Mistakes and Plot Holes in "The Dark Knight"
However, seeing the film again also made me aware of some plot holes, mistakes and discrepancies.
Generally, I never let logic get in the way of enjoying a really good movie. But "The Dark Knight," as good as it is, does suffer a bit from these lapses.
At any rate, here are my thoughts. Other bloggers and writers have also made note of most of these, and I'm giving them credit as well.
You may disagree with me, and if you do, please feel free to comment on this article.
Also, MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen the movie yet, please be aware that I'm giving away some key plot points here.
- I was actually a bit upset about the scene where Batman beats up the Joker inside a police interrogation room. I realize the intent was to show Batman's frustration, but I still found it shocking that Batman would lose control in that way. After all, he is a martial arts master (as told in "Batman Begins") and martial arts above all emphasize self-control and discipline.
In a previous scene, Batman refuses to kill the Joker when he has the chance. So it's not OK to kill the villain. But apparently it's OK to beat him to a pulp in order to get information from him.
- Also, if you observe the Joker's makeup and hair length throughout the movie, you'll notice that it's out of whack in this scene. His hair is definitely shorter in this scene than in the rest of the film. Also, his makeup varies throughout the scene, and in a way that can't be attributed to the beating.
- In one exciting chase scene, a sign that says "Chicago" can be glimpsed along the route. That's because "The Dark Knight" was partially filmed in Chicago. This is a mistake that should have been caught in the editing room. After all, the sign should say "Gotham City."
- The Joker makes a point of saying that only one of two characters can be saved in a particular scene. Well, why? True, they were in two separate locations. But it didn't necessarily take a Batman to save them, just anyone who could disconnect the explosive devices.
- The Joker makes a big deal of saying how he never plans anything in a speech to Harvey Dent. However, none of the Joker's nefarious schemes could succeed without ... extremely elaborate planning!
- Why is it, in the beginning of the movie, the bank robbers are able to crash a school bus through the brick walls of the bank without any damage to the bus?
- How did the Joker manage to get the hospital wired to blow on such sort notice? It's not something that could be done in an hour or two. True, he could have had henchmen do it, but how could they do it and be undetected?
- When the police examine the guy's stomach with the cell phone implant, why don't they immediately go for help? Or at least get the heck away from him? It's pretty obvious it's not a "contusion," as one character guesses. Given the Joker's proclivity for chaos, I think it would be very clear that something bad was about to happen.
These are the major quibbles that I had, and there are many more that you might be able to find, if you care to pick apart every detail of "The Dark Knight."
That being said, I didn't let the plot holes bother me too much. It's still a great movie. Heath Ledger and Gary Oldman are especially awesome, and I would venture to say there isn't a bad performance in the film. Great dialogue, grand themes, and of course, plenty of action. It's a summer movie with substance.
Published by Kathryn (Kathy) McKenzie Nichols
California journalist Kathryn McKenzie Nichols has been writing for newspapers and magazines for more than 30 years, and is the author of two books. Her weekly column and gardening articles for the Monterey... View profile
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9 Comments
Post a CommentFirst%2C beating up but not killing the bad guy is EXACTLY what Batman would do. That%27s like his whole persona... he%27s no Clark Kent.%0D%0A%0D%0ASecond%2C have you ever read a comic book%3F There are small errors in this movie%2C but comic books are packed with contradictions%2C mostly due to decades of stories written by a handful different creative minds. If you don%27t like comic books%2C you have a good reason to not like comic book movies. Go watch The Notebook or something.
The things you list aren't exactly "plot holes", as a plot hole involves an inaccuracy or inconsistency contained within a film's plot that make the story either contradict itself or fall apart.
What you list are more along the lines of continuity errors or issues with character development/portrayal. Nothing in your list forces the story itself to cease making sense.
Princess Leia telling Luke that she remembers her mother in Return of the Jedi and then learning that their mother dies in childbirth (thus making it impossible for Leia to have any memories of her mother) is an example of a plot hole.
I realize I'm arguing semantics here, but its important to know the difference.
Ok so for the first plot hole, The Joker was driving Batman crazy, especially after he found out that he kidnapped rachel, the love of his life, I would be pretty pissed to if someone did that to me. Second Cmon what kind of excuse for a plot hole is that. I didn't even notice the change. And for that exciting chase scene, if it was so exciting, how did you notice it? I was focused on the vehicles all the time. As for the saving two people scenario, Batman obviously had the faster and smaller vehicle, which is why he was able to get to Harvey Dent in time. About the plans, Joker meant he didn't have an overall plan. He has to have some tiny plans to do what he has to do. One thing about the joker is how fast he can get things done without people noticing. It's always been like that. Your not supposed to know how. And lastly, even if those doctors started to run, they still would have been killed in the blast.
cIL - Vantage Point blew. Hard.
Jason - stop sucking this movie off. it was a good movie - for a comic book movie, fantastic. the plot holes, illogical sequencing, and irreconciliable exchanges between characters really keep it from being an airtight film. the beauty of 'batman begins' was that they gave purpose and foundation to batman - the philosophy was brilliant. his parents were shot by a gun, so he uses no guns. he knows that as a man he can be killed and forgotten, so he projects an symbol of something bigger and better. here they try to duplicate that impermeable philosophy - but they can't quite nail it. the joker is supposed to be pure chaos... "do i look like a guy with a plan?" but he really does have plans that are constantly in play. the ending killed me too - there's no real need for batman to take the blame. in fact, now that Harvey's dead (the only source of light in decades in Gotham) it should really be that Batman is a source of hope for the people instead of ad
sigh.
They should have seen Vantage Point... that was a really spectacular police script!
1. how come The Joker left the prison IN THAT WAY? Do you really leave one cop INSIDE the jail with the criminal???? With open doors??? Oh... maybe The Joker is able to unlock doors with his knife while holding the guy... pretty strong...kkkkkk. This is cheese! They should have created another way of The Joker leave the prison!
2. how come Harvey Dent is left ALONE in a hospital room, being him THAT important, without even a cop outside the door? How come NOBODY thought that The Joker would go for him? And How come everybody was taken from the Hospital, but Harvey, the man THAT IMPORTANT, was left there alone and THE LAST ONE. This is cheese!! They should have left at least one cop outside his door, even if it was for The Joker to kill him!! I think that if you want to do a REALISTIC movie, you have to be realistic. This two plot compromises the rest of the movie.
Did the people who wrote and direct the movie have ever watched a policy movie, tv show... or whatever? They should have
I liked The Dark Knight, but it not a great movie. It's got one great performance, but all those mistakes - and a few more I can name cuts the quality of this film in half. Great article though.
Well done!! This reminds me of the Graduate when Ben was driving the wrong way on the Bay Bridge. I still think of that every time I drive over this bridge.