The Dark Knight (2008)
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman
Rating: Five-Out-Of-Five Bananas
It’s somewhat appropriate that The Dark Knight is the only Batman film so far that doesn’t name its hero in the title: after all, this isn’t so much a film about Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) as it is about Gotham City and the citizens who get caught up in the caped crusader’s fight against crime, chief amongst them being Aaron Eckhart’s newly elected District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lt. Jim Gordon (Oldman.) Of course, you’ve probably been hiding in a dark cave if you didn’t know that The Dark Knight pitches Batman (and everyone in Gotham) against Heath Ledger’s Joker. And yes, after all that hype you’ve heard (or not), his performance really is that good.
In fact, there’s so much going on in The Dark Knight (too much to even start to discuss without giving away so much) that Batman/Bruce Wayne comes across as more of a supporting character than a star, that role falling to Eckhart’s Dent, who’s at the story’s heart, providing the heroic face (and obvious target) that Gotham so badly needs, but that Batman can never be. If you saw Batman Begins, you’ll understand the conflicts surrounding Batman’s dual identity, the hope that Dent embodies, all of which is brought home hard in Wayne’s relationship with Rachel Dawes, Maggie Gyllenhaal bringing a subtle confidence, warmth and depth to the role that Katie Holmes never quite captured.
The action scenes grow in scale as the movie progresses (helicopter crash, rocket launchers, whole buildings exploding? Check, check, check) but where The Dark Knight rises above comic-book/superhero movies and action movies alike is in its cast: Eckhart is superb as Dent, the whole film resting comfortably on his performance (although performances may be more accurate.) Of course, Ledger can’t go unmentioned for his turn as the Joker: forget the Oscar-buzz, understated as it is, this is quite possibly the greatest cinematic portrayal of all time. The Joker himself is more of a force than a character, pulling at threadbare strings and manipulating the whole populace of Gotham, from the mob-bosses to the kids. And it’s a scope that’s completely believable too. Cutting and ka-booming his way through the film, the Joker is a terrifying presence, but one that is so enigmatic and enthralling, you can’t look away. Ledger’s death only adds the slightest whiff of a poignant moment once, telling Batman that he completes him, and they will be playing their cat and mouse game forever.
At two-and-a-half hours long, The Dark Knight isn’t a moment too short, and you can’t help but feel cheated out of a few extra hours. Racing from one incredibly tense moment to the next, it compresses the adrenaline of a whole season of 24, all three Bourne films and every Michael Mann and Bond incarnation ever into a compact gut-punch that might even leave you crying by the end, if not open-mouthed in awe. Just don’t expect to leave the cinema without glancing over your shoulder to see if that’s a psychopath in clown make-up behind you.
Verdict:
The darkest superhero movie in a long-time, and the better because of it, fitting together perfectly in what could be one of the best action/thrillers ever made. Oh, and there’s Batman in there underneath it all too.
Originally published on FrankTheMonkey.com