The Dark Knight: More Than a Comic Book Film

By now (if you're a fan of Batman), it's almost certain you've heard the buzz about Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker. You may also have heard about (or seen) the opening heist sequence, with William Fichtner in a cameo as the vengeful bank manager. If you haven't yet seen The Dark Knight in theatres, do it!

In many respects, Ledger upstages the rest of the cast. As The Joker, he's insanely ruthless, unpredictable, and darkly comical; yet at the same time, he displays an inherent understanding of human nature. Those accustomed to Ledger through his performances in films like Brokeback Mountain and The Patriot are in for a complete shock. Not only does his superbly done makeup render him unrecognizable, but he has formulated a voice and characterization unlike any of the actors (e.g. Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill) who have played him in other appearances. Also, faithful to his early comic appearances, he is brutally violent, and even suggests symptoms of schizophrenia.

Christian Bale, of course, reprises his role as Batman. One problem that many comic and sci-fi movies have shared in recent years is that when sequels are made, the hero has no space to grow. All the "growth" and training takes place in the first film, and in some cases, the character comes off as invincible (think of The Matrix Reloaded).

In The Dark Knight, however, this isn't the case. While Batman/Bruce Wayne is as skilled a fighter as ever, he is up against not only a more vicious foe in The Joker, but the public as well. They blame him for the rise in crime, as mob syndicates, police, and corrupt businesses go to war with one another. While violence continues to escalate, Wayne wonders whether he can maintain his role as a hero.

Aaron Eckhart plays Harvey Dent, the unrelenting District Attorney who steps up to inspire the masses and wage war on crime and corruption. More of a good-guy type than Batman (at least in the beginning), Dent gives the people of Gotham a face, a true hero that they can look to (ostensibly.) A subplot comes into play when Dent becomes romantically involved with Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), the assistant D.A. played by Katie Holmes in the previous film. Some have found the romance between the three a distraction from the main story, but this is arguable, as this ties into the development of all three characters.

Some of the film's few humorous moments come from Wayne and Dent's interactions, as when Dent asks Alfred (Michael Caine) at a charity function, "Any psychotic ex-boyfriends I should be aware of?" and he replies, "Oh, you have no idea." Not long after, Wayne shows up with a date of his own (and not just any date), requesting to put two tables together with the unwitting couple.

Michael Caine also delivers a fantastic (and probably somewhat underrated) performance, as he provides a stabilizing force for Bruce Wayne. He is akin to Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings; older, wiser, and with some years of experience under his belt. In two scenes, Alfred ends up revealing a dark secret to Bruce that changes the way the latter sees his mentor. His character is an absolute necessity to the story and to the overall feel of the film.

As you likely already know, Harvey Dent is the character who eventually becomes Two-Face. In the film, Eckhart makes this transition from upstanding citizen to criminal very tangible. Try as he might to do the right (and legal) thing, he is faced with politics, intimidation, and threats from the corrupt police, whom he's tackling. The story's progression makes it clear that this turn of events takes a major toll on him.

An important question: is the story satisfying to the die-hard fans? While this version of The Joker never falls into a vat of chemicals, he's true to the original in most aspects. He still retains his green hair, chalky white complexion, and ruby-red lips (though one criminal alludes to the fact that it's just makeup.) And like Bob Kane's original character, he is a homicidal maniac who forms no alliances, and ultimately respects no rules other than his own. Heath Ledger, according to Wikipedia: The Dark Knight, based his interpretation on Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols and Alex DeLarge, the main character in A Clockwork Orange. Like the Clockwork Orange character, Ledger's Joker scoffs at a society that tries to live by regulations and order.

Many of The Joker's actions can be taken as tests of human nature. Watch as he confronts a gang of thugs and tells them to fight to the death with sticks (the survivors becoming his henchmen.) Unlike the Mafia leaders who thirst for power and wealth, The Joker's only delight seems to come from watching Gotham tear itself apart. Nolan, his brother Jonathan, and David S. Goyer, who collaborated on the screenplay, are highly faithful to this aspect of the character. A few scenes recall Alan Moore's graphic novel The Killing Joke, in which the Joker attempts to drive Commissioner Gordon insane through physical and psycho-logical torture. While the thought of Heath Ledger earning a posthumous Oscar for a comic-book-based film might have been unheard of a few years ago, this performance may do it.

Some critics have argued that the story has no "high points." While it is almost unrelentingly gloomy and violent, this too is true to the story's origins. The Batman comics were written in the same tone as the pulps of the early 1900s (see Wikipedia: Pulp Magazine.) Many of the themes are bleak and contain little hope or redemption. They are not unlike the novel versions of the James Bond films. Ian Fleming's Bond is ruthless, violent, and cold, in contrast to most of the colorful screen appearances.

There has also been talk that Maggie Gyllenhaal, while an improvement over Katie Holmes, doesn't add much to the story. This critic begs to differ; the character of Rachel, as stated earlier, is central to the story in many ways. She is a major part of the transition that Harvey Dent goes through, as well as one of Batman's motivating factors in wanting to give up the role of crimefighter. And, of course, she provides a target for The Joker, albeit one who can hold her own. Gyllenhaal is a talented actress with a number of roles under her belt...the only other choice would have been to cut out the character altogether. If that were the case, the plot wouldn't work nearly as well.

Ultimately, decide for yourself whether to shell out the $8.00 to see The Dark Knight. The story, acting, writing, sound, costumes, and editing are all spectacular. Perhaps the plot lags at a few points, but is that the heart of the matter? This may, in fact, be the only summer blockbuster worth seeing.