The Dark Knight

Title: The Dark Knight
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger
Year: 2008
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.
Date of Review: July 18, 2008

There is a scene near the beginning of The Dark Knight where a deal is going down between a couple of Gotham’s gang lords (one of them being a great little cameo performance from a returning character). Suddenly, Batman shows up, his silhouette visible in the shadows. "Too bad there’s only one of you!" one of the criminals shouts. Then, another Batman shows up, wielding an automatic weapon. Then the Batmobile makes a grand entrance, and out comes another Batman to join the fight. Three Batmans fighting each other, and the other criminals stand there, clueless and unsure of who to fire at first. This is a great reflection of one of the strongest themes in the film - when life is a desperate struggle, and everything seems to point to total anarchy, it can become near impossible to tell who is the hero, and who is the villain.

Christopher Nolan returns to helm the second Batman film in the franchise reboot which began with 2005's Batman Begins, and for all intents and purposes, he blew expectations out of the water. The Dark Knight is not just your typical superhero film with a clear-cut vision of good-vs-evil. It stretches the boundaries of summer blockbuster cinema, including the writing and sensibilities of a conscientious indie film, with the action, effects and gusto of an event film. It’s not very often that we are treated to a summer "popcorn movie" that haunts us and makes us think about how we really define the idea of a "hero". Like The Prestige and Memento before it, Christopher and Jonathan Nolan have made a story with many layers to dissect, and constant undertones of "what would you do in this situation?". Instead of preaching to us what the right answer is, they let us think for ourselves, and question our own morals.

While Heath Ledger has been receiving monumental accolades for his turn as The Joker (and deservedly so, his performance is primal and iconic), it’s sad that this has overshadowed Aaron Eckhart’s performance as Harvey Dent. Dent is really the main character of the film, with Batman, The Joker, and Rachel Dawes surrounding him and either supporting or attempting to destroy him. Batman has spent the past years trying to rid Gotham of its criminal element through violence and methods outside the law. But when Harvey Dent manages to arrest and detain more than 500 of Gotham’s criminals in one massive bust, Batman sees this as a sign. "The dawn is coming", Dent proclaims in a press conference, and it certainly seems so. He is Gotham’s White Knight - he can be the hero to the city, and the symbol of justice and goodness that Batman has tried to be. And so along comes The Joker, whose mission is to rid Gotham of this hope, and to show them that, when you take away the written rules, everyone becomes a savage criminal.

Wally Pfister returns to work the cinematography on The Dark Knight, and like Batman Begins and The Prestige, this is a beautiful looking film. While Batman Begins used a lot of amber lighting, and had a slight feeling of artificiality from its being filmed largely in a warehouse (mimicking the style of Blade Runner), The Dark Knight has a strong sense of verticality in the city, with looming skyscrapers constantly overhead. The film looks cold and stark, with many large, empty white rooms, and a near constant ice-blue tint on the outdoor images. The world is a cold, dark place looking for its "White Knight", and the cinematography itself mimics this battle between light and dark.

And it’s no surprise that Christian Bale returns to the role with both grace and intensity, giving us the definitive live-action Batman. He actually plays three very distinct roles - the Bruce Wayne that the public sees (an arrogant, womanizing socialite, not unlike Patrick Bateman), the Bruce Wayne that only Rachel and Alfred know (introspective, and torn between his loyalty to Gotham and his love for Ms. Dawes), and Batman, the feral avenger of the night. Returning with Bale are all of the principle cast members from Batman Begins (except for Katie Holmes, who has been replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is much more believable as an intelligent, successful assistant D.A.). And everyone feels more comfortable in their roles, which is surely due in part to Christopher and Jonathan Nolan’s wonderful screenplay. The dialogue is intelligent and natural, and The Joker is funny in sick, horrible ways. The Nolan brothers even succeed in ironing out the lumpy one-liners which occasionally rattled Batman Begins. Oh, the one-liners are still there, but they feel less childish, and more like the characters being clever, rather than something completely out of character and cheesy ("I gotta get me one of those", anyone?)

The Dark Knight is not without its flaws, though -like every other film in history, it is not perfect. A few questionable effects choices during the action sequences are a bit out-of-place with the rest of the film’s overtly serious tone. One such instance occurs right after the flipping of the 18-wheeler that was shown in the trailers, and as Batman rides away from the wreck on his motorcycle, he somehow rides halfway up a wall and spins back around to land, facing the other direction. It happens with inhumanly speed, and feels like it is something meant to cater towards a younger audience. It’s particularly out of place in this film, as much of the action is very tactical and precise, similar to the action which would be found in a film by Michael Mann (which is no surprise, since his film Heat was sited by Christopher Nolan as being the main inspiration for both the visual style and overall tone of this film).

Also, there is little-to-no character development. The film begins with a brilliant bank robbery, and runs on all four cylinders for the rest of its 150 minute runtime. While seeing Batman Begins is not necessarily a prerequisite for enjoying The Dark Knight, an understanding of the character and his relationships with Lucius Fox, Lt. Gordon, Rachel Dawes and Alfred is something that’s good to have before going in. It wouldn’t be impossible to understand - throughout the film, we come to see that Fox supplies Wayne with his gadgets, Dawes is a love interest, Gordon is a reluctant believer, and Alfred is a paternal advisor - but it may be jarring for the first 45 minutes or so, as the film jumps right into the story.

Commendation must be given to the Nolans for their handling of the Harvey Dent/Two-Face character. No real background is given regarding Dent’s previous experiences and life, but through a strong script and a near show-stealing performance from Eckhart, we really feel that Dent is a character we have known for years. While I was enrolled in a college Script Writing program, one of the greatest lessons that was drilled into our heads was "show, don’t tell". SHOW the audience how a character has come to be the way they are, through dialogue and their handling of the situations in the story, do not TELL the audience with lazy exposition. The Nolans do this perfectly with the Dent character, giving us all we need to know about him, and we feel that he is a fully rounded character through his many run ins with gangsters, Batman, and The Joker himself.

To say that The Dark Knight is the best Batman film to date is an understatement. It is simply one of the best films to come out in the new millennium, regardless of budget, target audience, or the time of year in which it was released. This isn’t just a great summer movie, nor is it just a great superhero movie - it is a brilliant piece of fiction put on film. It is already being compared to The Godfather and Heat as one of the best contemporary crime dramas to come out of America, and that’s not hyperbole. The Dark Knight delivers in all areas, and if this is the last we see of Batman on the big screen, it will not have left fans wanting.

10 / 10