The Dark Knight Review

Next up in my series of reviews of Christopher Nolan's entire filmography in anticipation for his upcoming release Interstellar is the sequel to the reboot of the Batman film franchise. Batman Begins was very well-received and did well at the box office in 2005. Thus, expectations for The Dark Knight were high, and there was plenty of hype surrounding the project due to the presence of the Joker as the main antagonist. To many people, the final product of The Dark Knight exceeded expectations and redefined what a comic book movie could be. And I can't help but agree with those people.

Right from the opening frame, you can tell that Gotham is a different animal than Begins. Its chaotic, ambiguous, and very close to being completely out of control. The stunning robbery that takes place in the inaugural minutes coupled with Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's brilliant new score that evokes an ever-building feeling of tension basically ensures that the audience is in for quite the ride. And that tension doesn't fully let up until Batman rides into the night in the final shot.

Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and he gives an excellent performance. You can tell that Wayne has matured after the events of Batman Begins, and Batman has also become a more formidable presence in Gotham. A lot of credit for that should go to Bale, who once again brings so much depth and conviction to the character, and further proves that he is the best Batman yet.

Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman reprise their roles of Alfred Pennyworth, Lucius Fox, and Jim Gordon respectively. They all do fantastic jobs, particularly Oldman who seems to have upped his game for this sequel. Those three characters, led by Oldman's Commissioner Gordon, remain the heart and soul of the franchise.

Aaron Eckhart joined the cast list as Gotham's District Attorney Harvey Dent, who is viewed as the city's white knight, a symbol of hope and justice that isn't tainted by flaws or bogged down by corruption. He gives a really good performance, and the character is very well-written. His part in the plot is extremely well-realized and executed just as well.

Maggie Gyllenhaal took over for Katie Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes. While Gyllenhaal does a good job, I do prefer Holmes' portrayal. I can't really hold that against the movie, however, because Gyllenhaal is perfectly fine, as I said, and there are so many other fantastic parts that are so much more prominent.

Of course, one cannot talk about The Dark Knight without mentioning the late Heath Ledger, and his utterly note-perfect performance. Not only do I believe his portrayal of the Joker is better than Jack Nicholson's, I also think that Ledger's work on this movie is some of the greatest acting ever put to film. He completely embodies the character in ways I didn't think were possible. I've heard that some of his methods for preparing for the role and losing himself in it may have contributed to his untimely death. However, one cannot help but just admire in awe the job he did as the Joker.

The script is so well written by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan. I mean, every line of dialogue feels so natural coming out of the characters' mouths. That is a tribute to how well the actors portray their characters, but also how skillfully created the lines themselves are. Nothing feels forced, nothing feels TV-ish. It's all as close to perfect as a film can get, and that only helps engross the audience in the experience.

As I mentioned before, there is an undeniable tension that courses through the entire film. Even more so than in Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan's direction creates an atmosphere of unending suspense and frequent exhilaration. I consider The Dark Knight one of the most exciting movies that I've ever seen. There are a number of moments of nearly unbearable tension, the most notable of which is probably the breathtaking interrogation scene between the Joker and Batman.

That scene is really the epitome of many of the themes and struggles present in The Dark Knight. Gordon alludes to it at the end of Batman Begins; there is going to be escalation as a result of Batman's presence in the city. The Joker is largely a product of that escalation, and thus, Batman has to consider the idea that he is ultimately the one killing Joker's victims. Maybe not directly, but as a result of his actions.

The Dark Knight takes one of the murkiest moral viewpoints of any film I've ever seen. By the time the events of the plot are in full-swing, you realize that there are no clear "good" and "bad" sides to the conflict. Sure, there are characters performing decidedly evil acts and characters taking measures to stop these evil acts, but that doesn't necessarily make one side right and the other wrong. There's a very thin line there between right and wrong. The Joker - and Chris Nolan - continually exploit this fact and use it to pin the characters we've come to know as "good guys" in impossibly complex situations that have no real right answer.

As an extension to its observation of the ambiguity of good and evil, The Dark Knight explores what is truly just and fair. This exploration occurs primarily through the development and transformation of Harvey Dent. Who or what decides what is the meaning of true justice? What constitutes something as truly fair? These are compelling questions, questions that Nolan consistently provokes.

Christopher Nolan has done something few thought possible. He has tapped into the dark and anarchic world of the comic books that defined the character of Batman, translating that grittiness to the screen impeccably for a second straight time. I'm not sure we'll ever get another comic book movie quite like The Dark Knight. There have been plenty of imitators, and I'm sure there will be plenty more. However, Nolan's film is so extraordinarily well-made and groundbreaking in its approach to the superhero movie genre (as are the other two installments in the trilogy) that nothing will be able to completely match it.

I will never forget the first time I saw this movie and my feeling of pure astonishment at how good it was. To this day, I consider it one of the greatest films of all-time, and certainly one of the three best comic book films along with its predecessor and sequel. It's extremely exciting, unforgettably intricate, and emotionally powerful and complex. One of my absolute favorite movies ever, and if you haven't watched this film or the rest of the trilogy yet, then you need to have a marathon of The Dark Knight trilogy today. Seriously, right now.

A+