The Dark Knight
Directed by:
Christopher NolanCinematography:
Wally PfisterCast:
Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Eric Roberts, Ritchie Coster (more)VOD (5)
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Christian Bale and director Christopher Nolan reunite following their blockbuster success with Batman Begins! This time, Heath Ledger joins the cast as The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart stars as Harvey Dent in anall new adventure of The Dark Knight. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and new district attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart), Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham City forever. The three enjoy early success, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker (Ledger), who throws Gotham into anarchy and forces Batman ever closer to crossing the line between hero and vigilante. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
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Yes, this is what I think an action movie should look like. Thanks a lot, Heath Ledger! The Joker character is so incredibly enjoyable and joker-like, plus he gives the film a pulse. I always watch this movie with joy and anticipation, as if I haven't seen it before. The film describes darkness with the highest caliber. Nothing, truly nothing is lacking here... 100% for the cast and especially the great direction. I really have a soft spot for this film.
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I definitely don't reject comics as a medium, and I have a decent collection of comic books in my library. On the other hand, I never felt comfortable with the mainstream superhero line, of which Batman stories are an integral part. When the character Fantomas was created at the beginning of the 20th century, he was devoid of any ironic exaggeration. When André Hunebelle made a film series about Fantomas in the 1960s, he correctly understood that this pulp literature could only be taken with an extraordinary amount of ironic exaggeration, and thus a timeless entertaining spectacle was created, which, unlike many other films, has not aged. The character of Batman can be approached from my perspective either with a parodic exaggeration or as a highly stylized fairy tale spectacle. This is exactly how Tim Burton portrayed him in his films, which is why I like his adaptations the most. He offered me a visually elaborate alternative world of the fictional gloomy Gotham City and several great bizarre comic characters, which made it easy to consume this ancient comic story. Nolan approaches it completely differently and situates his heroes in a completely realistic environment of a modern American metropolis, voluntarily abandoning comic book poetics. He even goes further, several characters - and it is especially typical for the prosecutor and the fateful woman for both positive heroes brilliantly portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal - are not traditional comic book characters, but people made of flesh and blood. The prosecutor is obviously not an alluring comic book hottie, as comic book fans imagine her. It would have been great if Nolan didn't only go halfway and dared to completely break the genre limitations. His main characters remain superheroes representing the positive and negative sides of human nature. They possess comic book exaggeration and extravagance, affectation, and exceptional abilities. The comic book myth must be preserved, even though the actions of comic book heroes go against the logic of the real world. The Joker never for a moment gives up his war paint, even though he has to appear as inconspicuous in the mundane human world as a teacher using a rocket launcher instead of a pointer. At one point, the Joker is arrested and imprisoned in a cell. The police never think of taking his fingerprints or, most importantly, wiping off the mask of the poorly painted clown, as revealing his human face would disrupt his essence and humanize him, destroying the myth of the supervillain. Technically, The Dark Knight is a precise high-budget spectacle, a typical blockbuster for popcorn-loving viewers. It contains many excellent scenes and effective performances. Even the opening bank heist is a spectacular introduction and the film manages to maintain a high pace for the majority of the time. On the other hand, I can recall a decent number of incomparably "ordinary" films that resonated with me more deeply, even without a gigantic budget and top-notch special effects. Overall impression: 60%.
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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.
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The Dark Knight is a great film, but great doesn’t mean the best ever or the best in the last few years, and personally I have serious doubts it’ll be the best film of the year (it already has one competitor in In Bruges). Heath Ledger’s performance is clearly the one that has received the highest praise, his is the role that attracts most of the attention, but Aaron Eckhart is head-to-head with him and actually his character might be a lot stronger as a result. The plot moves forward very (sometimes excessively) fast, to the point that I wouldn’t have minded a longer runtime.
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Great. A comic-book version of Heat spiced up by a face-painted nutcase played by the breathtaking Heath Ledger. The Nolan brothers took the mythology of the Dark Knight and played with it in a way that is probably unparalleled. The psychology of the characters, their behavior and reactions are all set in a story concerning the struggle between total anarchy and greatly distorted good. Personally, I admit that before the film I wasn't thrilled about Eckhart's Harvey Dent being incorporated into a work that was supposed to belong mainly to the Joker, but I ended up captivated by the state prosecutor’s transformation (and I was especially surprised about the motive). The coin-tossing scenes were atmospheric to the point of being spine-chilling. I was also pleased that Christian Bale performed a bit of action without the Batman costume (the Lamborghini ride) and I was pleased with the greater scope of Gary Oldman's role. The Dark Knight is a clever summer blockbuster that could unleash a new wave of comic book movies. And that's good. "I thought my jokes were bad."
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Photo © Warner Bros Pictures
