The Dark Knight (12A)
There are plenty of postive words that can be used to describe this film, and overly enthusiastic film critics have used them all, but all I can say to sum up the Dark Knight having now seen the film is simply, “Phenomenal”.
The Dark Knight has to be one of the most impressive films I've seen for quite a while. Adrenaline filled, well shot seqeunces, atmospheric, and some fantastic performances from the actors. The Dark Knight now faces a new type of criminal.
With a year having passed after taking out Ra's Al Ghul's plan to have the City of Gotham brought to it's knees, along with the subsequent of Dr. Jonathan Crane (AKA the Scarecrow), Bruce Wayne and his crime fighting alter-ego the Batman, continue the seemingly endless effort to bring order to Gotham, with the help of Lt. James Gordon and newly appointed District Attorney Harvey Dent. But a new threat has now emerged into the streets. The Dark Knight faces a rising psychopathic criminal called The Joker, whose eerie grin, laughter, and inhuman morality makes him more dangerous than anything faced so far. After it becomes clear that the Joker is more of a threat then the mob, Batman shifts his attention to stopping the mysterious Joker at all costs. Both characters are an anathema to each other, one has no method at all and seeks to simply see the world burn in the fire he has yet to light, and the other represents the symbol of hope and seeks to bring peace and order.
Christian Bale continues in the role as the caped crusader and I just realised whilst watching this film just how great he is in the “Batman” role. His movements, his voice and so much more, in my eyes Christian Bale has the best actor to play Batman so far. Bale has set the benchmark for the Dark Knight in this film, producing an amazing performance, with great action packed scenes. Christian's role in the film is strictly serious, thankfully dropping the tongue in cheek "comedy" moments that plagued earlier attempts at recreating DC's hero. 5 stars for Christian Bale for sure.
Heath Ledger plays “The Joker” in a more sinister manner, certainly more intimidating then say Cesar Romero, or Jack Nicholson, and with this particular rendition of the Batman films is spot on. Heath's scarred Joker takes a much darker direction for his sense of humour, much like Mark Hammill in the animated series, and the disappearing pen trick is widely regarded as "twisted / warped" (look, no sleeves). The script writers were also quite canny in that they referred to a number of other writers takes on the origin of the Joker, with Heath effectively delivering different stories on how he got his smile, all of which delivered in a delightfully menacing style. Is he worth an Oscar for this performance? Let's be clear about this, he is an excellent actor, and this particular role is extremely good, but when was the last time you saw an actor playing a part in a comic book adaptatin win an Oscar?
Aaron Eckhart plays “Harvey Dent”, the equivalent "White Knight", and potential partner for Rachel Dawes, and does exceptionally well given the star studded cast surrounding him (Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman). Harvey is likeable, of that there is no doubt, and Bruce to some extent admires the fact that he doesn't have to hide behind a mask, and throws his support behind him. For those who have actually read any of the comics, or indeed watched the prioir series of Batman films, will know where this is heading.
The special effects and screen play in this film are spectacular, bringing a sense of fear and tension to the film. Most of the scenes concerning Bruce take place in the relative light, with a lot of the action scenes concerning the Batman taking place in the dark, nicely reflecting the two opposite roles that Bruce has to fulfill. There's also been a bit of a fuss about the 12A rating. Most of the violence in this film is implied, but due to some excellent acting, it really doesn't take much imagination to realise what's happening "off screen".
This is a film not to be missed, and may well turn out to be Film of the Year, hopefully winning at least one award for an actor who will be sadly missed.
Batman is not a hero, he is not a legend, he is simply The Dark Knight!!!
