly imitate. Unfortunately, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are not given as much material to work with in this film, as they were in the first.
Christopher and Jonathan Nolan's script contains top notch dialouge. Most of the best lines go to Ledger, but Bale, Gyllenhaal, and Eckhart get their fair share as well. Perhaps the only criticism I can level at The Dark Knight is its length and some curious deviations from the comics (Harvey Dent's disfigurement?). However, the Nolan brothers constructed a plot that keeps the audience interested and at the edge of their seats for the nearly 3 hour running time.
The Dark Knight, ranks as one of the best movies I have ever seen, in any genre. It comes as no surprise to me that it had the biggest opening weekend in movie history, taking in $155 million over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I saw a midnight showing of the film on the 18th in Austin, Texas and the theater had sold out all 8 midnight showings. Christian Bale has advocated profusely for a third film to complete the trilogy, and the ending of The Dark Knight definately leaves room for more. I've got my fingers crossed and I've been praying to every known diety that Bale's efforts pay off!
Rating: ****
* Uwe Boll/Michael Bay bad ** Keeanu Reevesih *** Great **** Excellent
