Reel Reviews: The Dark Knight

It is easy to get lost in the hype engine that surrounds certain movies prior to their release. In most cases, it creates unreal expectations that are often too lofty for the film to ever live up to. And let's face it, The Dark Knight has had some pretty huge expectations to live up to, being haled as a masterpiece adaptation along the lines of the book's most highly regarded writer (Frank Miller) and the Oscar talk surrounding the performance of the late Heath Ledger demanding a possible Supporting Actor nomination. You don't get much higher than discussing Oscar nominations in the same breath as a comic book adaptation!

First, let's tackle the film, because let's face it, that's what I went to see. My own fascination with Batman was nurtured by the pages of multiple comics throughout my childhood, although my exposure to Miller's work on the book was well into my late teen years. Had I not known that grittier Batman, my memories of the Caped Crusader may have been tarnished by the nipples given to us by Joel Schumacker. Instead, I spent a glorious two and a half hours marveling at how well Christopher and Jonathan Nolan brought the noir from Frank Miller to the big screen, reminding us that Batman isn't meant to be warm and fuzzy, no matter what the toy companies want us to believe.

What we got in Nolan's follow-up to Batman Begins was a reminder that Batman is a creature of the night, what you'd expect Charles Bronson to bring to the table if you handed him a cape and cowl. The frantic pace of the story line shows reminds us that there is so much entwined into the world that Bob Kane originally crafted and Frank Miller perfected, that nothing is cut and dry, and no one is safe when the stakes are always so high. From the opening scene straight through the final showdown, we are convinced by good, old-fashioned storytelling that this film was created with the fanboys at heart, trying to please even the most die-hard Batman aficionados. You could almost imagine the storyline as three unit storm fronts, all picking up steam until they eventually have to slam into on another and the survivors are left to pick up the pieces left behind.

In terms of acting, credit again has to be handed to the casting crew who filled the roles with a great ensemble. From the brief return cameo of Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow, to the return supporting roles of Morgan Freeman (Lucious Fox), Michael Caine (Alfred), and Garry Oldman (Commissioner Gordon), nobody gives you the feeling that they were miscast in any way.

But the real the credit needs to be given to the impeccable performances of the three most pronounced roles. Once again, Christian Bale reminds the audience that Bruce Wayne has a battle waging within himself between the part of him that wants a normal life and the part that drives him to continue to wear the mask, reminding each of us that the actor behind the mask also needs to be a little crazy. Adding in the complex character that was Harvey Dent, masterfully played by Aaron Eckhart and not wasting him as a toss-in as they did in Batman Forever just furthers the struggle that inhabits all of Gotham's many residents, the battle to determine just how far good can be pushed.

And that leaves us with the aforementioned Ledger, the man whose spirit has been hoisted upon the shoulders of the masses. And while I can't fully back the view that his performance is Oscar worthy, it may have been had he received more screen time, Ledger's determination to turn the Joker from the campy clown portrayed in all previous incarnations is what makes the role a complete masterpiece. Ledger broke the role down to exactly what he should have been, a deviant with no tint of moral character, a personal incarnation of evils of society as a whole, someone looking for the next rush at the expense of everyone who stands in his way. From the maniacal laughter, to the scheming, to the monologuing, and right down to the nervous tick of licking his own scars, Ledger completely captures that Batman's biggest foe should also be the city's biggest nightmare. You don't get the attention of the people by putting a smile on people's faces, you get it by putting fear into their hearts.

In wrap-up, it can go down without saying that The Dark Knight may possibly be remembered as the greatest comic book adaptation of all-time, a film as complex as the characters that drive it. It leaves you feeling uneasy and wondering if anything will ever be the same again. And that's exactly where a movie should leave the viewer, without a happy ending because they can never be sure if it ever ended at all.

Sources:
The Dark Knight, IMDB.com
Heath Ledger, IMDB.com
Batman and Robin, IMDB.com
Cillian Murphy, IMDB.com
Morgan Freeman, IMDB.com
Michael Caine, IMDB.com
Garry Oldman, IMDB.com
Christian Bale, IMDB.com
Batman Forever, IMDB.com