The Dark Knight

I love it when a movie meets my high expectations. Thank you Dark Knight.The story is dark and intense. The acting is top notch. The action sequences are well choreographed. Sure, it’s a little long, but when a movie is this good, it really doesn’t matter. Oh, and I would preferred more of Heath Ledger.

I remember when I heard that the sequel to Batman Begins was a go. I knew they were going to be focusing on Joker as the main villain since his presence was announced at the conclusion of Begins. Of course, who was going to play Joker remained to be seen. Early rumours had everyone from Robin Williams to Sean Penn to Mark Hamill (who voices Joker in the cartoon series), so when they announced that it would be Heath Ledger, I thought “ What the. . .”; Brokeback dude? (I obviously hadn’t seen the film yet.) But I trusted Christopher Nolan; he wouldn’t let me down. After watching the first trailer, I was hooked. Ledger looked mega-creepy with the splattered face and the heavy breathing. Not someone you’d like to meet in a dark alley. Seeing his performance in the movie, I was blown away. I would compare Ledger’s acting style in Dark Knight to Daniel Day-Lewis in Gang of New York or There Will Be Blood. Ledger buries himself completely in the role of Joker (no pun intended). There were many times I would watch and couldn’t detect any part of Ledger in his character. His eyes, his walk, his cadence, his licking of lips. All masterful. He totally deserves an Oscar for this performance. Even if he hadn’t died, he would be deserving of the honour. He steals every scene he’s in; it is truly a tour-de-force performance. Wow!

I feel a little bad for the rest of the Dark Knight cast. So much attention is given to Ledger, that the rest of the actors are put on the back burner. Christian Bale delivers another fine performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. I wish he had more humour as was shown in the first film, but I guess they were going for a much darker Batman this time around. I still don’t like Bale’s angry roar at times. Gary Oldman continues to shine as Commissioner Gordon, the moral center of the film. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine don’t get as much screen time, but they still bring some panache to the franchise. Maggie Gyllenhaal thankfully takes over for Katie Holmes, but still isn’t given that much to work with in this boy’s club movie. I wish Aaron Eckhart got some more credit as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. His portrayal kicks Tommy Lee Jones’ farcical take up and down the river. The character to Two-Face needs to show the good as well as the bad; Eckhart captures this confliction perfectly. He’s no Ledger, but still.

The story is nicely put together. I loved how Christopher and Jonathan Nolan didn’t give Joker a backstory. Joker is an anarchist, plain and simple. No motive makes his actions that much more scary. I like what they did with Harvey Dent’s storyline. Fun to watch his character develop throughout the film. I like what happened to Rachel (almost wished it was still Katie Holmes). There’s a confusing hostage situation that is pretty extraneous, but oh well. Loved what the film had to say about anarchy, justice, heroism and human behaviour.

I’m guessing that you’ve already seen the film. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? This is one to see in the theatres. Great acting, story and action. What more are you looking for? Or course, bear in mind, this film is not for young kids. Dark Knight is far too dark and intense for younger audiences. If the kiddies like Batman, feed them the Tim Burton movies. For the rest of you, watch Dark Knight in the theatre. Again.