After successfully rebooting Batman with a serious origin in Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan had high expectations to meet with both critics and movie goers. Determined to go “bigger” in every way often and by unleashing an unforgettable version of the Joker, Nolan created a masterpiece. Brilliant, beautiful, thrilling, and contemplative, The Dark Knight is film making at its best. It is also a twisted bromance for the ages.
A sequel to a popular film is a very tricky thing to make for recapturing lightning in a bottle is rare. When successful, it can result in a superior film under the right hands. The Dark Knight is not that. Instead it transcends its predecessor to become a work of art that stands on its own. What is even more amazing is that it became a box office record breaker, which is unusual for such an intellectual film which also turned out to be surprising commentary on the War on Terror.
Let us dig into the film and see how he did it.
Like Batman Begins, the movie opens without the title, instead opting to briefly show the bat logo emerge from blue flames. It is as if Nolan is so impatient that he wants the film to dominate the screen right away. I wholly approve of that approach, not to mention the concept of having an untitled prologue launch the story.
The prologue hits the ground moving by introducing us to clown masked and anonymous criminals pulling off a bank heist in broad daylight. Featuring terrific shots filmed in Chicago on IMAX cameras, it is visually arresting and a thing of pure tension. Backstabbing amongst the criminals brings an air of uncertainty to the operation and something seems more than a little off. We soon find out why, since it becomes our introduction to the Joker’s (Heath Ledger) methods. His reveal is suitably dramatic thanks to the well executed build up.
Night falls and the modified searchlight of Lt. Jim Gordon’s (Gary Oldman) shines the Batsign on the clouds over Gotham City. While the Batman does not show up, the police officer figures it does not hurt to keep the criminals in the sky reminded of their greatest fear. The theme of fear carries over from the previous installment, complete with an appearance by an old enemy who is unafraid to operate at night.
The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) has reemerged dealing his fear toxin disguised as other drugs, much to the ire of a Chechen gang boss who threatens to sic his pit bulls on the villain. A dark figure rises in the shadows and Batman finally makes his appearance. But why is he brandishing an Uzi? And how come there are suddenly three of him?
Here Nolan plays with the interesting concept of copycat vigilantes dressing up like the caped crusader. While they may be inspired by the symbol, they do not show an ounce of his competence or restraint. No, they only trigger a messy fire fight and two of them go down very quickly. An explosive entrance by the Tumbler (who knew cars came with “intimidate” modes? I want one like that…) interrupts the messy fight.
The distraction allows the real Batman (Christian Bale) to intervene and he goes for the remaining cowled imposter with a new device that allows him to bend and shear metal. I have to comment further on that, because the rifle that gets abused is an older model Ruger Mini 14 and I own one. The scene is even richer if you know anything about the gun, because the old ones suffered one weakness to the design – a light barrel ridiculed as being “pencil thin.”
Unamused by the copycats and being bitten by a dog, he has business elsewhere to attend to.
One big change from the previous movie is that Gordon is now head of a special task force, the Major Crimes Unit. Since the bank that was robbed was part of a tracking operation conducted with Batman’s off the record assistance, he and Batman confer over what to do about the camera seeking clown. Judged to be small fry compared to taking down the mobsters in town, the Joker will have to wait. But the new district attorney is of concern, since he is supposedly a reformer who will want in on the operation.
In short order we get to see Alfred and the new lair, which is hidden in a clever place. Once again the subject of the new D.A. comes up and the wise old butler notes that perhaps Bruce’s interest is not all business, given the company the newly elected official keeps. Bruce’s old friend and almost flame, Rachel Dawes is back and she looks a lot different. Maggie Gyllenhaal steps into the character’s sensible shoes since Katie Holmes bailed on returning to the part.
It turns out she is dating her new boss, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Not only is he ambitious, he turns out to be very dashing in our introduction to him. Facing the new mob boss running the Falcone family, Sal Moroni (Eric Roberts having way too much fun), the new white knight in Gotham City proves to have nerves of steel during a particularly difficult questioning of a witness.
Dent is charismatic and likes to flip a silver dollar that used to be his father’s to make wagers. Despite relying on chance, he claims to make his own luck. Part of that is based on being smart, for he meets with Gordon and reveals that he has figured out what he and Batman are doing. Harvey wants to meet the vigilante, but Gordon refuses to admit anything. An air of mutual distrust and simmering hostility fills the air in a very well acted scene.
With all the major players introduced, the plot shifts into a standard crime drama involving money laundering and trying to trace it. Or it would have if an insane clown didn’t invite himself to a meeting of crime lords to show them how to make a pencil disappear.
The scene starts out strange and then becomes something you cannot tear your eyes away from. Ledger is nothing short of hypnotic. Having been around people on anti-psychotic medications, his lip licking and tics are very familiar and added a touch of realism to the performance. The Joker presented here is clearly insane, yet very logical at the same time. His actions are horrific, but somehow amusing, as if he were inviting us in on the joke. Where mobsters are usually the ones to make an offer that can’t be refused, it is the madman who makes it to the mobster -- half of their money in exchange for killing the Batman.
While that little meeting plays out, another on top of the MCU is initiated by Dent. Finally getting to meet Batman, he is furious at Gordon for allowing a suspect to escape to Hong Kong. The Gotham officials may not have jurisdiction there, but Batman is beyond the law. This spurs Bruce to consult another friend, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), for an updated and improved Batsuit along with a way to get in and out of the Chinese territory.
He isn’t the only one making bold moves. The Joker has ideas about “aggressive expansion” that leads to another riveting scene. Dangerous as a cobra, his story of how he got his scars sounds plausible and tragic. But there is no predicting his behavior or trustworthiness and we get get that very famous line, “Why… So… SERIOUS?”
In my review of Batman Begins, I mentioned that it was like a James Bond film in some ways. The Dark Knight becomes even more like a Bond flick when the setting moves to Hong Kong. Intrigue, gadgets, and an extraction based on old CIA method would not be out of place in the spy series. It is almost a demo reel by Nolan campaigning to helm that series.
It is also great fun. Fox makes another appearance to introduce a nifty use of sonar, like that used by… submarines. The chemistry between Bale and Freeman is still there and make every shared scene terrific.
Success at last for Dent, Gordon, and Batman leads to mass arrests which makes the mobsters a wee bit cranky. Despite progressing in the fight against the gangs, the tension between Dent and Gordon threatens to boil over. Little do they understand what is about to hit them, for the Joker has decided it is finally time to get rid of Batman. So begins a deadly duel of wits between two highly intelligent and driven foes. The stakes are raised in an unending escalation that jeopardizes the fragile order in Gotham City.
Death and destruction, mayhem and madness, everything comes in twos, but the Joker is truly wild.
Thoughts
I will get back to the movie in a moment.
Thanks to being ill I fell well behind on composing this review. News of the massacre at a Denver, Colorado midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises is making it hard to finish. My enthusiasm is gone and suddenly this is a chore to write. The senseless killing there is reminiscent of what occurs in this movie and it deeply saddens me. It has also curbed my desire to see the sequel tonight.
But I will go and try my best to enjoy it on the behalf of those murdered and wounded in that other theater. They were all excited and happy to be there, so I do not want that attention seeking psycho to win in even the smallest degree.
Since the review did not get finished when I wrote the preceding paragraphs, I have to report that I did go and the movie was superb.
One conclusion I have come to is that Nolan’s depiction of a decaying society is hitting a little too close to home in this movie series. Much of The Dark Knight is an allegory on the fight against Islamic terrorism, a protracted war that has defined the 21st Century so far. The same questions and moral dilemmas that dog that conflict are found in this movie: What do you do when you face a foe who does not have the same values and is utterly dedicated to achieving his aims? How far will you go to save lives? How do you decide who live or dies? Why protect those who turn on you the moment things become dangerous for them?
The way it unfolds has led some to call it a conservative movie and a defense of President George W. Bush. Frankly, that was my impression the first time I saw it in a theater. But given how left wing the vast majority of people in the film industry are, I began to wonder if it wasn’t just reading too much into the story.
After watching it again for this review, I will say that it is at least fair in depicting the dilemmas of fighting terrorism and does seem to come down on the side of taking action, even if it is illegal and unpopular action. I doubt Christopher Nolan is a closet conservative, but he may well be what we call a libertarian of some stripe.
Once again, the acting is top notch and Nolan gets the best out of his actors. But also once again, Rachel Dawes seems like a plot device more than a character. Actually, she was flat out unlikeable this time around and I do not blame Gyllenhaal for it. Rachel is simply unworthy of Bruce Wayne and a very poor match, so the love triangle developed in the movie was not very compelling.
It also makes me question Bruce’s stability even more than dressing up like a bat to fight crime. Bale does very well in portraying the tortured Wayne and his desire to see light at the end of the tunnel. That tunnel vision leads to some very good character moments and is critical to the ending. I began to feel sorry for Bruce in this installment, which means they succeeded well at humanizing him.
Michael Caine is wonderful as Alfred again, with many a scene stealing line. Along with Lucius Fox, he provides an anchor to reality for Bruce. His explaining that there are men who just enjoy seeing the world burn shows a weary wisdom developed from experience that is critical to explaining how things are, rather than they should be.
Finally, Heath Ledger gave the performance of a lifetime. Perhaps he delved too deep into madness and that led to his overdose at the end of production, but his portrayal of the Joker is exceptional. Not once do you think that is an actor playing a part, for there is no trace of anyone but the psychotic anarchist on screen. While I no longer consider the Oscars to be a valid sign of ability or merit, it was appropriate for him to win Best Supporting Actor. It was one of the most riveting performances I have ever seen and I have watched far too many movies to count.
The ending of The Dark Knight is not a happy one, but one that makes a very uncomfortable point politically and morally about what really constitutes a hero. More on that can be found in the spoilers section.
The Dark Knight is a brilliantly made film in every possible way. The heavy use of IMAX camera’s pays off with some beautiful footage that screams out that this is a major motion picture in the old school style. Visually stunning, it has the best aspects of film noir mixed with modern effects. Oh there are plenty of daylight scenes and they are gorgeous too, but it is in the darkness of night that the movie comes alive.
Hans Zimmer’s experimental tones once again combine with James Newton Howard’s orchestral arrangements to make an unusual score that manipulates the audience into feeling tension. Only a little of Batman Begins score is carried over, yet it all still sounds familiar. You will remember the two note tone used for the Joker and that cue is one you cannot mistake for anything else.
The movie is very intense despite, or possibly because of, killings that are shown with no blood and quick cutaways. Most of the intensity comes from the chaotic madness of the Joker. He is a believably frightening menace that will completely unnerve small children and even some adults. The PG-13 rating is earned by those two factors, but I have to warn of some very gruesome makeup/CGI employed for one character late in the movie. It is sickening to behold and verges into R rated territory. If you are curious to see how bad it is, you can catch a glimpse in the spoilers section of the review below this.
If you are a fan of Batman from the comic books, not the 1960’s campy series, you will love this film. Likewise, if you are a true film aficionado, it will please you on many levels thanks to the fine craftsmanship and intricate storyline. Political junkies will find much to muse about as well. I recommend the movie to all of the above, but many more types of people will also enjoy the movie. It is one of those must see before you die films, that is all.
Technical
This review is of the Blu-ray, but I will take a moment to cover the DVD release. What I have is the Widescreen Edition and it is an anamorphic letterbox of the 2.4:1 theatrical version. There are no extras whatsoever, but a large number of ads and public service announcements to start the disc. Picture quality is decent, but not even remotely comparable to the Blu-ray version.
The Blu-ray version is the same as the IMAX release and why you saw screen captures of different sizes throughout the review. In my review of the Batman Begins Blu-ray, I complained about the image quality not being what it could have been. Thankfully, this is not the case here and I can report this is a fantastic transfer that will show off your HDTV to its fullest. The picture is a sharp, vibrant, and flawless render of the 2:4:1 35mm print.
But what really sets it apart are the glorious scenes from the 70mm IMAX cameras which are 1.78:1 and fill the entire screen. Since 16:9 is the same ratio, there is nothing lost to letterboxing. There is no special option to view these, the movie simply transitions from one format to another seamlessly.
The audio could be better, though that is simply because I prefer DTS-HD over Dolby TrueHD. It is still better than any DVD can output and the dialogue is crystal clear, every explosion a floor pounder, and the score gets the full range of frequencies to play with your emotions. Only English is in the uncompressed sound format, but it, French, and Spanish are available in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. All three languages are options for subtitles.
Packaging is your typical Blu-ray case, but some clown decided to deface the back cover insert and did it at the factory level.
Extras are bountiful and even more complete than the ones for Batman Begins. I do not know about other people, but how movies are created is a fascinating thing to me. These extras are spread across two Blu-ray discs, unlike many films that include the extras on a DVD. So expect a lot of HD goodness.
Disc 1 extras are called “Focus Points” and can be enabled to show up while watching the movie, but be warned that will add 45 minutes to the already long 153 minute run time. They are accessed when a yellow disc icon pops up on screen. Thankfully, the focus points can be watched separately, so look for them in the disc menu.
Topics include the making of the Prologue, the Batsuit redesign, Zimmer composing the Joker Theme, all the issues involved in filming in IMAX 70mm, special effects work, and stunts. There is a lot of meat to be found in the commentary, especially from Nolan. If you wondered about any facet of the movie, you will probably get your questioned answered.
Disc 2 was quite a surprise for me. I never expected to get two History Channel style documentaries about Batman with the movie. All content is HD and each documentary is around 45 minutes long.
Batman Tech documents the character’s use of what was high tech at the time throughout the decades. It also features the gadgets and vehicles used in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, which is expected. Yet it it gets better, because they go into the real life technology that inspired them. A lot of the devices are not nearly as far fetched as one might expect. It is a great deal of fun and lots of shots from the comic books are used.
Batman Unmasked delves into the psychology of the vigilante and his rogues gallery. It is interesting to see what “experts” think of the fictional characters, but even more to hear the disagreements over who the real personality is, Batman or Bruce Wayne, from the comic book writers. What seems to intrigue the head shrinkers is the way all the characters come from tragic backgrounds and how they deal with them. While entertaining, I preferred the tech documentary.
But wait, there is more!
Every Web episode of Gotham Tonight is included in full HD. Starring Anthony Michael Hall as Mike Engel, a reporter crusading against Batman, it fills the gaps between the two movies. Appearances by actors from the movie reprising their parts adds a nice touch, but it is very low budget and it shows. Still, it is fun in places. The six episodes total up to 45 minutes again.
Various galleries show stills of concept art, behind the scenes of the production, poster art, and every custom Joker card used in the film.
Three theatrical trailers and six television ads round out the extras, with the third theatrical trailer being the best of the lot. Oh and there is an Easter Egg if you can find it, which is the best of the lot…
BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!
Lucius Fox gets a lot of great lines in these movies, but his best scene has to be when he confronts a Wayne lawyer trying to blackmail the company because he has discovered Bruce is the Batman. His dismissal of the twerp is classic.
With Nolan’s films, nobody feels safe and so the apparent death of Commissioner Gordon silenced the audience in the theater I was in back in ‘08. Given how skeevy the mayor seemed, the sacrifice seemed a waste. But it set the plot into full motion and started Harvey Dent’s fall.
I hated seeing the Tumbler destroyed. While the Bat-pod is an interesting vehicle, it lacks the presence of the modern Batmobile. However, it is a visually appealing addition to Batman’s arsenal. The game of chicken with the eighteen wheeler capped off a mind blowing chase sequence and just look at that truck flip. The effects people actually flipped a real moving semi and it must have been even more impressive on an IMAX screen.
The good cop, Batman routine did not produce the results the newly promoted Commissioner Gordon hoped for. The psychological duel between the men gets to the heart of who the Joker is and his obsession with the vigilante. “You complete me!” is dead on to the comic book character’s feelings.
It also led to one of the funniest fan spoofs ever put on YouTube:
Killing Rachel Dawes was something I did not expect, especially after the Gordon fake out. Making it a new version of how Two-Face comes into being was very clever and made for a better motivation for Dent’s madness than the original concept. Alfred gets a quiet moment to shine when his curiosity gets the better of him and he reads her letter to Bruce. Things begin to fall apart for the good guys at this point with the Joker holding all the cards – and he cheats, so they are marked.
Tying in Alfred’s recounting of hunting a Burmese bandit with the Joker burning the money was a nice bit of foreshadowing. His calling into Engel’s show to demand the public kill the lawyer about to out Batman’s identity made it even better. Here we also got the first glimpse that he actually does have a master plan. Watching the crowd assemble and then try to kill the guy showed what a master manipulator he is. It also makes you wonder if the people of Gotham City are worth saving.
For one small room, the hospital room of Dent’s got more than its fair share of good scenes. From the slow reveal of Harvey’s horrible disfigurement to the Joker’s showing up in drag, it seemed like a lot happened in there. Yet it will be the moment the Joker gives Dent a revolver and points it at his own head that will be remembered. The sheer madness of it all and that moment where Harvey completely abandons sanity to flip the scarred double headed coin is a great cliffhanger.
I had a younger friend turn to me in the theater and whisper “He’s so awkward…” with a tone of embarrassment for Ledger’s Joker as he walked out of the exploding hospital. Yes, he is and that is part of what makes the performance hypnotic. This is not a smooth, totally in control villain like we are used to seeing. Instead, he is an outcast who has abandoned all conformity, even that the counter cultures.
What amazed me is how easily he sucked in the audience to laugh at some of the horrible things he does. When the last explosion is delayed, it becomes a moment for dark humor as the annoyed madman pounds on his detonator, then startles when things finally blow.
When Batman introduces Fox to a secret project that eavesdrops on all cellphone traffic in Gotham City, the older man is appalled. Everyone noticed this scene and connected it to surveillance done by the Department of Homeland Security in the United States. What some failed to understand is that it was shown to be a necessary, if temporary, evil. In the end, it is left to Fox to destroy after it saves the city.
The game set up to get people to kill each other on the ferries was the kind of thing the Joker would do in the comic books. What is interesting is how it plays out on each ferry, one with the hardened criminals on board and the other with refugees fleeing the city. Democracy is shown to not be merciful and the people to be weak – in more ways than one. It is of note that the one person who did the right thing was a criminal. In my opinion, the civilian rabble rouser chickened out rather than have a crisis of conscience.
Nolan choosing to show the Joker right side up while hanging upside down intrigues me. I wonder if he did it to convey how everything was being upended in the movie. The heroes are considered bad guys by the public and the one man made into a hero was actually a murderous psycho. The Joker succeeded in his plan, but never calculated that Batman would sacrifice his reputation to save the city.
But hey, he is happy at the prospect of them fighting each other forever. In a non romantic way, the Joker loves Batman. That incorruptible man makes his life entertaining and it is apparent he considers Batman an equal in a world of forgettable people. Finally, a proper portrayal of the twisted relationship between the men has been put on film.
Getting back to the false hero, Eckhart turned in a sold performance as the now insane Two-Face. That CGI makeup was stomach churning, but because it was dry looking seemed less revolting than it could have been. Here we have someone who turns out to be the true opposite of Bruce Wayne. Both lost their loved ones, but Bruce chose to harness his pain to become a protector while Harvey went from being a guardian to a deranged random killer.
The ending is strong stuff, showing Gordon having to vilify Batman publicly to maintain Dent’s image intercut with him explaining why the caped hero has to become a villain in the public’s eye to his young son.
“Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector… The Dark Knight.”
Is it a political statement? It sure looks like it. Only Christopher Nolan knows for sure, but after seeing the concluding movie in the trilogy, I would bet on it even without a double headed silver dollar.
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