Review: The Dark Knight (2008)

[Homer Yen]

"Knight" in Shining Armor
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008

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 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