The Dark Knight Review
by Homer Yen (homeryen88 AT gmail DOT com)July 21st, 2008
"Knight" in Shining Armor
There are superhero movies. And then there are super hero movies. "The Dark Knight" has that rare combination of high quality filmmaking that will garner Oscar nods while also being an action-packed film that delivers pure summer movie escapism. Following the success of 2005s "Batman Begins", this impressively lives up to all of the hype that has preceded it. It is not only a film that transcends the comic-book-to-big-screen genre, but it is also a simply magnificent Hollywood production.
The buzz around Heath Ledger's performance as the demented Joker is completely justified. Jack Nicholson's performance as the Joker in 1989s "Batman" movie was gleefully campy. Here, Ledger is unrecognizable and ruthless. I've read that to prepare for his role, he lived alone in a hotel for a month as he formulated the character's psychology, posture, and voice. The result is an incredible performance of a psychopath who doesn't care about himself at all or others. I think about why bullies take candy from a baby, which causes them to cry. It's not that the bully wants the candy. It's that the bully likes to make the baby cry. There's no reason for it. And, there's no reason for the things that the Joker does. That kind of personality, highlighted by his "disappearing-pencil-trick", makes him a supremely menacing foe.
The Joker, an outcast like Batman himself, orchestrates a reign of terror on the city of Gotham. This villain is truly Batman's (played by Christian Bale) equal. Both seem to have infinite resources. Both seem to understand how to master their environment. Joker only has one goal in mind, and that is to create enough rifts among the "good" people of Gotham so that their moral infrastructure will collapse. High level law enforcement officials all become targets of the Joker. Per this subplot, we are also introduced to Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), a young and ambitious District Attorney who provides hope to the Gothamites. Like Batman, he is also committed to justice. The Joker, through chaos and destruction, wants to break down the restraints that keep Dent and Batman on the right side of the law.
If it weren't for the multiple pursuits and the explosions and the epic feel, the film would be an equally interesting psychological drama. But the film is turbo-charged with first-rate action. It's great to see Batman use his cape as a parasail, to see his Batmobile convert into a Batcycle, to see him give villains a deserving beatdown, and to be the hero that Gotham deserves and needs. And yet, the special effects to do not overwhelm the underlying story. The subplot regarding Harvey Dent is nicely fleshed out. The decision to just introduce Joker as a ready-made villain is a good idea.
The film's intensity and wit is established from the very first scene. It involves a bank robbery where surprises lurk for the gunmen every three minutes. And throughout the film, there are scenes that develop in totally unexpected ways when you first watch them, but then you reflect upon the ingenuity of the setup once you leave the theatre. And here's one of those unexpected gems. While Batman lives on to fight another day, in many ways it is the Joker that ultimately wins. The Joker is a villain that every film needs, but not every film deserves. This is a great film. This film needs the Joker. The summer audience deserves "The Dark Knight".
Grade: A
S: 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 2.5 out of 3
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