The Dark Knight

Powerful puppeteer Nolan unleashes a tragedy of unknown proportions, from robbery to fateful resolution, not allowing the heroes to catch their breath, shattering the boundaries of the characters' psyche, and yet, comic book enthusiasts all over the world scream with excitement, staring wide-eyed at the screen and slowly suffocating by the black thread of the story. Gotham is engulfed in darkness, perhaps less venomous than when the bat man began, but all the more unpredictable, treacherous, and chilling. The mad laughter can be heard not only from Arkham Asylum but also from banks, mafia hideouts, and all other places where it is not advisable to be heard. And it brings confusion and fear. Therefore, rise again, Dark Knight, spread your wings and fly to the aid of those who may succumb to disbelief and confront your eternal enemy. (17/08/2008)

What Nolan sketched in Batman Begins leads to absolute perfection in this film. The scheme of the struggle between good and evil is dissolved, and Batman definitely loses his mythical essence and becomes a truly dark figure of a cursed outcast. Definitely the darkest comic book film ever, mainly thanks to Ledger, whose Joker is a brilliant materialization of elusive and indestructible evil. The only weakness is the somewhat overwhelming plot, which loses a bit of pace between the two climaxes. I salute the way Nolan was able to turn a comic book film into a captivating and raw thriller in the best tradition of M. Mann, Coppola or De Palma. In my opinion, The Dark Knight is truly one of the best Hollywood movies. Edit 2012: after my "obligatory enthusiasm" subsided, The Dark Knight lost a bit of its gloss - nothing has changed for me about its qualities, but there is something about its coldness, brilliant calculation and bulletproof planning that prevents me from losing myself in the film... The character of Harvey Dent also still seems as wooden and flexible to me as is required for the perfect trick at the end. Ta-da! I’m giving it one star less. (08/08/2008)

Turning a comic book adaptation into a fatal drama of almost classical proportions? Only Nolan can do that. I would consider the most problematic part of the story to be perhaps only the beginning (which is not so much the fault of the film itself as my unpreparedness for what the ride has in store for me), when the viewer is forced to jump on and swim for a while in an inflated plot that rolls forward like a tsunami, but once you tune in to the right wave, you are in for a delightful experience. The biggest plus of Nolan's film is the fact that the action on the screen is always one step ahead of your expectations and ideas, in other words, that it is constantly and continuously surprising (the Joker's stunts, the outcome of the dilemma on the ferries, etc.). And the Joker? Whenever he appeared, I would shit little bats with bliss (I would make a bedtime story out of his dialogue with Batman at the police station). Heath……And the Oscar goes to… (28/08/2008)

Endless chaos in the hands of one man, good and evil that lack boundaries, fantastic hi-tech toys, great actors, dry bon mots, one magic act, and most importantly two and a half hours of undiluted adventure where Nolan jumps from one peak to an even higher one to develop a meaningful plot, all while remembering the action that makes the weak ones wet. Since The Bourne Ultimatum, there’s now a film that resolutely rejects notions like "time-out" and "dead spot." And then there’s the oppressive music before the Joker does another number... I could go on forever. Film of the Year? Probably. (10/08/2008)

Far too obviously, a remake of Heat, in a dark comic book-type vein with numerous freaks in latex suit like in a cheap sex shop. Not that I want to dampen the mania about Ledger’s performance, but he doesn’t outshine Bale, Oldman, and especially not Eckhart. In fact they work like spotlights that make it possible for him to cast a shadow. Proof of this can be seen in all scenes where they appear on screen together. That said, after seeing Heath’s Joker, Nicholson’s would hang his head in shame, going home in tears to take off his makeup knowing that he isn’t anything more than a ridiculous clown. The changes as against the last movie are for the better. Maggie is just wonderful, the action easier to follow, stylization (of the city and the secret monastery in the mountains) has gone and even the duo of composers no longer seem as if they are pulling from opposite ends of the same saw. But while certain aspects of the first Joker have been overcome, this does not apply to the movie as a whole. It just doesn’t come near Nolan’s best ever movie because the departure from the psychological and a full focus on characters toward “eye-candy" action (of course, I mean in terms of Nolan’s movies) is rather a disappointment. Why sideline the central character of The Dark Knight? The born-again Batman stood and still stands on intimate scenes like the one in the interrogation room. And not how delightfully he eliminates dozens of gangsters using sonar. Almost as if the authors were rejecting everything that set them apart from similar genre movies. ♫ OST score: 5/5 (31/07/2008)