The Dark Knight [2008] [Christopher Nolan]

As James Gordon said at the end of Batman Begins, as Batman turned over the Joker playing card found at a murder scene, setting the wheels in motion for him to confront his greatest enemy, “He’s got a taste for the theatrical, like you” And that comparative outlook, the extreme differences and similarities in their oath-like rules of action and image gives The Dark Knight one of its numerous points of intrigue and depth, the points of which set in a better realm than other action films. In fact, the term “action” would be low-down on my list of how I’d label The Dark Knight. Character-drama, psychological thriller and a twisted crime saga would come before it, but the film is so extraordinary because it weaves these together, creating a beating black-hearted tone of enthralling, realistic confrontation and tragedy – a purely awe inspiring piece of cinema, exhilarating and fascinating in equal measure.

Gotham City is subjected to a mastermind of mayhem, destroying its civilians as quick as its values, his reign and Gotham’s crime challenged by an ambiguous hidden protector and a fiercely morally dedicated lawyer, Harvey Dent. Though Batman is The Dark Knight, it’s this trio of independent forces together that form the core of the film’s intellectual and emotional weight, the three are connected by crime, between them a cracked mirror of opposite yet parallel self-guiding philosophies, morals, and social visions. The three all test and are tested by the criminal flow of Gotham, their characters shattered and defined by the world around them, Batman and Dent have limits, but their mutual enemy is, in his own words, an unstoppable force. The Joker comes pre-damaged, we do hear of his past but he provides two conflicting stories, an important move underlining his present evolving threat, there is no way inside him, no way to evoke empathy or sympathy within him, and in a wise move we too aren’t given the opportunity to do the same – He’s the frontman of the apocalypse, mental scars and sicknesses burn in him, he loves every infliction of pain he gives, but most of all relishing at the evil in others, as if he takes his own insanity as a given. Like Batman, he’s introverted in his actions, using his personal damage to manipulate and destroy others, extracting from himself an evil so engrained, unleashing it on everyone he meets, until they either submit or perish. All the praise I have for The Joker goes to Heath Ledger. His lines are gleefully dark and superbly written, but they wouldn’t be half as much without his delivery. I must say that I didn’t feel sad watching his performance, I saw an actor so embodied in the role, so passionate and dedicated to the character I found it impossible to separate them, there was only The Joker. His performance reminded me of Daniel Day Lewis’ of There Will Be Blood, like Plainview The Joker operates on a different wavelength than anyone else on the screen, it’s like there is frame within the frame around him, I couldn’t help but look at a scene from the Joker’s eye and find myself celebrating his orchestrations of chaos, and laughing at some of his twisted jokes (the now infamous pencil trick comes to mind) and like Plainview the actor knew when to bring out the true monster, momentarily shock and disturb more so than usual, showing even more madness and rage than thought humanly possible. His lust (the way Ledger plays many scenes makes it appear that the Joker is salivating at all the terror he’s causing) for atrocity and anarchy is captivating, an unrelenting need for sin is rarely performed with such versatility and commitment.

Cities are so often alienating when shot from such heights and angles, but here the city is absorbing, the photography drew me in to Gotham, through its shadowy streets and around its economical monoliths. The incredible wide shots and slow-moving high-angle tracks give the expansive urban landscape an all-encompassing epic sensibility, and watching Batman sail over it he truly does look like Gotham’s only saviour. There are several stylistic touches that bring out the emotions from the consistently well-textured screenplay. When The Joker crashes a party, the camera sticks to him, going in and out of focus, jittering around to follow his movements, it’s a perfect way of expressing his unpredictability and concentrated form of lunacy. The mood is very well represented from a visual point (the scenes in Batman’s empty warehouse make excellent use of the alternating bright lights and total blackness, and the long, empty spaces), and the action sequences are staged and choreographed with great precision and skill. There are more than the previous Batman film, but each one tries something different than the one preceding it, so they all feel thrilling and invigorating in different ways. Christopher Nolan’s direction is outstanding, whether it’s an effects laden action scene or a conversation of emotional significance, he brings a genuine flair for depth and originality. He wants the viewer to become immersed in the all scenes, not just the expensive ones, and I personally was engrossed and entertained by his work in this film.

Corruption in all its forms is an important element, shown through nearly all the characters as they’re tested by Gotham’s bent police force, The Joker’s special brand of disaster scenarios, and his taste for bringing out corruption in others. Harvey Dent is the White Knight to Batman’s Dark, and there are numerous ties between them. The combination of a humanistic, equal type of justice, which Dent enforces and Batman lacks, and a righteous self-elevation to overpower criminals that Batman utilizes and Dent turns to in a situation of tragedy, flits between them at varying levels as they both try and internally balance the two to defeat the worst of Gotham. Batman is almost lawless, with not killing being his only rule. The Joker is the Batman’s first threat to compromise that rule, it’s more the human side of him fighting through the Batman persona driven to consider murder, the one we saw nearly attempt murder before the creation of Batman in the first film, if it were possible for the dark knight himself to get even darker, it’s done through his wickedly black chemistry with the Joker.

The supporting cast all do excellent work, notably Gary Oldman and Michael Caine. Batman’s relationship with these two takes a backseat to all the action and plot, but all the scenes they share with him do entertain and give a sense of variety next to the frequent Dent and Joker scenes. Like the three main players, Oldman’s character is tested by The Joker and perhaps has the most difficult job of any of the characters, his allegiance with Batman threatens his own personal safety but is required to aid Gotham, as well Batman infringing upon his state-enforced limits as a police officer. Alfred is often very funny, and occasionally wise, his story about how in his younger days he caught a gem thief by burning a forest to the ground is a clear influence adding to Batman’s clash between compromising his values and maintaining his morality in the face of the Joker. Maggie Gylenhaal is an improvement on Katie Holmes, pulling off well Rachel Dawes’ different kind of dilemma. Torn in love between the dark and white knight, she looks visibly weary at having to choose, and even though her character isn’t given much depth, she is convincing and works well with the other cast.

The Dark Knight is alarming in how much it accomplishes. It cares as much for pure thrilling violent spectacle than it does for forming an unpredictable, haunting atmosphere. Watching it it feels like there isn’t anything that was neglected or favoured. It’s a supremely balanced achievement, a truly artistic endeavour that delivers everything that one could possibly want from a film. Christopher Nolan set a new precedent with Batman Begins, a humanly-minded portrait of a creation of a symbol. The Dark Knight is deeper, darker, more dangerous, more ambitious, more character-driven and more downright electrifying film than I thought possible for a film about a man in a costume fighting crime.