The Dark Knight hits a new epic level of cinema, for the comic book genre as well as the crime genre (and dont forget the marketing campaign). The Dark Knight tackles themes from its predecessor (Batman Begins, 2005) and expands them to new horizons.
The film starts off with an elaborately planned bank heist. Thieves donning clown masks rob one of the most prestigious banks in Gotham City, but little do they know its actually a mob bank. The grand schemer of this heist is none other than the Joker (Heath Ledger).
The Joker holds the money ransom, bribing the mob bosses into giving him half the entire share if he can eliminate the Batman (Christian Bale). The mob intially turns down the Joker's offer. Meanwhile, Batman is hot on the trail of both the various mob bosses and the Joker himself. Batman, with the aid of Police Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Gotham's new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman begins to to bring the mob bosses to justice. But he takes it to a new level. His faithful butler Alfred (Michael Caine) warns him of his limits, not wanting to see his friend push things to far.
How far is too far? The Dark Knight brings up various questions, such as 'does the ends justify the means?' It also brings up a psychological thesis on the border between madness and sanity. The Joker attempts to cripple the good guys by destroying all that they care about. "Madness," he says, "is like gravity: all it takes is a little push."
Words cannot describe Heath Ledger's performance. By now, I'm sure that most of you reading this review have already seen the film (as most of the people in the world have), so me describing how magnificent his performance was will seem a little redundant. But for those of you who haven't seen it yet, Ledger's performance is one for the books. He brought something new to the character: he wasn't Romero, he wasn't Nicholson, he wasn't Hamill, and he wasn't even Ledger. He was the Joker. He completely transformed himself into the character, creating the antithesis of Batman. This reviewer really hopes for a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the very least.
Other notable performances include the supporting cast. This film succeeds because of the supporting characters, who play as large a role as Batman and Joker do. Gary Oldman really portrays the future Police Comissioner as if straight from the comics, but he offers a great emotional range, showing compassion for both his friends, allies, and family. Aaron Eckhart really steals the show in the latter half. For those of you familiar with the character of Harvey Dent, then you are well aware of his doomed fate. Michael Caine provides some well needed comic relief, as does Morgan Freeman. Christian Bale isn't given too much to say in this film, but it's his characters actions that define him. Maggie Gyllenhal is really just a one note performance but she's miles better than Katie Holmes was in Begins.
The Dark Knight is a great film that works on all levels. Christopher Nolan and crew really delivered. The film is more than a superhero movie: it's a character drama, a tragedy, a social commentary.
It's a film to remember.
Grade: A+