In 2005 Christopher Nolan reinvented the Batman movie franchise with Batman Begins by stepping beyond the usual cornball affair of the super hero genre and delving deep into the psyche of the man behind the mask as well as the city that created him. With The Dark Knight he once again raises the bar and outdoes his already memorable predecessor.
Having established the Bruce Wayne/Batman back story in Batman Begins allows Nolan to get straight to business in The Dark Knight. This gives the audience a deeper insight into the underbelly of Gotham City than Batman Begins was able to do. The police force is riddled with corruption and various factions of the mob are running the banks giving them huge amounts of power. In steps Harvey Dent, a DA determined to bring down the city’s biggest crime families in one fell swoop. He also happens to be dating assistant DA Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend and potential love interest which makes for an interesting love triangle sub plot – especially when Dent wants in on Batman via a reluctant Lt Gordon, the only member of the force that Batman trusts.
Meanwhile, a face painted menace has stepped into the scene in a big way by robbing a huge amount of mob money from one if their banks. This is a move not motivated by profit but mainly to set off a trail of chaos in order to bring Gotham to its knees and in the process expose the man that protects its streets at night.
The screenplay here is amongst the best crime dramas ever written. Nolan co-wrote it with his brother Jonathan and if you forget for one moment that it is about a vigilante fighting crime in a bat suit, you soon realise that it is as expertly written and as complex as the likes of Infernal Affairs or The Usual Suspects. The Nolans are great story tellers and they have you hanging on to every line in this film. They have also finally put The Joker on the screen as he should be – completely anarchic, freakishly insane and as menacing a villain you will ever see. It is The Joker’s love of chaos, lack of fear, unpredictability and no clear agenda that make him the one of the most fascinating and chilling villains ever to grace the screen.
Ledger’s immersion into the madness of the Joker has to be seen to be believed. He embodies this role in a way that very few actors would be capable of and I must admit I was a skeptic when he scored the gig as the Joker. But he proved me wrong and I am not saying that just out of respect for the dead. He truly has you captivated with every scene that he appears in a menacing and unnerving way, turning a super hero/crime drama into a psychotic thriller with his mere presence.
Christian Bale is once again brilliant and easily the most suitable actor ever to step into the bat suit. He plays the smooth arrogance of Bruce Wayne perfectly and switches to the bitter troubled soul of Batman effortlessly. Supporting roles are perfectly played by all involved, most notably Aaron Eckhart who shares almost as much screen time as Bale and Ledger in a commanding performance. Overall the talent line up here is a casting masterpiece.
On the technicality front The Dark Knight also shines. It is stunningly shot by Wally Pfister and expertly edited by Lee Smith. It also has some of the best action sequences I have ever witnessed. There is a car/truck/motorbike chase scene that is truly spectacular as well as some very well choreographed fight scenes. Striking a perfect balance between CGI and real life stunts, Nolan delivers action that will have you mesmerized.
The Dark Knight is as perfect as any action movie ever will be. It is dark, complex, brilliantly cast and action packed – pure cinematic brilliance.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The DVD release is a 2 disc set with special features include a featurette showing how the all new sleeker bat-suit was developed. There are also six sequences shot for IMAX format, episodes of Gotham Cable’s premier news program plus poster art and production stills.
Review by Mark Snelson
Comments on this entry are closed.