The story in The Dark Knight is deceptively simple. A mad criminal called The Joker has stolen from the criminal underbelly and then tries to unify that criminal element against Batman. He does this through a string of terrorizing acts of violence, threats and disturbing stunts. Gotham’s District Attorney, Harvey Dent, is a brave prosecutor who stands up to the criminal mob and The Joker, inspiring Batman to feel that Dent may be the true hero and savior for Gotham since he requires no mask.
The story is deceptively simple because while this may be the plot premise, what unfolds with resplendent craftsmanship over the two and a half hour running time is a complex examination of weakness, madness, right and wrong; a cavalcade of choices and events presented to the main characters that move them to the brink of destruction, from without and within.
'The Dark Knight' is Bold, Brooding and Ambitious
It is a bleak journey that Batman, Dent and by extension, everyone around them, is tasked to take and is one of the most fascinating achievements of the film. The journey is bleak, but is it without hope? – Not at all. Their journey is forged by the unnerving hands of the Joker, a character we have all seen before, but never like this.
In 1989’s Batman, Jack Nicholson stood out as a ruthless, collected criminal who sought a particular outcome. In Nolan’s Dark Knight, Heath Ledger delivers a performance of incredible depth for a character whose one note should be that of chaos alone. But brimming beneath the disconcerting smile of scars is a deformed sense of logic. Not that we agree with his methods or his intent, but we understand how he forms his views and how, without a moral grounding, he is able to incite that sense of chaos. He is, in effect, not just a madman looking for chaos, but chaos itself.
Christian Bale returns as the dual characters of billionaire Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight with a performance that emits the sadness of duality with perfect pitch. His caped hero is not a personality of grand heroics, but of necessity. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman return as the Butler Alfred and technology expert Lucius Fox respectively. These are small, supporting roles, but embodied with such acting gravitas that they have a greater presence than their collective time onscreen would suggest.
Replacing Katie Holmes as Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend and arms length love interest is Maggie Gyllenhaal. Maggie provides a more adult and convincing sophisticate here. Gary Oldman returns with an expanded role from ‘Batman Begins’ as Lieutenant Gordon – a performance that makes him perhaps the most relatable of all the characters onscreen, a silent, unexpected ‘everyman’ hero.
Lastly, a surprising performance is delivered by underrated actor Aaron Eckhart portraying District Attorney Harvey Dent. His character goes through the film’s most striking transition and requires a performance of keen awareness and balanced force. Eckhart does a terrific job.
A Remarkable Film Filled with Complex Characters and Dazzling Action
The Dark Knight is without question the most astonishing of summer blockbusters, a rare sequel that succeeds the first film in leaps and bounds. There are echoes’ of Michael Mann’s HEAT abound in the opening minutes but they are merely a tease for the breathless set-pieces and grand, sweeping action that is expertly weaved throughout the film. And between these action scenes, and cleverly at times, during - the film engages in a revelation of anarchy versus order, good versus evil and society defining right versus wrong. Not simply in comparing Batman versus The Joker (or his cronies) but within them. Fascinating!
There are many films that raise important questions; dissect us as a people and examine social subjects. But finding such examinations in a comic book summer blockbuster is surprising. But that is exactly what ‘The Dark Knight’ offers; Visceral and stirring action side-by-side with characters of uncommon depth, performances of uncommon excellence and questions of uncommon intrigue. The Dark Knight is breathtaking.
