Finally: my Dark Knight Review
I've waited a couple of days to write this review since I had the need to let it sink in before running the risk of blindly jumping in the "Batman love" bandwagon. I won't give ANY spoilers away because I think it is very important to walk into this movie fresh if you should choose to go see it. If you read nothing else, read the following: The Dark Knight is NOT a kids film, it's NOT the vehicle of toy promotion, and it is generations beyond the first film "Batman Begins" in complexity, scope, and story.
Bottom line; Chris Nolan's TDK is the most epic, complex and fully realized superhero film ever made. That said, it's certainly not without its flaws. To be fair one would be hard pressed to find any film that didn't have flaws, so I think it's a misnomer to dismiss this film purely on the basis of personal bias or one or two open ends. In other words, don't miss the forest for the trees. To many people this will be a film to be watched again and again, if for no other reason than to study its many layers. And guaranteed this will be a film studied by actors for years to come.
First, you can believe the hype for once. Heath Ledger is an absolute genius as the Joker and owns every scene he is in. You truly believe the Joker is a maniac both in form and function, his mastery of the character isn't proven in over the top moments (like Jack Nicholson's ham-handed Joker), but in the subtle and sublime moments that Ledger pulls off seemingly without effort. He deserves and Oscar for this, and late fall will tell whether or not someone will one-up his performance.
From the first scene on, this movie set itself up to be a gritty crime drama. Remember my criticism in the Hancock review of the bank heist that seemingly came out of no where? There is none of that here. The bank heist in this story is well executed not to mention brilliantly shot and edited.
The thing that jumps out at me the most is that Batman almost feels like a secondary character within this terrific ensemble cast. I think my favorite character next to Ledger's Joker has to be Gordon played by Gary Oldman. he gets a much bigger part in this film than he did in "Begins", and he is very real and believable in the role. Not to be left out is Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. I loved him in "Thank you for Smoking" and he is perfectly cast as the iconic symbol of hope for a Gotham overrun by corruption. Seriously the movie could have been only about these two and it would have been terrific.
Batman reveals have been handled in many ways throughout the years. How can we forget Tim Burton's 1989 Batman where he came crashing through the skylight or his overbearing silhouette revealing his menacing form against the steam filled rooftops? You'll not see that here. Nolan's Batman, born of the night, simply steps out of the shadows. There is never a tacky grandiose entrance or reveal. The closest they come to it only reveals his torso. Batman in this film simply steps out of the shadows and gets to work.
It's important to note that there is not much I can say about this movie that will not reveal things that should remain secret to the future viewer. I will be general in this next bit as to not reveal anything, however I have no doubt that those who have seen the picture (there has to be one of you by now, right?) will completely know what I am talking about...
No one will ever forget the Joker's magic trick. Mark that down as one of the movie moments that will go down in history with "Royale w/Cheese", "I am your father", and "It was you Fredo". This is a film that stayed with me for a while. Its messages are clear, and the way in which it was handled left a bit open to interpretation. If Batman Begins was about irrational fear and the hysteria it creates because of disaster, "The Dark Knight" is about the aftermath and the means we use to go after those responsible. It never preaches any of this and is very ambiguous in this regard.
Batman has always been part hero and part vigilante with the millionaire mantra, but Nolan's Batman has added James Bond to the mix. I couldn't help but think that this was finally solidified when they introduced Morgan Freeman's character in the last film as he is certainly Batman's version of "Q" with all his nifty gadgets and toys. But this film steps it up a notch with its globe trotting scope and complex international dealings. I really enjoyed seeing a Batman story break free from the linear confines of Gotham. It makes more sense that Bruce Wayne would operate on a more international level. This is certainly the least claustrophobic of all the other films.
This movie is not afraid to take chances. There are a few big surprises that actually caught me off guard. And believe me, that's a rare occurrence in films these days. Again I stress, do not take your kids to this movie. It would scare the living daylights out of most, and at 2.5 hours it may get a bit tedious. It's not really a shootem up flick, there is a lot more dialogue than you might expect. Personally I love that, but some may want a more adventurous outing. Speaking of runtime, I found it to be just right. I thought it nicely tied up the storylines without being overly long or alternatively rushed. I have a feeling one of my big gripes (a party scene that seemed to cut without tying up a small loose end) was something that hit the cutting room floor for runtime. I have heard rumors of a 3 hour version floating around the edit bay. I bet a future DVD release will include it.
Im sure I will think of more later, but that's it for now. Great film, fantastic performances, and as I predicted Friday, will beat a ton of records. Im certainly going again.
