Joker to Rachel Dawes, “Well, hello beautiful… you’ve got some fight in you, I like that.”
That sentence pretty much explains The Dark Knight. It is the Empire Strikes Back of the Batman films. It compliments and extends Batman Begins beautifully. It also begins to build on less about Batman as person, which what the first film focused on, and starts with Batman’s purpose in Gotham. Is he a criminal? Is he a cop? Where does he stand with the law? It’s all answered in this film.
The mob in Gotham has started to run scared. The deals they usually do in the evening hours have to be pushed to the daylight because Batman is always on patrol during the evening. Doing illegal activities is basically getting risky for everyone. Add this problem with the new district attorney for Gotham, Harvey Dent, who wants criminals taken in just as much as Batman, and the poor mob has nothing to turn to… except one man. Having robbed the group of criminals/thugs in one bank, the Joker proposes that the mob let him kill Batman, which they reluctantly oblige because they are desperate at this point. Clearly crazy and on the loose, the Joker uses tactics that even the mob wouldn’t touch, putting lives in danger and ultimately calling out Batman to fight or leave.
Before we get into the spoilers, let me get this out in the open. Health Ledger deserves at least an Academy Award nomination. I’m not saying this because he has passed away or because I feel bad for the family he left behind, rather I’m saying this because he worked his ass off to bring a new, more accurate dimension to this Joker that moviegoers haven’t experienced quite yet. He brought the crazy, brought the terror and brought a very warped sense of humor to begin it all. His Joker is uncaring, insane and willing to do anything to get his point across. You have no idea this is Ledger underneath that make up, no idea at all. That’s how convincing his Joker is, he will sell you this role and you’ll buy it from the moment he steps in that room of mob folk. Nicholson has nothing on Ledger’s joker. In fact, Ledger’s Joker makes Nicholson’s Joker look warm and loving. Yes, he’s that frightening.
As for the rest of the cast, Bale gives his heart to his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Much like everyone else, he completely engulfs himself into the role and plays it quite nicely. He is suave now, as Bruce Wayne, but still finds himself more comfortable as Batman. Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent is very convincing. In the previews you can see the politician in him, but in the movie you see a deeper side of Dent where he actually wants to do good, but ends up… oh, almost gave it away. This makes me want to see Thank You for Smoking even more. What’s even neater about his character is that there is love triangle with Dent, Rachel Dawes and Bruce Wayne. As a viewer, you’ll sympathize for the guy and actually hope he ends up with Dawes rather than Dawes ending up with Wayne. That’s how likable he is and how convincing his sincerity to do good becomes.
Speaking of Rachel Dawes, if you hadn’t notice there has been an actress switch for that role. Maggie Gyllenhaal did one helluva job as Rachel Dawes, much better than her predecessor. She brought fire to the role, a strong-woman in Gotham, and ultimately when she… oh, almost gave that away too. She was quite good, added more than a helpless girl dimension to Dawes. Not to be left out of the complimenting is the ever flexible, always likable (even in The Professional) Gary Oldman. This guy can act! Not only does he look dead-on Jim Gordon, but he plays the role perfectly. For someone who didn’t care for comics or probably get much inspiration from the Gordon in the comics, he is perfect. This time around he’s not helpless, he’s a man in control of the situation because of his relationship with Batman. He protects the cape crusader and helps in his plight to bring down the baddies in Gotham. You get to know him much better and finally get to meet his family.
Another role in the film that gets expanded slightly is Michael Caine’s Alfred. Alfred is a bit more defined with his relationship to Wayne. He’s not only a father figure, but also a voice-of-reason for Wayne. He helps Wayne to keep it together and to find his true path, but also protects Wayne from himself. He’s just brilliant. Finally, we come down to Morgan Freeman’s Lucius Fox. I love Morgan Freeman’s voice, his acting and his presence onscreen. He’s no different in The Dark Knight, he is commanding as Fox and plays the straight shooter with his boss Bruce Wayne. He’s everything he should be and more. Just an excellent actor who deserves nothing but the best.
Everyone sold their part well in this film and it couldn’t have worked out if one person didn’t give it their all, this includes Christopher Nolan’s wonderful vision for the roles and film. He built a very complex story from one character and provided a generally laid out story that gave birth to very precise plot points in the film. Here’s where you want to decide to see spoilers or not:
*SPOILERS BEGIN* (highlight to view)
The film starts off with the joker stealing money from the mob (the video leaked weeks and weeks ago on the net, and that is included on the Blu-ray of Batman Begins). Successful in the job, he shows up at the mob’s meeting to discuss getting their money out of the Gotham banks. He proposes that the mob gives them half and that he’ll kill Batman in the process. Not taken seriously, he proves himself in some vicious ways that he is the only solution for crime to continue in Gotham. Reluctantly, the mob hires Joker and Joker ends up setting up traps around Gotham. He starts by killing off citizens and airing it on television, claiming that he will stop killing if Batman reveals himself. When Batman doesn’t, Joker gets more vicious. He starts by kidnapping Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes. He then gets caught during a shoot-out and sees Batman face-to-face (in an interrogation room). Joker then tells Batman that he’s kidnapped the pair and intends on killing them. He puts the decision of who gets killed in Batman’s hands. Providing both addresses, knowing that Batman and the cops can’t reach both in time, Batman must choose who he saves. After a short beating from Batman, he leaves to save Rachel. Regretfully, the address that the Joker gave for Rachel isn’t right, it’s in fact Harvey Dent’s location. On top of this, Joker has provided a phone for Dent and Rachel to talk to each other and to have the opportunity for each to hear the other die. Rachel dies, Dent lives, but is severely scarred. Joker gets away, through a series of bad cops and bad cop decisions and sets up his second trap. By showing several killings and showing how Batman can’t stop him, he announces to the people of Gotham that they must leave the city or die, and tells them not to take the tunnel or streets. He gets the people of Gotham on two ferries; One ferry contains prisoners and the other citizens. Joker stops the boats in the middle of the ocean and let’s them know that they have explosives on the boats. Anyone leaves the boat, both blow up. Each boat has a detonator for the other boat, they must decide if the other boat is to be blown up before theirs. They have until midnight to decide or both boats will be blown up. I won’t say anything else about the film, but these plot points particularly define the joker and the future of Harvey Dent.
*SPOILERS END*
In the end, all of these plot points gel into one gigantic plot point that makes this movie one of the most complex superhero films of all-time. Nolan knew that he was going to make something deeper, better than the first film and he certainly has accomplished that. Even through all of this complexity that Nolan brought to the story, you’re also going to enjoy how much action he included in the film. For a film that’s nearly three-hours in length it maintains a solid flow, there really isn’t a dead point. For most dramas, even the best detective dramas, you get some sort of lag time. There isn’t a dead spot, it just keeps firing on all cylinders. Much like the citizens of Gotham, you don’t have much time to think when there’s a madman on the loose. The film doesn’t give you time to think, doesn’t provide you with a rest area, you have to grin and bare the rough/harsh ride of the movie, which makes it so good to watch. You will be hard-pressed to find a better Batman film, even if they make a third. Topping this one will seem near impossible, but with Nolan and the cast possibly returning for a third, it wouldn’t seem unlikely to pull off.
If you’re looking for a great crime-drama that has some great acting (and someone name Batman) in it, fantastic action and a complex story, then look no further than The Dark Knight. It is everything that people have been expecting from it; you won’t be disappointed.