The Knight is Darkest, Before the Dawn

This is by far my favorite Batman film in the franchise, and one of the best comic book adaptations of all time. Though everything seemed to be pointing toward a perfect storm, I still had reservations that they could pull this one off with as much class as Batman Begins. I was not disappointed – in my opinion, in regard to story, structure, action, dialogue, plot and characterization, they far exceeded the first installment.

The Story
An inspired and original tale, set against the backdrop of a dark, noir city. This isn’t Detective Comics brought to life, as in Batman: The Animated Series, it’s a crime-action-drama of a new generation. A harsh, realistic exploration of good versus evil, where shades of gray are ever intertwined. There is an honest and unhindered examination of morality and corruption, order and anarchy, love and sanity.

The Director
Christopher Nolan has never ceased to impress me. From Following to Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige and on, he always has something to say. He crafts an intelligent and entertaining experience, rife with humor, action and the unexpected. His writing skills seem to be just as extensive as his directorial abilities, as you’re met with surprises at every turn.

The Cast
Christian Bale was adequate as the titular hero, but his characterization in this sequel, as is acceptable, took a back seat to over-arcing themes, and the exploration of secondary characters. His voice seems to have gotten quite a bit more raspy, when he’s in full Batman regalia, but it wasn’t overtly distracting. The more interesting aspect of the movie was the exploration of Batman as the mirror image of the Joker; both sharing all of the same characteristics, reflected in opposition.

The Joker was superbly brought to life by Heath Ledger, in one of the most interesting portrayals to date. His method was intense, his characterization complete. That being said, I wasn’t overly enthused with the backdrop the character was placed against, complete with supporting clown-faced syndicate and organized crime objectives. It’s been done before, and although most of it worked within the context of the story, I had almost envisioned more of a psychotic loner, in the vein of Seven or Red Dragon: a fiend in the shadows, taunting the hero and engaging him in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. I was not disappointed in the end, and severely hope they wait a long time before they try and let someone else fill Ledger’s shoes. I'm not sure if he deserve an Oscar, I'll have to see the competition, but I wouldn't begrudge him a nomiation. With that said, if any comic book movie deserves Academy attention this is it - for film, direction and writing, especially.

Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Gordon had a much meatier role this time around, though his storyline involved one of the more predictable elements of the film. When he is supposed dead, you know, perhaps more than any other time in film history, that there’s no way he’s actually gone. After all, he hasn’t even gotten to become Commissioner yet! Perhaps there are a goodly number of people out there, based upon the movie’s draw, that don’t know too much about the story. But taking into context the proliferation of Batman into popular culture, it couldn’t be that many.

Aaron Eckhart did quite well as both Harvey Dent and his alter ego, Two-Face. As I avoid reading too much about a film before its release, I had no idea they would delve into the villain, as well as the story leading up to his creation. I though that Two-Face would be left to the sequel, and honestly did not need to see him in this film, though it did make for a better ending than would otherwise have been expected. Another moment of predictability came with the fairly lengthy pretense that Dent’s coin wasn’t double-headed, though I guess the temptation was hard to resist.

Maggie Gyllenhaal far exceeded Katie Holmes attempt as Bruce Wayne’s love interest, Morgran Freeman was given a little more meat to chew on as Lucius Fox this time around, and Michael Caine was once again poignant and capable as the ever-present Alfred. Though normally I would be quite pleased with a quick allusion to the past and thus a reification of the greater story “world”, in this case Cillian Murphy’s brief reappearance as Scarecrow, for some reason it didn’t seem necessary.

The Ending
The ever important, crowning achievement to any story – sink or swim by it. I was amazed that the final scenes had my skin prickling up just as much as when the joker card encased in plastic evidence bag was proffered at the end of Batman Begins. Never would I have thought, if you had explained the “down” ending to me without having seen it, that the betrayal of the principal character and wrongful deception that he was in fact the near-villain of the final conflict, that it would have actually worked for me. But I did! It worked perfectly within the context of the story and made your mouth water for what’s to come. It lives up the finale of predecessors such as Chinatown and Seven, albeit with a much less tragic bent. In fact it falls aptly in line with the other works in Nolan’s growing canon. My only alteration would have been setting the smashing of the “bat sign” spotlight as the final shot of the film – on the THIRD STRIKE cut to BLACK.

Final Thoughts
Overall, I loved The Dark Knight, from the title, to the story, characterizations and themes. In my opinion Iron Man was a better movie, but The Dark Knight was a better film. The distinction being that Iron Man provided a higher entertainment value, action and a lot of laughs, while The Dark Knight, appropriately light on laughs, was instead a full-throttled, no-holds-barred delve into a maddening world, in which a few lone crusaders stand ever vigilant against the seemingly ceaseless torrent of chaos.