The Dark Knight

Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Rated: 14A Can/PG-13 USA
Runtime: 2 hrs, 32 mins

Talk about title appropriate, this film encompassed everything seedy, dark and deliciously deranged not to mention offered in IMAX, which only gives evil a few extra stories of edge. Judging by the opening weekend intake and the theater lines rivaling a 75% of at Chanel Sale, every comic book fan, critic, and viewer of Nolan’s first venture in the franchise “Batman Begins” was in attendance for The Dark Knight.

Picking up only a marginal amount of time after “Batman Begins” we find Gotham in a continued struggle against its seedy underbelly. A breeding ground for police corruption, Gotham’s new District Attorney Harvey Dent assumes the monumental task of cleaning up Gotham’s streets with the help of Lieutenant Gordon and of course the caped crusader himself. When Dent and girlfriend Rachel Dawes find a way to nail the entire mass of the Gotham Mob with criminal charges, Gotham is turned to the hands of the Joker; a new brand of bad who has been slicing a path of destruction for himself in recent Gotham news. The Joker hires himself out to the mob and demands Batman’s identity on a platter to avoid piling up further bodies, and thus begins a cat-and-mouse game not seen since the likes of De Niro vs. Pacino in “Heat”.

Christian Bale’s portrayal of Batman is consistently solid giving us a unique perspective on the vulnerable side of Batman. While Bale’s performance is excellent, ultimately the show belongs to Heath Ledger. Undeniably Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker is the darkest villain in Batman history. What is more terrifying than a man who wants nothing? Ledger did not overlook a single subtlety in his performance, building the Joker up to be unforgettable in his morose chaotic way. Ledger creates a Joker so deep in his own insanity that his every move is unpredictable, every time he is on screen you can be sure of one thing; you have NO idea what he is going to do next. Batman is made to question every fiber of his moral code, and make the tough choices again and again as the Joker heads him off at every turn.

This film was a side step from Nolan’s previous installment. The Gotham in The Dark Knight bares more resemblance to a modern day New York than to the Gotham in Batman Begins. Some of the ambiance from Begins was lost in the merge between crime drama and superhero action movie. There were several loose ends from the first film that were left disappointingly untied, and a few poor character returns, however, all in all both the film and the acting were very solid. Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine continued with their characteristic stalwart class, and Maggie Gyllenhall takes up the mantle of Rachel Dawes adequately, more sultry less chemistry, but a good performance nonetheless. Aaron Eckhart worked his role as Harvey Dent as far as he could with the story he was given, and was charming and believable as Gotham’s White Knight. The Oscar buzz surrounding Ledger’s performance is credible and few who watch the Joker will soon forget him.

The Dark Knight pulls the viewer in from the very first scene and refuses to let go throughout the course of the film. The pace of the story is incredible and the information comes at lightening speed, yet it is refreshing to see such credit given to the audience, who is deemed smart enough to keep pace with the film. This creates a deeper thematic story, and allows more detail and thought to be expressed than some of the previous, campier attempts at the Batman franchise. The US PG-13 rating is surprising given the amount of dark subject matter throughout the film, and may lure a few less informed parents to the theater with children in tow, do not make this mistake. Even some who did well with Begins will not be able to handle, much less understand the elements of this film.

Do not go into this movie expecting Batman Begins, with the addition of the Joker, you will be disappointed. That being said, the second Batman movie is an engaging new hybrid, definitely worth the ticket to the IMAX, maybe even twice. The Dark Knight did not fail to meet my expectations, despite the insurmountable build up prior to its release.