Christopher Nolan returns with his follow up to Batman Begins and has crafted one of the finest comic book adaptations in film history.
Batman’s (Christian Bale) presence in Gotham is driving down crime, driving the Mob mad, and inspiring people like Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to make a tangible difference in the city. Enter The Joker (Heath Ledger), a psychotic madman, who gets off on anarchy, social distortion, and pure mayhem. He convinces the Mob to entrust him with the task of taking down the Batman and returning the status quo of criminal activity in Gotham to its once great order.
In the meantime, Bruce Wayne, Batman’s real life persona, is using his Wayne Enterprises to investigate a Chinese accountant who handles the mob’s money in an attempt to help bring down the Mob threat in Gotham with the assistance of Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman) and his Charmin of the Board Locus Fox (Morgan Freeman). If his life was complicated enough, Wayne’s dream girl, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is dating Dent as Wayne struggles with his desire to support Dent and his cause while longing the fact that he longs for Rachel, with his alter ego of Batman getting in the way of them being together.
I will spoil no more, as this film constantly keeps you guessing, leaves you on the edge of your seat, and sucks you into the material with ease. Nolan’s skills as a director grow with every film he does, and the first two thirds of this film are almost absolutely perfect. It’s at the point of the film’s major turning point that the pacing hits a couple of minuscule snags, but are always remedied as the movie grabs you by the throat and pulls you back in. The score for this film is phenomenal, with it weaving in and out and hitting the perfect note every time, perfectly complementing the material on screen. Also worth noting, the action is shot far better in this film, with less cuts and wider angles, and this reviewer couldn’t be happier to see those changes from Batman Begins.
The acting is top notch across the board with the returning characters all continuing to carry over their continued success. Bale is great as Bruce Wayne and really commands the action as Batman. He is intimidating and powerful as the Dark Knight, and outside going a little bit overboard with Bat Voice, he is cool calm, and a definitive presence as Batman. Michael Caine’s role is diminished but the wisdom provided by Alfred along with Morgan Freeman’s Lucius Fox both act as excellent mentors for Wayne and the way he must handle the duality of his persona. Gary Oldman’s Gordon is beefed up substantially in this film as he and Batman’s teamwork is more prevalent and effective, with Gordon playing a central role in the revolving plot of the film.
The newcomers help take this franchise to the next level though. Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes as Dawes, and does a substantially more realistic and effective job as Wayne and Dent’s object of affection. She doesn’t feel forced and we can feel her heartbreak in the film. Aaron Eckhart is enigmatic as Dent, inspiring the viewers with his will and vitality as he becomes the real face of Gotham and lining himself up to become the real hero that the city needs to clean up the town and make a difference. Eckhart is instantly likable and incredibly terrifying when he has to be as struggles with his conscious on how extreme his measures should go to uphold justice in Gotham.
Finally, there is Heath Ledger as The Joker. I’m sure you have heard endless praise and hype for his performance and it is to be believed. He is terrifying, intense, psychotic, maniacal, and the best villain we have seen in a film in a long time. Ledger transformed into the Joker and created one of the most insane characters we will ever see in cinema and is worth the price of admission alone. The filmmakers do a fantastic job as well at setting up The Joker and who he is with one simple scene, all I can say is pencil, in that single moment you instantly understand Ledger and The Joker as he strikes fear into Gotham and the viewers around you.
The Dark Knight is a superb triumph for both comic book films and big budget cinema. It takes the viewer seriously; it rarely pulls punches, and never dials in a performance or action sequence. It is nearly perfectly crafted and is as entertaining as you could ask a film to be. Go see The Dark Knight as it will compete for the best film of the summer and be right there as one of the best films of the year.
A+