Stars Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. Written by Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan from a story by David Goyer. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Rated PG-13. A film by Warner Brothers.
THE DARK KNIGHT is a relentlessly intense comic book allegory for our times that features both a thrilling highwire performance by the late Heath Ledger as the Joker and an uncommonly intelligent and dark exploration of the psychology of terror. No tedious exercise by any means (although a longer movie than many might expect going in), THE DARK KNIGHT has a vibrancy and a propulsive momentum that grabs you from the opening terrifying scene and doesn't let go even at the very end.
It will be easy for me to keep plot details to a minimum--in a rarity for summer blockbusters, I actually had a hard time keeping many of the storylines straight, which some viewers will find to be a distraction or a hindrance in the movie. However, having had a little time to think about it, the chaotic plotlines actually mirror in some ways the mounting chaos and panic in the movie's fictional Gotham City, all of it orchestrated in some way by the ingenious psychopath known only as The Joker.
Let me talk about Heath Ledger's work for a moment. Owing at least in part to the circumstances of his untimely death, never has a performance in comic book movie come attached to as much hype is that which accompanied Ledger's turn as The Joker. It would be easy if you haven't seen the performance to dismiss it as just hype, but let me tell you that not only does Ledger completely submerge himself into the role and obliterate any memories of the Tim Burton/Jack Nicholson Joker, he creates a terrifying yet at times oddly sympathetic portrait of pure evil that surpasses any comic book villain previously put onto celluloid. As ugly and garish as his dark clown face is, I couldn't take my eyes off of him on screen. If there's an Oscar to be had for THE DARK KNIGHT, it would belong to Ledger.
Many other things stand out about THE DARK KNIGHT: the prowling cinematography by Wally Pfister that seems to stalk each of the main characters as they progress inexorably toward their disparate, often dark fates; Michael Caine's deft performance as Alfred which combines winning one liners with just the right amount of gravitas; Eckhart's work as district attorney Harvey Dent which, were it not for Ledger, would be the most talked-about performance in the movie and a memorable action sequence involving a car/truck/Batbike chase that owes a huge debt to THE FRENCH CONNECTION but manages to be unique and thrilling in it's own way.
By the way, the new, improved Batmobile with its various accessories totally kicks ass. I just imagined what it would have been like to have THAT in L.A. traffic!
Of course, no movie is without flaws, or at the very least, choices that may serve to alienate many in the film's audience. In the case of THE DARK KNIGHT, I found it much easier to enjoy the movie once I gave up trying to follow every plot detail, which frankly is probably impossible anyway. A few minor characters appear, disappear and reappear without much purpose. An interlude in Hong Kong could have been greatly reduced or eliminated altogether without the movie suffering one bit (and would have reduced the running time down closer to two hours). Friends I watched the movie with felt that a transition made by the Dent character near the end of the movie was too unbelievable and too unsympathetic--I bought it more than they did, but I can see their point. Despite these things, THE DARK KNIGHT narrowly beats out IRON MAN as the best comic book blockbuster of the year and stands, in my mind at least, as the best such movie made so far.
As long as Christopher Nolan is in charge of the new Batman franchise, it would seem to be in pretty good hands.
MY GRADE: A
Coming soon: I'll compare my take on the movie with the Z-Man who is the reigning expert on all things Batman. Oh, I guess I should talk about the presidential race sometime too.
Peace.
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