The Dark Knight

Last year I started a trend of reviewing a fantastic film on the anniversary of my first blog post. For my two year anniversary it was Space Jam, and now, for my three year anniversary I wanted to review a film that really changed it all. But first, I must extend a gratitude to each and every person that has visited this site, read my reviews, etc. I take great pride in this hobby because of people like yourself who value my opinion at some level and I appreciate it more than you can imagine. So THANK YOU to all of my readers. Sincerely.

Lost in character...

Clearly, from the poster above, you can tell that I chose a big one: The Dark Knight. With regards to pop culture and the superhero movie genre, it's one of the most important films to ever grace the screen. It was testament to just how powerful a comic-book-based film could be when handled in the right respect, as does the rest of Christopher Nolan's trilogy. Unfortunately, it was elevated to the hype stratosphere because of the untimely death of central star, Heath Ledger, who's turn as the infamous Joker character seemed to play a role in the events leading to his shocking death.

Upon its release it was breaking records and receiving unprecedented word of mouth, with many immediately assuming that it would be a shoe in for many Oscar nominations and wins, something that was relatively strange to think about when speaking about a film that features a man dressed as a bat trying to outsmart a psychopath with clown makeup. The Oscars, in all of their extreme stupidity, decided to ignore most of the awards that The Dark Knight should have been up for, including Best Picture, which led to a bit of an outcry, eventually leading to them expanding the Best Picture nomination number to 10 films.

So yes, The Dark Knight's effect on the industry was long reaching, but how was the movie itself?

I think every man, woman, and child wanted one of these in 2008.

How this scene became so powerful is
beyond me. Several geniuses were involved

Obviously the thing that we all remember the most about The Dark Knight is Heath Ledger's revolutionary performance. It's sad to think about how much further his career would have skyrocketed had he not passed because his portrayal of the Joker, which was essentially the personification of evil, anarchy, and chaos all rolled into one, was nothing short of mesmerizing. To this day it's easily one of the better performances I've ever seen on any medium, if not the best. The subtle quirks that he gave the character; constant licking of the lips, slight sucking of the inner cheek, psychotic use of his appendages, and many more were something of a masterwork. He was a complete character and equal parts terrifying and amazing. Watching him explain how he "got these scars" is tragic, but the changing story makes it clear that his mind is lost, as is his driving force of terror, and thinking outside the traditional story. It's a performance that haunts you and the script that supports the character is equally as impressive. The Joker could have faltered, even with Ledger's performance, had the script not been up to par. But instead we got some harsh commentary on the state of the world, all delivered from the mouth of a psychopathic clown. The Joker's conversation with a newly-damaged Harvey Dent about introducing anarchy and chaos, and discussing how people never lose their minds when "it's all part of the plan" should have been comical. I mean, for God's sake its a conversation between a clown in a nurse's outfit and a man with exactly half his face missing. But yet, it's that scene that had the most important words to say and instead of laughing, most audiences were hanging their heads in shame. It amazes me every time I see it.

Do you need some...lotion Harvey? Your skin...it looks a little, um, dry?

But of course, Ledger's performance wasn't the only great one within The Dark Knight. I find that Aaron Eckhart's performance as Harvey Dent goes criminally unnoticed sometimes as his descent into evil, while a bit abrupt, is heartbreaking nonetheless. The final scene with Commissioner Gordon is hard to watch, mainly because we just aren't sure how far Dent has come undone, a testament to Eckhart's amazing performance. Equally as impressive is Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, and out of the trilogy I would say this film is his strongest. Of course we have Christian Bale who, once again, is a fantastic Batman (despite what a bunch of nitpicker's may say about his voice) as well as great performances by Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

An iconic scene. No other way to put it.

Many of us know by now that a lot of the credit for this film should go to Christopher Nolan and his near-perfect direction. Just think about The Dark Knight with your eyes closed for a second. What scene comes to mind? Is it the amazing bank heist intro? The pencil magic trick? The ferry social experiment? Harvey and Gordon? A hospital in chaos? Batman interrogating the Joker? Or perhaps that iconic action sequence in the middle? The point of this is that, like many classic movies, nearly the entire film is a memorable scene. In almost every second of the 152 minutes that are on screen, Nolan and company are thinking about what should be portrayed, how it should be portrayed, what the script should be saying, what the characters should be doing, which part of the original score should be playing, etc. It's TLC through and through and it makes a long movie feel as if it just began, even on my double digit viewing (I've lost count by now). For me, it's hard to decide between The Dark Knight or Inception as being labeled as Nolan's masterpiece...they are both just so exquisitely put together.

But no film is perfect, and The Dark Knight is no exception, although many of its issues are minor gripes. I found the whole sonar gadget to be a bit of a cheap gimmick and for me it hinders the final showdown between the Joker and Batman. Additionally, and this is something that Nolan has since become much better at, the action editing is poor sometimes. The action scene in the tunnels is pretty disjointed for a few minutes where a lot of cool stuff is happening, but its hard to place where everyone is. This odd editing sometimes pours over into the non-action scenes, but very rarely. I would address the plot holes (i.e. how did the Joker rig an entire hospital to blow up singlehandedly?) but I think that complaining about plot holes like that in a comic book adaptation are a bit ridiculous. Similar holes were poked about The Dark Knight Rises and while I agree that they are definitely there, I often ask myself, "If this were on the pages of a comic book, would anyone doubt that the Joker could have accomplished that?" The answer is pretty much always no.

There are many other things I could praise The Dark Knight for. Hans Zimmer's score is perfect and probably his second best to Inception, the cinematography is fantastic, the sound editing is about as good as it gets, the costume design and set design is grand, etc. etc.

"I want you to do it. Come on...I want you to do it! Hit me.
HIT MEEEE!!!"

At this point, I think we all know just how good The Dark Knight was. We all remember it for Ledger's timeless performance, but even without it, the film stands on its own merit as an example of a well acted, well written, and fantastically directed piece of popular culture. As I'm sure it's many of my readers' favorites, so to is it one of mine.

Not many films mesmerize you viewing after viewing after viewing. But ever since 2008, I have been completely blown away every time I see this film.

And as the final shot fades, complete with Gary Oldman's voiceover about "The Dark Knight", with Batman's cape as a flowing silhouette in the Gotham moonlight, and Zimmer's score pounding in the background, I get those same chills that I got 8 years ago and I know that I just watched something special.

CONS:

• Some spotty editing throughout, but particularly with the action scene in the middle. For the first couple minutes, it's hard to get a grip as to what is going on
• The sonar device is overused and wasn't necessary at all in the final meeting of Batman and the Joker
• Ok sure, there are some plot holes. But let's remember that this film is based on a comic book!
• Harvey's fall into evil is pretty fast paced

PROS:

• Ledger's performance as the Joker is one of the very best to ever be captured on screen. He deserved every award he received for taking a well known character, against a public outcry of casting, and making him his own and blowing us all out of the water. It was the work of a true genius
• Nolan's direction in what many may argue is his masterpiece. Nearly every scene is memorable and well thought out and the plot itself is an original masterwork in the comic-based medium
• Strong performances by the rest of the cast as well. Eckhart and Oldman would win the silver and bronze in my eyes, but Bale, Caine, Freeman, and Gyllenhaal are all at the top of their game here too
• Fantastic action. Who's jaw wasn't completely dropped during the Batpod vs. semi truck scene?
• Great cinematography
• One of Zimmer's best original scores. The high pitched orchestral squeals personify the Joker perfectly and add an incredible extra layer of tension to nearly every scene in which they are featured
• A fantastic script that supports the film, rather than hindering it. Many scenes throughout could have been down-right silly, but because of the performances and the script that was saying something important, they transcended into scenes with an incredible amount of weight
• One of the very best "superhero" films ever made and one that will have a deep, lasting effect on the genre

Retro Rath's Review Score:

10/10 -- Instant Classic