Joe Barber Reviews “The Dark Knight”
One of the key rules of movie reviewing I’ve come to lean on over the years is: Never expect a lot from a sequel. With the significant exceptions of Godfather II, The Empire Strikes Back and Terminator II; Judgment Day, most sequels fall far short of the engaging energy that drove the first film. The Dark Knight is that rarest of exceptions, a follow-up that builds upon and broadens the themes and elements that helped Batman Begins reinvigorate the franchise. This richly textured film is not just the best movie of the summer, but may just be the best movie of the year.
Picking up where Begins ended, the story starts with a brilliantly choreographed robbery that also introduces the late Heath Ledger as The Joker. We soon discover that Batman’s crusade against Gotham City’s underworld has inspired many and brought the crime gangs to their knees.
The Joker steps forward to offer the mobsters a deal: give him half their earnings and he’ll rid them of Batman. The clown faced criminal sets out to turn the city against the Caped Crusader by questioning his outside the law actions and threatening the fate of innocent citizens.
Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne finds his dissipated playboy façade being tested by the growing closeness between his childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and crusading new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart.) Wayne/Batman must put aside his heart’s desires as the stakes in his war with the Joker grow higher and more desperate. Before the final showdown between the ultimate hero and villain takes place, everything we think we know will change forever for everyone.
Christopher Nolan, who directed Begins, is back behind the camera and has crafted a lean, tense and thrilling film that moves like a shark knifing through the water. From the opening sequence to the final credits, we are in the hands of a tremendously gifted storyteller who knows where he wants to take his audience and just how to get them there.
Nolan’s screenplay, co-written with his brother Jonathan, effortlessly blends the various themes of the Batman saga we’ve watched over the years. Traces of every Caped Crusader from Bob Kane’s to Frank Miller’s to Tim Burton’s are here. Even traces of the surprisingly dark and entertaining animated version from Fox television run through the bloodlines of this movie.
While delivering adventure and dark humor, the Nolans also explore a key question about their hooded hero: Does anyone, no matter how well intentioned, have a right to break the law to enforce it?
Christian Bale once again does a fine job of making both Batman and Bruce Wayne compelling characters. Making the ‘secret identity” character as interesting as the masked superhero has been an important test for every comic inspired movie. Bale and the Nolans more than meet the challenge.
Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman do their customary top drawer jobs as Lt. Gordon, Alfred the butler and Lucius Fox, respectively. Maggie Gyllenhaal, taking over the Rachel role from Katie Holmes, brings a refreshing air of maturity to it. Aaron Eckhart nicely underplays Harvey Dent, creating an affecting counterpoint to Bruce/Batman.
As for Heath Ledger, his work as The Joker comes as close to the true nature of the character as any performance I have ever seen. Ledger makes him more than just a crazed killer or a twisted joke machine. He finds new territory to explore that even Jack Nicholson didn’t find. It is a true tragedy that Ledger will not have the opportunity to expand on his work in a future film and that his remarkable talent is permanently lost to us.
Stylish, gripping and utterly absorbing, The Dark Knight is a real triumph. Spend some time in the dark with it soon-if you can get before Labor Day.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity, sometimes graphic violence and intense action.
Rating: Four stars ****.
