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The Dark Knight “The Dark Knight” is tight, visually stunning, sounding better than any film before it and boasts a stellar cast who excel in their roles (with the exception of Maggie Gyllenhaal who simply has absolutely nothing to work with as Rachel Dawes, the token female character).
After successfully rebooting the franchise with “Batman Begins” in 2005, Hollywood wunderkind Christopher Nolan finally isn’t burdened with having to tell the origin story and can delve right into the action of the second installment of the new Batman. And as other franchises before it, the second outing tends to be the darkest of the lot (think "Indiana Jones" or "Star Wars"), not needing to introduce the characters or resolve things once and for all in the end. That is definitely the strength of the film, as we’re thrown into the story and action right away with a spectacular bank heist that rivals the master of all bank robberies in Michael Mann’s "HEAT". And this isn’t the only similarity these two films share. One of the two central themes “The Dark Knight” explores is the idea that the hero and the villain are essentially two sides of the same coin, think DeNiro and Pacino in the famous diner scene. Different, yet similar. Trying to kill each other, yet depending on the other as a basis for their individual existence. Hardly a unique idea, but it works – within the limits of the superhero genre. Which is precisely the weak spot of the film. A summer blockbuster about a guy dressing up as a bat and a deranged clown simply cannot be subtle. Thus, a potentially insightful character study of the two main protagonists ends up as a card-board examination of good versus evil and the similarity between both. It doesn’t get more obvious than the Joker (Heath Ledger) telling Batman (Christian Bale) “You complete me.” or the comic book appropriate comparison where he calls our hero "a freak like me.” We get it. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only case of being on the nose on that subject. No, the film had to add a third character, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who more than obviously personifies that very idea (he’s actually called the “White Knight” at one point) in a weak ending that is a bit of a let-down after 120+ exciting minutes in it's visually blatant summary. It’s painfully obvious, the Joker as the id, Batman as the ego, and Harvey Dent as the super ego – it’s textbook Freudian and doesn’t even try to hide it. The same happens to the other potentially intriguing idea which, in my opinion, should have been the focus of the film – the fact that, in the end, Batman is nothing more or less than a vigilante. A hero vigilante, but still someone who takes he law into his own hands, dispensing justice left and right without actually having the right to. A film titled “The Dark Knight” that comes with a Batman who’s allowed to be Burton-esque dark again after the horrible "Batman and Robin" just begs for it. And it is a good idea on the outside, but again suffers from the execution and, you guessed it, again voiced rather blatantly by yet another character – Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) – when faced with Batman’s Big Brother style cell phone surveillance system let alone minor characters voicing the issue repeatedly (one of the copy-cat Batmans early on, in a woefully under explored subplot, states it in a way for the last audience member to get it “What gives you the right? What's the difference between you and me?”). You can’t really fault the film though, as it’s simply limited by its genre. It’s trying to be serious and deep, but unlike “Batman Begins”, it seems to be trying a bit too hard and, in the end, falters in that regard. And as ironic as it may sound for an action-packed film like this, less dialogue and quick-paced editing might just have delivered the more "adult" content the film tries to tackle. Unsurprisingly, it's the two quieter moments of the Joker that stand out, though even there the camera doesn't linger long enough to truly appreciate them. Still, it’s appropriately dark and nihilistic, despite too obvious foreshadowing and a tendency to paint things as too black and white (also driven home in the last few minutes through the character of Harvey Dent). The action sequences are stunning and raw and unrelenting as are the film’s visuals in general. The characters are bold and surprisingly original, although oddly campy, especially Heath Ledger’s Joker. He easily steals the show, but then he also seems to be the only one who had anything to work with. The action sequences, some of which were filmed using IMAX cameras, will keep anyone on the edge of their seat and the humor is appropriately macabre (the second time we see the Joker, the real intro, has to be one of the best ways to introduce a character). But in the end, it’s trying to be too adult for his own good. Great to sit back and enjoy and be blown away, but don’t think about it too much, it’s only a superhero flick. A damn good one, though. (image Warner Brothers) |
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