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The Dark Knight

As anyone at this website will tell you, The Dark Knight was the most highly anticipated movie of this year. There was no question that we’d all see it on opening night and there was also no question that we’d each want to review it. So, as you can see, you now have the benefit of three different perspectives.

Does Christopher Nolan’s latest installment in the Bat franchise live up to its gargantuan hype? Or has he gone the way of the dreaded Joel Schumacher?

The story starts with a high octane bank job facilitated by a group of clowns. They talk of some shadowy character called The Joker, who planned the raid. Here, we’re first introduced to Heath Ledger’s scene stealing performance and long does it continue. Next, there’s a nice little tie-up with Batman Begins; Batman finally apprehends Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow. It seems that now, Batman has forced the criminals to drive their business underground out of fear. Rachel Dawes (Bruce Wayne’s squeeze from the first film) is now latching arms with Gotham City’s new DA Harvey Dent. A driven, seemingly incorruptable man who wants to clean the scum off the streets. He, like Batman, is driving fear into the hearts of the criminals led my Sal Maroni(Patrick Roberts).

The Joker comes out of the shadows and offers to rid Gotham of the Batman if the criminals give him half of their wealth. At first, they are less than keen, but the Joker convinces them with some good old fashioned violence.

There is a hell of a lot more to this film, but I’d end up just writing the script out for you. The story is a complex epic of twists and turns, pulling the rug from under your feet with the same kind of chaotic panache that the Joker displays. Again, I’m not going to reveal any specifics, but you won’t believe your eyes when one of the primary characters dies.

The film isn’t without its flaws, but the pace of the movie hardly affords you time to think about them. An example being Harvey Dent’s injuries from the fire. Completely rendered with CGI they don’t really gel with the grittiness of the rest of the film. Also, when Batman speaks in his gravelly monotone, it can be unintentionally funny, coming across as a bad impersonation of the infamous movie trailer voice.

And the film is gritty. Very gritty. The furious fight scenes will remind you of the Bourne Ultimatum. The horror scenes in this film can rival any of the best. I dare you not to cringe when one gangster falls from a height and lands square on his feet.

Now, for a section all of its own; Heath Ledger’s Joker. Prior to watching this film, you may have heard they were likely to present Ledger with a posthumous Oscar for this role. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was more through sympathy than him actually earning it. But, then you’d go see this film. His performance is nothing short of spectacular. He encapsulates the manic, murderous, calculated clown perfectly. I expected him to be scary and chaotic, but he’s funny too. He sucks all the limelight in the scene directly to himself. You actually pity Bale, Eckhart and Gyllenhaal as they’re outclassed and simply slip into Ledger’s shadow.

Special credit should go to Michael Caine(Alfred) and Morgan Freeman(Lucius), who play the voice of reason to Batman’s ever increasing anger. With their wisdom and intuition, they supply the film with its beating heart. When Alfred burns the letter at the end, rather than letting Bruce read it, you’ll have a lump in your throat.

I’m certain that Nolan will be completing the trilogy after this. There’s no doubt it will be a success. There were a few hints dropped throughout that we’ll be seeing Catwoman in the next film, so keep an eye out.

Verdict 10/10
Class.