The Dark Knight
Directed by:
Christopher NolanCinematography:
Wally PfisterCast:
Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Eric Roberts, Ritchie Coster (more)VOD (5)
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With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. (Warner Bros. US)
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Reviews (17)
What Nolan sketched in Batman Begins leads to absolute perfection in this film. The scheme of the struggle between good and evil is dissolved, and Batman definitely loses his mythical essence and becomes a truly dark figure of a cursed outcast. Definitely the darkest comic book film ever, mainly thanks to Ledger, whose Joker is a brilliant materialization of elusive and indestructible evil. The only weakness is the somewhat overwhelming plot, which loses a bit of pace between the two climaxes. I salute the way Nolan was able to turn a comic book film into a captivating and raw thriller in the best tradition of M. Mann, Coppola or De Palma. In my opinion, The Dark Knight is truly one of the best Hollywood movies. Edit 2012: after my "obligatory enthusiasm" subsided, The Dark Knight lost a bit of its gloss - nothing has changed for me about its qualities, but there is something about its coldness, brilliant calculation and bulletproof planning that prevents me from losing myself in the film... The character of Harvey Dent also still seems as wooden and flexible to me as is required for the perfect trick at the end. Ta-da! I’m giving it one star less.
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Powerful puppeteer Nolan unleashes a tragedy of unknown proportions, from robbery to fateful resolution, not allowing the heroes to catch their breath, shattering the boundaries of the characters' psyche, and yet, comic book enthusiasts all over the world scream with excitement, staring wide-eyed at the screen and slowly suffocating by the black thread of the story. Gotham is engulfed in darkness, perhaps less venomous than when the bat man began, but all the more unpredictable, treacherous, and chilling. The mad laughter can be heard not only from Arkham Asylum but also from banks, mafia hideouts, and all other places where it is not advisable to be heard. And it brings confusion and fear. Therefore, rise again, Dark Knight, spread your wings and fly to the aid of those who may succumb to disbelief and confront your eternal enemy.
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Far too obviously, a remake of Heat, in a dark comic book-type vein with numerous freaks in latex suit like in a cheap sex shop. Not that I want to dampen the mania about Ledger’s performance, but he doesn’t outshine Bale, Oldman, and especially not Eckhart. In fact they work like spotlights that make it possible for him to cast a shadow. Proof of this can be seen in all scenes where they appear on screen together. That said, after seeing Heath’s Joker, Nicholson’s would hang his head in shame, going home in tears to take off his makeup knowing that he isn’t anything more than a ridiculous clown. The changes as against the last movie are for the better. Maggie is just wonderful, the action easier to follow, stylization (of the city and the secret monastery in the mountains) has gone and even the duo of composers no longer seem as if they are pulling from opposite ends of the same saw. But while certain aspects of the first Joker have been overcome, this does not apply to the movie as a whole. It just doesn’t come near Nolan’s best ever movie because the departure from the psychological and a full focus on characters toward “eye-candy" action (of course, I mean in terms of Nolan’s movies) is rather a disappointment. Why sideline the central character of The Dark Knight? The born-again Batman stood and still stands on intimate scenes like the one in the interrogation room. And not how delightfully he eliminates dozens of gangsters using sonar. Almost as if the authors were rejecting everything that set them apart from similar genre movies. ♫ OST score: 5/5
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Endless chaos in the hands of one man, good and evil that lack boundaries, fantastic hi-tech toys, great actors, dry bon mots, one magic act, and most importantly two and a half hours of undiluted adventure where Nolan jumps from one peak to an even higher one to develop a meaningful plot, all while remembering the action that makes the weak ones wet. Since The Bourne Ultimatum, there’s now a film that resolutely rejects notions like "time-out" and "dead spot." And then there’s the oppressive music before the Joker does another number... I could go on forever. Film of the Year? Probably.
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I definitely don't reject comics as a medium, and I have a decent collection of comic books in my library. On the other hand, I never felt comfortable with the mainstream superhero line, of which Batman stories are an integral part. When the character Fantomas was created at the beginning of the 20th century, he was devoid of any ironic exaggeration. When André Hunebelle made a film series about Fantomas in the 1960s, he correctly understood that this pulp literature could only be taken with an extraordinary amount of ironic exaggeration, and thus a timeless entertaining spectacle was created, which, unlike many other films, has not aged. The character of Batman can be approached from my perspective either with a parodic exaggeration or as a highly stylized fairy tale spectacle. This is exactly how Tim Burton portrayed him in his films, which is why I like his adaptations the most. He offered me a visually elaborate alternative world of the fictional gloomy Gotham City and several great bizarre comic characters, which made it easy to consume this ancient comic story. Nolan approaches it completely differently and situates his heroes in a completely realistic environment of a modern American metropolis, voluntarily abandoning comic book poetics. He even goes further, several characters - and it is especially typical for the prosecutor and the fateful woman for both positive heroes brilliantly portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal - are not traditional comic book characters, but people made of flesh and blood. The prosecutor is obviously not an alluring comic book hottie, as comic book fans imagine her. It would have been great if Nolan didn't only go halfway and dared to completely break the genre limitations. His main characters remain superheroes representing the positive and negative sides of human nature. They possess comic book exaggeration and extravagance, affectation, and exceptional abilities. The comic book myth must be preserved, even though the actions of comic book heroes go against the logic of the real world. The Joker never for a moment gives up his war paint, even though he has to appear as inconspicuous in the mundane human world as a teacher using a rocket launcher instead of a pointer. At one point, the Joker is arrested and imprisoned in a cell. The police never think of taking his fingerprints or, most importantly, wiping off the mask of the poorly painted clown, as revealing his human face would disrupt his essence and humanize him, destroying the myth of the supervillain. Technically, The Dark Knight is a precise high-budget spectacle, a typical blockbuster for popcorn-loving viewers. It contains many excellent scenes and effective performances. Even the opening bank heist is a spectacular introduction and the film manages to maintain a high pace for the majority of the time. On the other hand, I can recall a decent number of incomparably "ordinary" films that resonated with me more deeply, even without a gigantic budget and top-notch special effects. Overall impression: 60%.
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