Starring: Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Directed by: Christopher Nolan

The Dark Knight is a fantastic film – but not for the reasons most people will go on about. Yes, the late Heath Ledger shines in his role as The Joker. Yes, this is a big budget action film with plenty of fight scenes and explosions. Yes, there is a great deal of suspense and mystery surrounding the movie’s central plot. But what really drives the film are its archetypes – its use of dark and light, of order and chaos, of honor and anarchy. And its characters. This is a film that will rival (though not surpass) Spider-Man 2 as one of the best comic book films ever made. But unlike the Spider-Man films, which have a great deal of fun and joy to them, The Dark Knight is … well, it’s dark — in every sense of the word. And for this film, that’s a good thing. There are a few minor flaws and legitimate criticisms, however, from start to finish The Dark Knight is one of the best movies I have seen in a long, long while.

The biggest question on people’s minds – and perhaps the biggest source of anticipation – is the role of The Joker. Would Ledger be able to take ownership of a role that was previously performed with such exuberance by the incomparable Jack Nicholson? The answer is a definitive, and emphatic, yes. But there are clear differences in not only the performances, but also in the portrayals of the characters. Whereas Nicholson’s performance was a tour de force, literally overwhelming every scene in which he appeared, Ledger manages to find the perfect balance for his version of the character. And in this film, it’s less about a bombastic performance than it is about a character whose madness is like a virus that has not only infected Gotham’s underworld, but also its greatest heroes. And for that role, Ledger’s performance is perfect.

In a slightly diminished, but certainly not a disappointing performance is, once again, Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman. And when I say diminished, it’s only in relation to the deep psychological exploration that the character of Bruce Wayne received in Batman Begins. Without the need to delve into Batman’s backstory, the film is free to focus on the deep internal struggles of his present conflicts with Gotham’s criminal underworld – and the real crisis of faith he undergoes as a result of The Joker’s reign of terror. And in that role, Bale is, once again, very competent. With two films under his belt, it can be truly said that his incarnation of Batman is the best, by far.

With the film taking a measured approach toward both The Joker and Batman, there’s enough room left over for one of the biggest, and most pleasant, surprises of the film: the character of Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). The film devotes a sufficient amount of time to Dent’s character to allow him to become a plausible mirror image of Batman. And it is in the dynamic of Harvey Dent and Batman that the film begins to establish its true transcendency beyond a mere superhero action film. Their collaboration, and sometimes rivalry, while trying to confront the evils of The Joker, makes this a truly spectacular movie.

Indeed, the two characters of Harvey Dent and Batman form the thematic element of what it takes to be a hero. On the one hand, you have Harvey Dent who, throughout the film, Batman refers to as a kind of “white knight” – the face of the hero that Gotham city needs. Indeed, Harvey Dent’s devotion to the same ideals as Batman draws the two characters together. And yet, it is through Batman’s actions that Harvey Dent is able to carry out his personal mission to rid Gotham of crime. Dent is, afterall, a lawyer, not law enforcement. But even though Batman wants to inspire goodness, due to his dark nature, he has been unable to accomplish this. About all he inspires are “copycat” vigilantes. So in the same way that Dent needs Batman, Batman needs Dent. This kind of duality, in the face of The Joker’s depravity, becomes the lens through which we see Batman for the hero he is: a man willing to sacrifice everything, including his own “good name” for the sake of those he has vowed to protect.

And this is where The Joker’s actions become so important to the film. He is, essentially, an anarchist. He thrives on chaos. He thinks nothing of setting off an explosion just to see what happens. He enjoys tearing down the establishment, simply to prove the futility and fallibility of those who have power. The Joker represents true terror and true evil: destruction for no other reason than to destroy, and to enjoy the destruction. But he’s no mere thug, either. The Joker is intelligent enough to understand human nature – what drives people to do what they do, and what buttons to push to turn good into evil. In that sense, his character is a bit like Palpatine, except that instead of power, The Joker simply lusts for chaos.

The story of the movie then becomes a commentary on just how far you go to defeat the kind of terror that The Joker symbolizes. Do you destroy others before they destroy you, as represented by the ferry sequences? Do you give in to terrorist demands, as represented by The Joker’s insistence on Batman giving up his identity? Do you invade the privacy of an entire society, as represented by Batman’s cell-phone gambit? Do you descend into darkness with your enemy, as represented by the inner conflicts of Batman and Harvey Dent? Or do you make the ultimate sacrifice, as represented by Batman’s final choice in the film – to become an outlaw and an outcast?

Without Ledger’s pitch-perfect performance of The Joker, none of these questions would be viable.

As far as aesthetics go, the movie is simply a beautiful experience. Visually, it’s stunning. Whether we’re being shown Gotham City or Hong Kong, the cityscapes are gorgeously rendered. The special effects are seamless and the darkness of the story is perfectly represented by the darkness of the color palettes. And the musical score, by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is equally complementary to the action, drama and emotion of the film. Zimmer is often demonized in film critic and soundtrack critic circles, but clearly his scores have a positive impact on the movie-going audience (otherwise he wouldn’t get work). And in The Dark Knight, this score works. Whether it is a heavily percussive beat, epically symphonic moments, or pulsating action, the often frenetic score is a perfect match for what we see on screen.

My only criticisms stem from the same fundamental flaws in the film. Essentially, the biggest problem in The Dark Knight (though it isn’t a critical flaw) stems from Harvey Dent’s descent into Two-Face. It’s simply too quick and too contrived. A big part of the problem is that his love for Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), which is the stated reason for his anger and madness, isn’t plausible. One factor is that Gyllenhaal’s performance is hardly compelling. Put simply, she doesn’t convey that “Helen of Troy” archetype of a woman for whom men are willing to die, and kill for.

Also, as she is written, her vacillation between Dent and Wayne undermines the supposed love shared between the two characters. Contrast this to the loving relationship we saw from Otto Octavius in Spider-Man 2 and you see how crucial it is to establish a clearly loving relationship – if love is to be the reason why a good man turns to evil. Worse yet, for Harvey Dent to not see how his role as District Attorney could harm those he loves is an error. Batman realizes that his role in fighting crime exposes his loved ones to jeopardy. So does Spider-Man, Superman, and just about every other “hero” in these films. And Dent is clearly too intelligent and principled not to come to the same conclusion. Yet there was not a single measure of guilt or remorse from him whatsoever – that his own actions and choices led to tragedy. And so that, too, is a mistake. As a result, the Harvey Two-Face story becomes anti-climactic, making the film drag its feet just before it comes to its conclusion.

These are very small stumbles, hardly fatal for a film as strong as The Dark Knight. But they are legitimate criticisms for a film that, without just a few minor tweaks, would have been almost perfect.

Overall Grade: A-

The Dark Knight is a fantastic film, and is easily the best of the entire cinematic run of Batman films going back to 1989’s Batman. There are only minor criticisms that can be leveled at the film and, as a result, this is one that should appeal to a very wide audience. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend doing so. Once you do, you just might find yourself forgetting all about Jack Whats-His-Name.

Topics: Film Review
Filed under: Batman

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