For those of you who have been living in a cave, “The Dark Knight” is the blockbuster smash hit follow up to the critically acclaimed “Batman Begins.” TDK continues exploring the notion of a superhero existing in a real world context (at least as far as Hollywood goes) and delves even further into the Batman mythos with the introduction of his most famous nemesis, the Joker.
The overall cast is superb with Christian Bale reprising his role as Batman, Michael Cane as Alfred the butler, Gary Oldman returns as Commissioner Gordon, and new addition Aaron Eckhardt appearing as District Attorney Harvey Dent. The only disappointment was Katie Holmes’ Rachel Dawes character who is played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in this movie. Gyllenhall, while passable, just seems to lack the leading lady beauty and charisma that such a big film demands. Finally, Heath Ledger as the Joker conveys so much uneasiness, tension, and chaos its almost hard to believe that underneath all the makeup the Joker is being portrayed by an actual actor. While I was a huge fan of Jack Nicholson’s previous take on the character, in all honesty he isn’t fit to tie Heath Ledger’s shoelaces in this film. That is how good he is in this movie.
The plot is superb and relies more on a real world crime drama story line than your typical comic book “I’m the hero and I need to stop the villain” setup so prevalent in superhero movies these days. In fact, this adherence to a “real world” context is what gives the movie so much depth and the scenes that require complete suspension of disbelief are minimal. This movie is oozing with inner conflict and pathos and everything from the actor’s performances to the environments to the story line itself help to convey the inner struggles in all of the characters while reinforcing the notion of realism the director was aiming for. From the opening scene to the movie’s end, the pace is non-stop. The constant uncertainty of what the Joker will do next seems to be felt just as much by the audience as it is by the citizens of Gotham City that he is terrorizing.
All in all, this is the best movie of the year, if not one of the best movies of all time. I highly recommend this film as it has something to offer everyone, even if they aren’t fans of the comic or the character.
I felt Aaron Eckhart did a great job in the movie too and wish that they hadn’t put him in with the Joker. Heath’s performance overshadows his and people miss his performance until you take a 2nd, maybe even 3rd look at it.
We were able to purchase both Batman Begins and the Dark Knight last weekend and I can’t wait for my holidays to start so I can sit down and have a good ol’ Batman-fest!
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I haven’t seen this yet even though I know I should. I think that with Heath Ledger dying and him being Australian (and so am I) the media has flogged this film and Heath so much it turned me off seeing it. Maybe over the Christmas break.
I don’t know who Gyllenhall is but gee, I think Katie Holmes, even though she is beautiful looking, is a terrible actor.
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Great movie. Watching it in Blu Ray is amazing.
Haven’t seen the Blu Ray version. I’m sticking with DVD’s as long as I possibly can! Blu Ray discs are expensive!!! haha
I watched this over the weekend. I really liked how they put this one together. The work that Ledger put in as the Joker is IMO Oscar-worthy. Where did he pull this performance out of? Some actors build towards great performances by portraying similar characters over various projects, but Ledger has no other experience with this type of character. The next person to play the Joker in a Batman film has some really big shoes to try to fill.
I am so tired of hearing people talk about this thing like it is god’s gift to cinema! Yes, it is good, but not that good. Jack Nicholson’s Joker was infinitely better than Heath Ledger’s, but I did enjoy Ledger’s take. Both depictions of the Joker have appeared in the comic. Depends on which issue you pick up.
I detest Christian Bale with every fiber of my being. Always have and always will. When he gets killed in Shaft, I rewind it over and over again just to savor the moment. There needs to be a new Batman. Bale is too stiff to be Batman and not charismatic enoguh to be Bruce Wayne.
I agree with you on Magige Gylenhaal lacking the leading lady beauty, but considering how little screentime Rachel had, does it really matter?
I appreciate that this film went with the “real” world feel, but in doing so, it took all the fun out of the film, but at least I wasn’t bored to tears like in Batman Begins. Hopefully there won’t be a third one.
Now, I’m saying this after only one viewing which was the summer. As soon as it gets off the long wait list on Netflix and I see it again, I may have a different opinion, but for now Iron Man is theb est film of the year!
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Believe me Mystery Man, I hear you. I thought it was overrated myself. This review was a perspective from another great author who posts here occasionally. Here was my original take during the movie premiere. I didn’t give it a five star rating.
I read Trench’s review and I agree with his comments about the direction of the film. I honestly tried to put my fanboyism on hold while reviewing this film, but I guess a bit crept in! Not saying the movie is perfect by any means, but I still stand by what I thought was an excellent film in terms of scope, substance, execution.
I loved Iron Man also and as a closet comic nerd I was glad to see the character brought to life and actually done some justice in his portrayal. As good as that movie was, i have the Dark Knight slightly above it…
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@Trench. Blu-ray discs are not expensive to site owners like us. ;)
I missed Katie Holmes too. Oh well, that’s what Go and The Gift are for.
@Mystery Man. This film is not god’s gift. Batman Begins is a better paced film in my opinion.
When comparing the Spiderman films to either of these films however, they are a joke.
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@Filmbook – I wish that were true about Blu Ray Discs… haha
@Mystery Man – I’ve been in Countless debates as to who the better Joker was. Nicholson or Ledger? We can all agree that the movies Batman and TDK are two very different films with different messages and themes. Well actually, TDK had more theme but I still loved Batman (BTW, I prefer Michael Keaton as Batman but Christian Bale as Wayne..I can’t stand Bale’s Batman voice). Anyway, both actors brought out the Joker(s) we know and love, from the campiness to the insane. I felt Nicholson really had the “joking” part down which was perfect for the film. Ledger had the “crazy” part down because it matched the theme of the movie. But if we were to take a step back and analyze the Joker himself, there is ONE very big difference between the two potrayed. It is the fact that the Joker is a criminal Mastermind. I’ve watched Batman countless times and practically have the movie memorized in my head and I cannot for the life of me think of a single moment where Jack Nicholson masterminded (<–is that even a word?! haha I’m from Guam so it must be!) anything! All he did was cause havoc! That’s it! Whereas Ledger’s Joker was always a step ahead of everyone! From the opening bank robbery, to the bribery of the mob, the murders of the Comissioner, Judge and Rachel….that was just pure brilliance IMO. So Ledger get the slight edge for me. Damn that was long!
And thank God they killed Gyllenhal! She didn’t perform horribly, but I couldn’t help but laugh when the Joker said “well hello beautiful…” bleh….far from it.
@Trench – TDK on Blu Ray is off the chain!
Personally, Ledger has the slight advantage only because of the aura surrounding his sudden death. He was also the better villian.
However, I thought Jack portrayed the “COMIC” style Joker much better than Ledger.
It is for me but I never indulge it because I don’t have a blu-ray player.
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The way I see it, Jack represented a mixture of the comics and the TV shows. Ledger’s Joker was a complete reinvention of the character. Jack was great, but I give it to Ledger because I like the overall darkness he brought to the character. He was the villain, but I couldn’t hate him.
I just saw this a few weeks ago. You were right , it is pretty good. Enjoyed it much more than the first one although Bale isn’t a great Batman at all.
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