The Dark Knight, the newest installment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise, set records over the weekend, beating Spider Man 3 in box office take. It managed this feat thanks largely to tremendous hype, enthusiastic fanboys (and girls) lining up at late night showings, and good critical notices, particularly for the late Heath Ledger in the career-defining role of the Joker. Most people couldn’t even get tickets. So is it worth the hype?
The answer is, unquestionably, yes. Christopher Nolan, who has established himself as a capable director of both twisty thrillers (Memento, The Prestige) and blockbuster superhero films (Batman Begins), has broken all the rules of the big budget comic book movie. Discarding what have now become familiar tropes—Freudian back stories, shiny action sequences, heroic angst—Nolan instead basically makes a David Fincher-style crime movie that’s strongly rooted in the setting of the film, which in this case just happens to be Gotham City. Instead of cops and robbers, Nolan has Batman and the Joker as the dueling arch rivals, with the story of the tragic downfall of Gotham’s District Attorney Harvey Dent—and the birth of the villain Two-Face—as the narrative heart of the film.
Drawing upon a plethora of source material, including the one-shot Batman: The Killing Joke, the miniseries Batman: The Long Halloween, and classic Batman comics (such as the first appearances of the Joker from Detective Comics in the 1940s), Nolan inventively creates a world all his own. Gotham City has been shaken by the arrival of the Joker (Ledger), a clown-faced, anarchic madman with no history, no motives, and a desire to upend both the city’s organized crime network and the Batman (Christian Bale). Meanwhile, Harvey Dent, the new DA, has been taking steps to rid Gotham of organized crime, waging a public war on corruption as Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and his secret ally, the Batman, dismantle the crime networks from the inside. But the Joker proves to be too unstoppable a foe. He’s not only a terrorist, but also a dark mirror to the Batman, and will only stop when Gotham City burns and its White Knight, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart)—and all that he loves—has been destroyed.
Despite a clunky script, the movie is incredibly powerful—a dark and violent masterpiece that keeps twisting and turning to darker, more complex places. While I understand some critics’ complaints that the action sequences are too murky and that the plot takes too long to really get going, I appreciate how Nolan is willing to develop his characters and raise the stakes so that the nihilistic, chaotic reign of the Joker becomes as operatic and stomach-churning as it is.
The cast is truly outstanding—the lead actors give their characters depth and dimension atypical of superhero films, while all of the supporting players (including Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman) deliver intelligent, nuanced performances that make the movie far richer and powerful than just about any “comic book movie” that I’ve seen.
And really, the main reason I can say that is because of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. It really is an astonishing performance. At once charming and terrifying, it treats the character as a terrorist, an anarchist, and a fascinating and mysterious figure who is still all too human. It’s a shame that we will not be able to see more from this immensely talented actor, but The Dark Knight is a remarkable testament to his considerable gifts.
What did you think of the movie?
Photo credits: filmgrenade.wordpress.com / canmag.com / movieweb.com
Let’s just say that if I could, I’d watch it at the movies every night until it came out on DVD!
[1] Posted by: ShayTeon9 | July 21st, 2008 at 5:16 pmi know this movie is absolutly fantastic!
[2] Posted by: CookieScreamFace | July 22nd, 2008 at 11:12 amThis movie was everything I wanted and more. It completley blew my mind! 4 STARS!
[3] Posted by: CooCooMooShoo | July 23rd, 2008 at 12:25 pmthis movie has set such a high standard for me that i don’t feel like watching any of the other crap that’s in theaters right now or are coming soon. i can’t wait until the third movie but it might not be as great as this one was since heath ledger is dead.
[4] Posted by: g00dcharl0tte06 | July 23rd, 2008 at 11:28 pmI thought the movie was great too. I saw it twice and I definatley picked up on some underlying things. However, I do think that the change from Bruce Wayne to Batman’s voice is a little stupid. I think Bale over did it a little. Otherwise a great flick
[5] Posted by: sizematters238 | August 12th, 2008 at 7:30 pmthis was actually the best movie i have EVER seen.
[6] Posted by: blackpaper | August 23rd, 2008 at 11:13 pmthis is by all means my number one favorite movie.
[7] Posted by: Sweeney6067 | August 26th, 2008 at 1:52 pmThis movie was so money
[8] Posted by: Beepem45 | September 7th, 2008 at 9:05 pmI want to see this movie so badly!!!!!!!
[9] Posted by: dede533 | September 10th, 2008 at 12:31 pmoscar worthy movie, the only good batman movie since the first with jack nickleson
[10] Posted by: juiceboxxx62 | September 10th, 2008 at 6:58 pmI agree, it was a great movie!
[11] Posted by: studyfreakjang | September 14th, 2008 at 6:50 amBut disturbing to think that Heath Ledger was dead because of this movie. Would’ve been better if I hadn’t heard this right before watching the movie.
I don’t really think Heath Ledger is dead because of this movie?
[12] Posted by: tegey | September 15th, 2008 at 6:33 pmWhen I first saw The Dark Knight previews I immediately ran to my mother and told her about it. Heath Ledger had died then and she agreed.
[13] Posted by: sallyRAWRAWRruko | September 19th, 2008 at 1:31 pmHe was AWSOME in it! The voice totally resembled someone insane, clever, and most importantly some one Heath wouldn’t be. Anyway, I didn’t know Christian Bale stared as Batman in Batman Begins, nor did I know Maggie Gyllenhall took Katie Holmes place. (I think Maggie did a better performance than Katie.)
I can’t wait till the “redone” movie reopens in theatres in… January(?).
I thought the Joker was kind of disturbing.
[14] Posted by: Hikari_Angel | September 26th, 2008 at 3:56 pmI personally love the movie. And I looove Keith Ledger, he does such a good job at the joker.
[15] Posted by: miashell1 | September 27th, 2008 at 1:29 amHeath Ledger was soooooooooooooooooooooooo AWESOME! He totally changed my view of the joker (in a good way) (for the joker) (^-^v) The Dark Knight is a movie I can watch over and over and over and over again. It’s a shame that Ledger died though. He did a fantastic job.
[16] Posted by: rawr7963 | October 1st, 2008 at 12:47 amThe movie was amazing, altho i do think it go wayyy to much hype because of heath ledger. IF he hadn’t died i doubt it would’ve been as big as it was.
[17] Posted by: loverlymiss | October 3rd, 2008 at 11:57 amthis movie is defiantly in my top ten but the way batman talked was annoying.
[18] Posted by: emo_punk13 | October 6th, 2008 at 6:43 pmThis movie was awesome! I loved it and I definately can’t wait till it comes out on DVD Dec. 12th! And the movie DID feel like it went on for a little bit too long but Iron Man was longer and no one says anything about that…. But this movie rocked! Best movie I’ve ever seen!
[19] Posted by: DJBatgirl | October 7th, 2008 at 6:27 pmHEATH LEDGER IS THE MOST INGENIOUS JOKER IN THE HISTORY OF FILM. And Im not joking (no pun intended
[20] Posted by: albusseverus | October 11th, 2008 at 7:52 pmthis the best movie. heath made history there’s no doubt about it.
[21] Posted by: Sweeney6067 | October 15th, 2008 at 9:55 pmIt was a great movie, I’m not gunna lie…
[22] Posted by: Actress13 | October 17th, 2008 at 3:05 pmBut the length showed that it had absolutely no style. It was lacking great cinematography.
I am a huge Christian Bale fan, and he did a fantastic job as the one and only caped crusader (he’s really the best person in Hollywood for the part) but it was always going to be Heath Ledger who ruled the screen in that movie. Absolutely brilliant. I still snigger sometimes when I hold a pencil….
[23] Posted by: Grayson27 | October 24th, 2008 at 10:08 amThis film was okay. The joker made it awesome. Take away the joker, the film is just pisswater. it really shouldnt be called the dark knight considering the film is hardly even about batman. maybe they should have just called it the dark joker.
[24] Posted by: Hoviski | October 24th, 2008 at 6:27 pmDidn’t really think much of the film