Jul 19 2008
Film Review Of The Dark Knight
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine
Director: Christopher Nolan
Grade: A
Finally, The Dark Knight hits theaters. This film was easily most anticipated film this year. The buzz about this film mainly was surrounding the late Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. The Joker was last played in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) by Jack Nicholson. Until The Dark Knight, Nicholson was the best of the Batman villains. Heath Ledger overshadowed Jack Nicholson in his last performance with relative ease. His costume went far and beyond. Lets not forget the man playing the Joker, Heath Ledger. As a matter of fact, he was the best actor in the entire film. The Dark Knight did not disappoint. Christopher Nolan took The Dark Knight to greater heights than his previous Batman Begins. The Joker and Batman joker go hand and hand in regards to the comic book arch nemesis. We had the privilege to view the historic duo go to battle for the first time in years.
Christopher Nolan brings the complexity of of good and evil into the mix with this film. The Joker is a cold blooded killer that does not mind another dead person in the streets. As seen in the teaser clip of the bank heist scene (similar to Michael Mann’s film Heat), the Joker is a sick and demented individual. Although the Joker is the actual villain in the film, he places Gotham’s citizens in situations of sacrifice. The film challenges it’s characters to overcome selfishness for the greater good of man. A common theme in the film is revolving a battle with one’s conscience. At different points of the film, ordinary citizens become the villain. Their desire to save themselves challenges the idea of innocence in that you will do almost anything to survive. The clever writing by the Nolan brothers makes this film much better than the other superhero summer blockbusters. This is not the type of “superhero” movie where there are no casualties and the hero comes out on top. In the film, Batman is treated like a vigilante, not a hero.
Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) added another dimension to the film. He is the man that wants to wipe Gotham City clean. He is in the position to do what Batman can never do, be the white light of Gotham. He eventually goes insane after the loss of the person he loves the most. With manipulation from the clever Joker, Dent becomes Two-Face; giving us a second villain in the film. Nolan’s version of Two-Face is again better than the previous one played by Tommy Lee Jones. Nolan’s Two-Face is more sadistic that the comedic version in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. Aaron Eckhart is a good actor that is still relatively unknown. His roles in Thank You For Smoking and In The Company Of Men shows his true potential as a great actor.
Aside from the great acting, the writing is what makes the film what it is. This film is smarter than it’s predecessors do to the inclusion of human emotion. The film actually requires you to pay attention instead of just marveling the the action and explosions as you would have in Spiderman and The Incredible Hulk. Christopher Nolan’s film such as Memento, The Prestige, and Insomnia all tested one’s emotions. They dealt with desire and obsession. The Dark Knight does the same, which makes it more than just a superhero flick.
Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale are an amazing combination. Christian Bale again proves why he is so popular at the moment. Those two seem to have this understanding of one another, which makes their films so great. This is yet another great film from Christopher Nolan. His writing and direction blended with an all star cast made The Dark Knight one of the best films of the year. It’s a shame however that no one seems associate him with anything other than the Batman films. He has proved time and time again that he is a great director. The density in his writing makes his films more complex and reaches deep deep into the mind, instead of a exhibiting a superficial mess that you would find with a mediocre filmmaker. This is just another great film from a top notch filmmaker.
This is the official curtain call for Heath Ledger. He will be remembered as a great actor long after people stop talking about The Dark Knight. He was brilliant in his roles in Four Feathers, Monsters Ball, and Brokeback Mountain. His resume go beyond his role as the Joker. Having said that, his role in The Dark Knight was amazing. Again he tops one of the great American Actors (Jack Nicholson) with his role as the Joker. He was believable the entire film, he makes you forget who is under that horrible make-up. He will scare you, yet he will also make you laugh. Unbelievable acting from the great Heath Ledger.
The Dark Knight will easily be regarded as one of the best superhero films of all time. It’s hard to get the film out of your head. You become so involved with the film that you forget about the fact that it is 2 hours and a half (I prefer longer films anyways). I have not heard anything bad about the films so far, but I will be interested to hear what possible complaints may arise, if there are any.
