The Dark Knight

 

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Rated: PG13

reviewed by: Charity Bishop

 

Magnificent Performance: Heath Ledger

Comic book fans have been looking forward to this film's release for months, and if the packed out theaters are any indication of the movie's success right out of the gate, I would say that The Dark Knight is well on its way to becoming legendary. Is it worth all the hype? That depends on which fan you happen to ask.

Gotham City has been watched over by Batman (Christian Bale) for several years now and the criminal element has significantly lessened since none of them want to run amuck of the caped vigilante, who often leads baddies tied up with notes on their chests for them to be delivered down to the fine boys at the local predict. Unfortunately, with his presence in the skies there are also copycats looking for a few cheap thrills, and usually Batman winds up having to save their lives while dealing with the few remaining criminals on the streets. His biggest rivals are several intertwined mafia families that the District Attorney's office is attempting to flush out using hot cash in the drug business. It's the top priority not only of Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman) but also his new boss, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to put a stop to this blue-blooded criminal enterprise.

That's when a new player comes to town, one with a painted on smile over his eerie scarred face, and more maniacal games up his sleeves than card tricks. The Joker (Heath Ledger) loves nothing more than mayhem and soon runs amuck of Batman, throwing Gotham into absolute chaos as he racks up a body count in a demand that Batman either reveal his identity or watch his faithful fellow citizens perish. Batman's alter ego is Bruce Wayne, a spoiled, rich trust fund playboy more interested in dating Russian ballet dancers than doing anything noble. But the one thing that Batman and Bruce have in common is Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) ...  Overall this film is quite a crowd pleaser. Although some of the jokes fell flat with the audience, there were other times when everyone roared with laughter, shouted at the screen, and even cheered. It does have a few weaknesses early on in the script.

The film's opening is brilliant, but then the pacing is a bit difficult for twenty or so minutes while various mafia villains are established and accumulates in one magnificently absurd courtroom scene that the cast of Law & Order would laugh at. The plot is too complicated when it should have been more straightforward (why even bother with the mafia?). That being said, the last two hours of the film are brilliant -- full of dark comedy (like the Joker plodding around in a Nurse's uniform, trying to get a detonator to work), and some deeply evocative themes. I will say that the death of a beloved primacy character came as a shock, and it wasn't until the ending credits that we released this time there was no twist ending. While there is a tremendous amount of voice, most of it is implied (we know the Joker has shot people, set off massive explosions, and carved people up, but we never actually see the impact), which surprised me but also is the only way they could get the coveted PG13 rating. What is most disconcerting is the implied tremendously high body count of public servants and officials -- police officers are killed by the hundreds when the predict is blown up. Several characters die in explosions, and others fall from great heights to their death. Batman smacks around the Joker in a holding cell, bashing him about the head and slamming him into walls until he gives up the local of his hostages. The Joker impales a man on a pencil early on. Gunfire rips holes in a bank, with numerous fatalities among the criminals. For fun, the Joker shoots into the cabs of oncoming cars while walking down the street carrying a shotgun; the cars then careen out of his path, presumably with dead drivers at the wheel.

One thing parents should know is that this film is not for anyone under the age of fourteen, not just because of the extreme scenes of violence and the terrifying nature of the villain, but because the final forty or so minutes of the film has a secondary villain who has had half his face burned off in a fire; scarred, raw, open tissue, an exposed eye in its socket, and sinew around his mouth are all that remains. There are two abuses of Jesus' name and one muffled use of GD, along with two crude scatological references, and two mild profanities in subtitles. The acting ranges from understated to brilliant. Michael Caine is as wonderful as ever as the mild-mannered and often sarcastic Alfred. Bale has matured in the role and brings a new inner angst to Batman. Maggie is a decent replacement for Rachel but failed to make much of an impact. Oldman is absolutely fantastic, as is Freedman. The critics have labeled Heath Ledger's final performance a masterpiece and while I would not go quite that far, he is magnificent. His Joker is intensely scary, has a truly sadistic sense of humor, and so many quirks that sources on set said he gave the creeps to his costars.

Most interesting are the moral questions, as the Joker forces the heroic people around him to make life-altering decisions. Bruce on one occasion plays right into his game, with a fatality that leaves him reeling. Explosive devices are wired into  two ferries and detonators are given to each ship's commanding officer, with the instructions that one ship must blow the other up before midnight or they will all die. One ferry is full of ordinary citizens, the other full of criminals. Ultimately we learn that the Joker's ambition was to tear down the best of men and turn them into monsters, but our impression at the end is that evil never truly wins unless we let it.