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Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
07/19/2008 Amazing. Enthralling. Spectacular. Masterful. The best super hero movie of all time. I’m running out of positive adjectives and good descriptions that can accurately sum up just how good Christopher Nolan’s second Batman attempt is. What I can convey quite easily is this: whether you’ve been anticipating the film for a short while, or, like me, you’ve been expecting it for months (okay, years), the wait has been well worth it. Trust me. This review comes after viewing the film twice in just under seven hours. Needless to say, it’s one of those rare movies to come out of Hollywood: a film that doesn’t just live up to the hype, it surpasses it. Don’t get me wrong, I found Batman Begins to be a much needed change for a franchise whose wheels had come completely off when it traded in any appeal to realism for goofiness (thank you, Mr. Schumacher). But when it comes to comparing Nolan’s first effort to his sequel, well, there really is no comparison. Everything from the acting to the story to the action scenes is better here. There are some who, while satisfied with Begins, did not think it completely made up for the bad taste Schumacher’s projects left in their mouths. Consider any prior blunders officially cleaned up. In dealing with Nolan’s latest film, let’s start with the story, which comes off as more of a crime drama than an actual superhero film. Now that the Scarecrow is no longer a prominent force in town, there is a new evil in Gotham, a psychopathic force known only as the Joker (a mesmerizing Heath Ledger). Dangerous and unpredictable as he may be, the face-painted evildoer knows a lot more about how to control people than you may think. He’s not the only problem, however. Corrupt businessmen and power-hungry criminals are threatening to turn the city on its head. While Batman (Christian Bale) has been an asset up to this point, his services are beginning to hurt more than help as of late, with the Joker threatening to kill more people every day the masked vigilante fails to reveal his true identity. For this, Bruce Wayne feels it would be more appropriate for an already idolized public figure named Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to be the man in charge, even if the district attorney is locking lips with the billionaire’s former squeeze, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). But of course, things don’t go according to plan. Chaos ensues, lives are put on the line, and, inevitably, lives are lost, including the life of a major character. While I would disagree with those who found Begins to be boring, I would agree that it could have benefited from more action scenes. With The Dark Knight, it’s unlikely those same individuals will be disappointed. Whether Batman is crashing on top of a getaway van, or flying over the city and into a building, or he’s chasing the Joker with his new motorcycle and knocking over trucks with a single shot, it’s clear that what Nolan’s first effort lacked in excitement is made up for here with a grand array of explosions and pursuits. As with the amount of action incorporated into the film, the characters in Nolan’s sophomore effort seem to have gone through upgrades as well. Bale’s Bruce Wayne seems more complicated, a main dealing with different versions of himself. At one point, he’s the somewhat arrogant playboy who likes to show off his cars, his wealth, and his women as often as he can. At another time, he’s like Michael Corleone, unable to give himself completely to the girl he loves, though she knows what it is he does behind closed doors. And yet, he’s the vigilante who continues to struggle more and more with his role in society. But as good as Bale is by himself, he’s even better with his co-stars, particularly Michael Caine (playing Alfred) and Morgan Freeman (playing Lucius Fox). Both men have a great rapport with Bale, as they did in Begins. This time, however, both, still accounting for a lot of the humor in the film, earn much more well-deserved screen time, though they fail to share any scenes together. Gary Oldman plays off of Bale well, too, adding an even higher sense of subtlety and believability to the role of Lt. Gordon. And it’s no wonder Batman holds him in such high esteem; he’s a man who acquires your trust and admiration with little to no effort. Gyllenhaal outdoes Katie Holmes when it comes to the role of Rachel, playing the character with a little more feistiness. It’s hard to believe Holmes turned down the role to take part in the goofball comedy Mad Money, but her replacement fits the role so well, you can hardly even tell that a swap of any kind took place. For the role of Harvey Dent, I find it prudent to make the comparison between Tommy Lee Jones’ take on the character versus Eckhart’s. With Jones, Dent was an amusing, somewhat crazy caricature of a man whose whole reasoning for delving into a life of crime was never really explained well (unless you’re going to go with the whole mad-at-the-world excuse). Not to mention, his face looked more like part of it had been covered with jelly and paint as opposed to being the result of severe burns. With Eckhart, however, you get a version of Dent that feels and looks like a lot more time and thought went into creating the persona. Not only can you understand why he would be tempted into the life of crime, you can actually sympathize with him. And then there’s his face, which becomes a character in itself after a major incident. His horrific burns are so amazingly lifelike, it’s actually difficult to look at him without being repulsed at times. Last but not least, we come to the person who is without a doubt the biggest attraction the film has (and that’s saying something): Heath Ledger as the Joker. I remember when news first broke that the Academy Award nominee would take on the role of Batman’s most popular and most interesting rival. Like many, I was extremely skeptical. I didn’t think it would be an impossible feat to pull off, but I had my doubts. And then you heard the laugh in the teaser, and then the glimpse of an iconic performance in the trailers, and you knew the right move had been made. But those brief moments of greatness don’t do justice to the performance as a whole. To call the actor’s best and final role breathtaking, genius, or even Oscar-worthy seem like gross understatements (though I feel confident in saying the possibility of awards recognition is very, very likely). You never once view the film thinking that you’re watching Ledger play a character. You’re convinced that this person is real, complete with his wicked laugh, yellow teeth, and horrific facial scars, the story behind which is different each time it’s told. And while I do feel a large amount of credit should be given to the late actor, the way the character is developed also helps in making him much more realistic and thus, much more terrifying. This is a psychopath in the truest form, a man who kills civilians or his own henchman just as easily as it would be for any of us to take a breath. When he’s beaten up or his life is threatened, he doesn’t flinch. He just laughs, enjoying the punches you throw him more than you enjoyed delivering them. And when he’s called a freak by a hotheaded Gambol (Michael Jai White), he responds with a creepy “I’ m not” like that odd individual you know who’s always picked on, ready to snap when they’re finally pushed to their breaking point. It’s a powerhouse of a performance that’s as humorous as it is haunting. To put it simply, The Dark Knight is more than anyone could hope for. It not only trumps its predecessor it virtually every way, it takes the genre of superhero films to towering new heights. Christian Bale himself has even stated in interviews that he is unaware of how Nolan would be able to top himself. How indeed. But hey, the last time I had my doubts about what Nolan could do with the franchise, I ended up bearing witness to the greatest superhero movie of all time. If there’s another installment, I’ll be sure to hold off my objections indefinitely. Comments [post a comment]
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Saturday, March 13, 2010
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