"Now there's a Batman." - a review of The Dark Knight

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Written by: Christopher Nolan, Jonathon Nolan, David Goyer

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Probably by now you have figured out whether or not you want to see this movie, as is the case with most Hollywood movies with a major ad campaign in front of them, and certainly The Dark Knight, which by now has won over it's installed base of comic book/superhero fans through year long viral marketing and however much of the general public is possible with a blitzkrieg of advertising. Such is the way of things. But for those interested in seeing opinions or who genuinely haven't made a decision yet, here it is.

To provide yet another drop of water into the bucket, I present Sean Riccio's review of The Dark Knight.

There aren't any real spoilers here, but if you want to go in pure as the driven snow, then maybe hold off. I'll sum the review up: it's awesome, go see it.

The basic outline is that one year out from Batman's decapitation of Gotham's organized crime world, things in the not-so-fair city have gone from bad to worse in many respects. Though the authorities have finally reached into their pants and found a pair and the Caped Crusader harasses the criminal element beyond what the law's rules will allow, the bad guys are not taking this lying down and have been escalating their war. Enter Gotham's new D.A. Harvey Dent, a daylight counterpart to Batman who is equally as exuberant and unorthodox in his quest to save his town, but wrestling with Batman and ally Lt. Gordon on the proper way to go about business. Through all this snakes a brilliant and insane terrorist known only as “the Joker”, who threatens to rip everything apart.

First off, the movie is good; very, very good. Terms like “best Batman movie” and “best superhero movie” are ones I generally try to avoid, seeing as they are completely subjective based on what you want. To some Batman hit it's stride with the tone set by Comic-Code era zaniness and Batusi-busting Adam West. And some people like their super-heroes all campy fun (Fantastic 4) or bombastic mythology (Spider-Man 2, Superman Returns). People who demand any of this will find little to like. Even those fans who have salivated for an adaptation of the tone set by Grant Morrison and Frank Miller in the Batman comics may not get exactly what they want, though this movie is decidedly dark and edgy, like the best of both writer's works with the character.

No, the closest texts I can compare this film to are M. Night's Unbreakable (for my money the seminal piece of superhero moviedom) and Frank Herbert's Dune mythology. I know, bear with me here.

The reason being is that Chris Nolan and David Goyer have decided to be very bold with their intent in The Dark Knight. Like Dune and Unbreakable, this is a philosophical experiment, an exploration of applied ideas. This is about questioning the true nature of “heroism” in the real world, what we do when stripped of our ideals, and what really happens when a man puts on a mask and sets out to save the day.

In a nutshell, it's all very complicated.

The Dark Knight isn't a feel-good movie like most super-hero tales. It doesn't steer away from uncomfortable realities that its narrative creates, and in fact embraces them. This at times gives the film an air of nihilism. It can seem that as the best laid plans of Bats and men come crashing down that the Joker is right; destruction and chaos are the only real truths in our world. It's a rather Freudian concept, that society is a thin veil over roiling madness, and the more we pull it taught the more the madness thrashes and lashes out. Batman attacks the mob, the mob redoubles their efforts. The police and the D.A. office crack down, and the mob side-steps. Batman blocks them, and the mob turns to madmen for aid. Everything escalates in an increasing attempt to restore or subdue – depending on one's perspective – the natural order.

There's also the questioning of the very concept of heroes and heroism. Nolan and Goyer call into question whether Batman is a hero at all, compared to the likes of Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon. A picture is painted in which Batman is just another burden upon Gotham, the impetus for a great deal of pain and misery. At the same time though, he's the only person who can put a stop to the madness. In the midst of this, his normal self Bruce Wayne is wrestling with the implication that maybe the city doesn't need him now that Dent has stepped up to plate.

There is a plot of moral ambiguity in the last act of the movie (the 4^th and/or 5^th, depending on how you break it up) that still troubles me. I won't go too far into it (see? Trying to keep the spoilers at bay), but suffice to say that the use of the term “terrorist” earlier in the picture, combined with the actions of Batman and by-then Commissioner Gordon gave me an undesirable taste in the mouth. Has Batman gone too far? Is he really doing the right thing in this plan? The question is one left largely unanswered, though the film does try to assure that yes, Batman is still a good guy even though he's doing this dishonorable and arguably immoral act.

This is the beauty of the thing, though. We are presented with a very troubling set of philosophical questions by the entire movie. Has Batman done any real good? Is corruption and decay at all stoppable? Is chaos the only constant? Can you defeat one evil without resorting to another? This is heavy stuff, not what we in America accustomed to, certainly not in our mythological figures. But it's what raises The Dark Knight above being a genre film, though a very well crafted and entertaining genre film, and brings it to the level of Art. It is not easy and it is not simple, but it is honest.

Along with the story, the craft and technical aspects of The Dark Knight are all top-shelf as well, but with some minor missteps. The look of the film, using natural lighting and little filter, is perfectly suited for the “this is the real world” tone that's set. The only time this becomes an issue is with some FX shots near the end that jarred me, oddly enough because they looked like something I would see in a Batman comic book. The music, likewise, is pitch-perfect. The score composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is purposely subtle and not flamboyant while still properly epic and engaging. The Joker's theme music stands out in this respect, deeply unsettling and leaving the listener unable to place what exactly is so jarring about it.

Which leads to the performances, Heath Ledger's first in line. I will not dwell too long on his Joker because so much has already been said, and it is all true. Ledger has set the bar for all further interpretations of the character, tapping into the darkest parts of the human psyche for a truly terrifying force of nature. He has a left a masterpiece with his final performance.

The other stand-outs in the cast are Aaron Eckhart as district attorney Harvey Dent, bringing a bright and likable heroic idealism that makes the characters journey all too painful, and Maggie Gyllenhaal taking over for Katie Holmes as Bruce/Batman's love interest, Rachel Dawes. I was not as unimpressed by Holmes' turn in Batman Begins as others, but I enjoyed Gyllenhaal none the less. She did bring more gravitas and emotional involvement to the character, perhaps because she was given more script to work with this time. Bringing gravitas was no issue for Christian Bale, in the previous or current film. In fact he at times seems to have too much, his gravel-toned “Batman voice” bordering on parody. It's understandable that Bruce Wayne must disguise his voice, but at times it was near impossible to make out what he was saying. This may be more an issue with my aging theater's sound system than the actor, though. Fortunately Bale's take on Wayne suffers no such problems, a marked improvement and evolution. Bale's brooding is tinged with a palpable sense of emotional and mental fraying as the film progresses, and he allows real emotion to enter Wayne's personal interactions this time around.

As I sit finishing this review, the numbers have already come in, announcing The Dark Knight to be a financial triumph as well as an artistic one. Pleasing, as this film richly deserves the rewards. With any luck and justice, Nolan and crew will receive at least a nod of nomination from the Academy come next March.

If you haven't seen it yet, make a point. If you have, I would suggest a second run. I know I will, and look forward to posting a more in depth analysis, riddled with spoilers. Maybe for the DVD release. Take it in and mull it over; there's a lot to think about. This is one for the ages, folks.