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The Dark Knight
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale
Genre:
Science Fiction/ Fantasy
Run Time: 152
min.
Release Date:
July 2008
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
Batman is back. And
so is director Christopher Nolan who directed the amazing BATMAN
BEGINS. As someone who thoroughly enjoyed Nolan’s previous Batman
film, I felt confident he’d never be able to surpass it. I was horribly
wrong.
The dark sets. The amazing acting (with one exception). The wonderful
dialogue. It was a sheer joy to watch. And the fact that it was 152
minutes long didn’t bother me in the slightest. The action was
practically nonstop with enough plot twists, explosions, and funny lines
to make one cringe and laugh at the same time.
The big question, though, on many people’s minds (including my own
before I watched it) was “Is Heath Ledger’s performance that good or are
the critics just being nice after his unfortunate death?” Hollywood
has a history of doing crap like this where they honor someone for an
achievement that really wasn’t deserved, but they felt sorry for the
performer’s family, etc. and decided to throw them a bone by
overly-praising a performance or a life that wasn’t particularly
notable. I was concerned that this might be the case for Ledger’s Joker.
But my worries were immediately stripped away as soon as he made his appearance. Creepy. Funny. Line delivery that’ll blow your mind
(“See, I'm not a monster...I'm just ahead of the curve.”), Ledger’s
performance put all others in his shadow (yes that includes Christian
Bale, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman).
Christian Bale (3:10
TO YUMA) has now become synonymous with what Batman means
to movie-goers and comic book fans alike. He plays the cocky, rich, and
uncompromising Bruce Wayne with the perfect amount of grace and
toughness the role deserves. The only downside is his heavily whispered
Batman voice that grates on the nerves after a short while.
Michael Caine (CHILDREN OF MEN) and Gary Oldman (HARRY POTTER) reprise
their roles and do so with the talent we’ve all come to expect from
these two fine actors. Morgan Freeman (GONE BABY GONE) returns as Lucius
Fox, Batman’s weapons designer and conscious. Although not particularly
riveting, his performance did help move the plot along.
An addition to the cast was introduced with the arrival of Harvey
Dent/Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart,
CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN).
Exquisitely incorporated into the story, the uncovering of Two-Face’s
origins is masterfully pulled into the story and given ample screen
time.
The only less-than-stellar performance came from Maggie Gyllenhaal
(STRANGER THAN FICTION) who replaced Katie Holmes (FIRST DAUGHTER) in
the role of Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne’s love interest. Although no fan
of Katie Holmes, I found Gyllenhaal’s performance to be relatively
unmoving in comparison to the rest of the cast. That’s probably not a
knock against Gyllenhaal considering the entire production held some of
the strongest roles I’ve seen this year. But no one came close to Ledger
and his wonderful performance, least of all Gyllenhaal.
If you’re looking for the action film of the year with one of the best
performances by an actor that is no longer with us, THE DARK KNIGHT is
the ticket. No Jokin’.
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Image from The Dark Knight
DVD cost: $20.99
Purchase:
Tower.com (Blu-Ray)
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
While filming on the
streets of Chicago in April 2007, the filming was carried out under the
fake movie title "Rory's First Kiss". Fliers regarding the filming
carried this fake title, complete with a fake "RFK" logo for the movie
and an address for the film's production offices.
Movie Quote: "Bruce,
don't make me your only hope for a normal life."
Other Actors/Actresses
from The Dark Knight
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