The Dark Knight
Review
by Sean Lynch
The sheer brilliance of The Dark Knight
negates the
need for a traditional review. So the following will simply be a stream
of consciousness, an open ended diatribe which I am sure to revisit,
revise and re-write over the next few weeks as I ingest and absorb the
varied layers that this awe inspiring film entails.
If you are looking for a traditional synopsis, outline and a few clever
quips about being "Bat-tastic"… read the newspaper.
As for the rest
of
you
– I suggest you stop reading, immediately go out and see the film, and
return to continue reading as promptly as possible from the point in
which you last finished.
What is it about this simple caped crusader – above all others – that
enables his story to define a medium?
Perhaps because this isn’t a story about a superhero, but about the
struggle of a human being trying to find a hero within himself. And it
is for
this reason that The
Dark Knight works so well.
Christopher Nolan has crafted something special here. Something much
more than what even Batman Begins
offered – it is truly a force unto itself.
In the film, the heroes of The
Dark Knight (Commissioner Gordon, Harvey
Dent and Batman) set out to make Batman more than a man in a mask, more
than a hero, more than a vigilante – but an ideal, a symbol for hope.
And in the same regard, Nolan has set out to make
this more than just a "movie".
The major factor which defines this from any other comic book movie is
that it isn’t a story about a hero – The Dark Knight is
without doubt
a tale of villains.
In fact, you could be excused for thinking that
Batman is simply a supporting player thrust into a world dominated by
The Joker (Heath Ledger)
and Harvey “Two-Face” Dent (Aron Eckhart).
A lot has been made of the late Heath
Ledger’s performance, even before
his untimely demise – but it must be said – the buzz is completely
warranted.
Even before you enter Ledger's take on the character into the equation,
you must realise The Joker has always been one of the finest and
most complex fictional characters ever put to paper. The notion of 'The
Sad Clown', but more so that undeniable sense of evil masquerading as
the innocent – a devil in disguise.
The '60s delivered a Joker of camp madness, while Nicholsons '80s take
and Mark Hammils animated turn bridged the gap between
camp-self-aware-insanity and a much more sinister dark side which was
ready to explode at any moment.
However, Ledger really does take it to a new level.
A character so
intensely manic and disturbing, while still keeping a likable –
sometimes jovial – exterior. And while many could credit the writing,
the layered complexities of the character itself, Hans Zimmers
simplistic yet chilling score or Nolans tone for
such a success - it is almost impossible to ignore what Ledger brings.
In short – the guy owns every frame he is on screen.
On the same note, Eckhart’s performance should not be ignored either
(in fact, fans are in for a ton of fun – with three major villains all
sharing screen time, as well as a non-subtle reference of more to come…
of the feline kind) giving a touching sense of the tragic to the
duality of his character.
Bale also gives an incredibly layered performance, essentially playing
three roles: the 'real' Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne 'The Socialite' and
Batman. The only weak point of any performance (everyone delivers –
Oldman and Gyllenhaal
are superb), is Christian Bale’s outrageous Bat-voice.
The cinema going experience itself is near impossible to describe –
that is, it is unlike anything I have experienced before.
Whether it
was simply because people were going in with a preconceived notion that
they were in for a comic book movie and were ambushed with an epic and
emotional thriller, I'm still not sure. But the people I spoke with
immediately after were literally lost for words – they (myself
included) were dumbstruck, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.
A bounty of information, emotions and images flowing through their
brains.
Much like your first sexual experience, it happens with such passion
and
fast paced intensity – and it’s not until you get a quiet moment to
yourself that you can really stop to comprehend the events that have
just
occurred and you can ask yourself ‘What the hell just happened then?’.
Christopher Nolan has delivered an amazingly effective thriller with
The
Dark Knight, never really giving any sense that TDK is a movie, but
moreso an intense chronicle of a fiercely frightening reality of chaos
without control.
The fact that Batman even appears in the movie is an
irrelevant side note in what is essentially a gangster film which could
quite easily be compared with The
Sopranos or The
Godfather Part II,
with the gut wrenching random fear of No Country For Old Men.
Burton redefined what a comic book movie could be with 1989’s Batman.
Sure, it wasn’t perfect – but at the time – it was ground breaking. The
same can be said of The
Dark Knight.
Do not be put off by the notion that The Dark Knight is
“a Batman
Movie”, because it is something so much more, and you will only be
cheating yourself of a true cinematic work of genius if you avoid
seeing it.
5 out
of 5
The Dark
Knight
Australian release: 16th July,
2008
Official
Site: The Dark Knight
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael
Caine, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Director: Christopher Nolan
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