The Dark Knight Directed by:
Christopher Nolan (“
Memento”, “
The Prestige”)
Starring:
Christian Bale (“
American Psycho”)
Aaron Eckhart (“
Thank You For Smoking”)
Heath Ledger (“
The Brothers Grimm”)
Maggie Gyllenhall (“
Secretary”)
Michael Caine (“
The Man Who Would Be King”)
Gary Oldman (“
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead”)
Morgan Freeman (“
Million Dollar Baby”)
In his second installment of the Batman series, director Christopher Nolan decided to take the film in a decidedly different direction than its predecessors. In general, when you go to see a “superhero movie” or “comic book movie” you will be treated to one thing for certain. You will see an origin story that will give you the beginnings of your hero, a sidekick, or a major villain. The previous Batman film “
Batman Begins” was clearly one of these, as were this summer’s other blockbuster comic-films “
Iron Man”, “
The Incredible Hulk”, and any other first in a series. In the case of sequels, these origin stories tend to be fantastical though not very deep and serve only to provide a temporary villain for one of the hero's serial adventures.
The episode of the Batman saga does indeed have an origin story, that of Two-Face the conflicted and troubled personality of the man formerly known and district attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart in a performance that will
finally make the general public notice how good he is). However unlike other films that would establish the villain in the first act or at least by mid-movie, we are treated to a slower, more deliberate, and ultimately more meaningful birth. Throughout the film Dent is said to be Gotham's "white knight" a principled defender of the public. The man who can stand up and be counted on to fight for what is right within the rules and in the open. The white knight metaphor is not a fleeting one as it is repeatedly pushed into the mind of the audience in a subtle yet firm way. This contrasts the titular dark knight who is fighting the same cause but must do so secretly behind a mask that is both physical and emotional.
This also creates an interesting psychological question for the caped crusader. If this man, this white knight, can stand up and save the city in the open, how much is a batman needed. Does he need to spend his nights wrapped in a mask and fighting as a vigilante? The district attorney gives Bruce Wayne a possible out. The hero has a chance at a "normal" life. He in fact thinks that this is a better man than he, and needs to be aided. Even if he is dating Batman's girl.
That girl, by the way, is now played by Maggie Gyllenhaal (she of the unspellable last name) who replaces
Katie Holmes, probably because the later could not shake the negative publicity of her husband. Gyllenhaal does a decent job, though is some scenes her reactions seem underwhelming compared to the situation. Batman himself, Christian Bale is also off at times. While he is fine as Bruce Wayne, his Batman voice is a bit too close to what a twelve year old trick-or-treater might sound like as they try to husky the voice up. Joining them in the ok-but-nothing-special-performance category is Morgan Freeman, who is hobbled by being involved in an unnecessary and ultimately distracting domestic spying preach-plot.
Speaking of unneeded plot points, the film's one flaw is that it does have a number of scenes that don't seem to more the core story along well enough to warrant inclusion. There is a Chinese business mogul/gangster who is included only to provide the Batman with an excuse to make a daring visit to Hong Kong. The film's pacing is excellent and there is no desire to ever check your watch. But with a running time of close to three hours some things should have been cut. Especially since when the long awaited transformation of Harvey Dent to Two-Face is complete, we are with him all too briefly before the film ends. I can only hope they intend for Two-Face to be a large part of the next film as in the end the villain arc seemed rushed and over too soon.
So did I forget anything?
Oh yeah. The Joker.
Heath Ledger's performance as the crime world's most jovial member was indeed excellent. He had a chilling yet cool cackle that stays with the viewer long after the film. Plus he brought a dark presence that set his character apart from all of the other Batman antagonists we've seen over the years. Unlike Jokers from the past, you can sense a real reason to fear this man. He is not a comic book character. He is a psychopath. A smart psychopath. A perfect resident for Nolan's comic book as cop-drama opus. I'm not saying he deserves the Oscar that is being whispered about, but he was very very good.
The reason I leave mention the Joker until last is that the character really does not drive the story. This is a tale about the difference between the white and dark knight. And while the Joker does have a monologue or two about how he and Batman are the same, that is not really the point. The Joker in this film is a
berserker. He has no purpose other than to attack, create havoc, and inspire terror. There is no agenda. And when you think about what a Joker should be, it makes sense.
Labels: movie review
