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THE DARK KNIGHT
By: Clayton
Davis: Joey Magidson: Keith Lucas
The critics agree:
The Best Film of 2008 so far...
DAVIS
Director Christopher
Nolan has created the newly invented and ultimately prestigious, The
Dark Knight, the sequel to his revolutionary Batman Begins.
Nolan has completely raised the bar and set the standards high for
himself and any comic book film that will adapted from here on after.
Nolan creates one of his darkest pictures to date, definitely his
strongest so far from his already impressive film credits which includes
Memento and The Prestige.
The screenplay written
by David S. Goyer and Christopher and Jonathan Nolan breathes new
humanity into the Crusader. As we left off in the previous film, Batman
is now fighting crime and sorting himself and Gotham City out into a
safer haven for its people. Bruce Wayne and Batman are co-existing with
the help of his butler Alfred, and technological analyst Lucius Fox.
The three writers will put Batman through things never seen on film
before. He will learn about sacrifice, and not jumping in front of a
bullet or giving up your girlfriend sacrifice, Bruce will learn about
real loss of self, integrity and identity. The film works and succeeds
as a tragedy, not taken in any comic film before. The Dark Knight holds
resonance and prestige as the way 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back
did as it held its own on its own merit and not its predecessor.
Christian Bale returns
as the Caped Crusader, both playing Batman and the millionaire Bruce
Wayne and Bale like always is as dependable as can be. Always creating
new characters, mannerisms, behavior, Bale is one of the great actors
working today however, Bale as the dark knight this time around, seems
forced, too controlled, too over-the-top. His Bruce Wayne was as always
charming but something didn’t seem to work when he transforms into
Batman. His voice almost comes off like a lisp and almost like he’s
pushing too much.
Michael Caine as Bruce
Wayne’s butler, Alfred, was amiable, gracious, and wise as he provides a
balance to this film. He controls his emotions and acts as the film’s
father figure while he is on screen, the viewer feels at ease. Gary
Oldman as the newly appointed Lieutenant Gordon is nearly flawless in
poise and makes the role seem effortless. How Gary Oldman has flown
under the Oscar radar in his long career is inexcusable, this man’s
supporting work is vast. Morgan Freeman, as always, gives a presence in
a film that relaxes us as we’re pulled through this thrill ride.
Maggie Gyllenhaal,
taking over Katie Holmes’ previous role of Rachel Dawes puts forth a
valiant effort and superior than Holmes’ turn last time around but a
realization has come to me following the film. For myself, the worst
part of Batman Begins was Katie Holmes and I blamed the
performance on her, which is ¾ true but after watching a great actress
like Gyllenhaal, who has had impressive turns in Sherrybaby and
World Trade Center, I’ve come to recognize that the character is
just poorly written. Rachel Dawes is the fluke in Nolan’s plan for this
comic book franchise. She’s unimportant, annoying, and not very
likeable. She holds some significance in Bruce Wayne’s life and as we
learn in the new film, now D.A. Harvey Dent’s life, but she holds none
in the viewers. The love triangle between the three is unnatural and
puts forth a sour taste in your mouth.
Aaron Eckhart who plays
Harvey Dent puts forth his best performance of his career. Eckart who
has really shown some promise over the years as we’ve seen in Erin
Brockovich and Thank You for Smoking plays Harvey like Tommy
Lee Jones from Batman Forever would have hoped for. Eckhart
reveals Harvey’s inner most demons but never loses the mystery of the
man. He’s tantalizing in the finale of the film and shows what a three
dimensional character can really be.
Now, what everyone has
been talking about on the web, job, school, everywhere, the breathtaking
performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker. Does it work? Not
to be too frank, but HELL YEAH!
Ledger’s frightening
turn will probably go down as one of the darkest and most creative
villainous turns by any actor in American cinema. Nolan guides Heath
down a corridor only Heath can follow, where the Joker’s existence and
style are revealed but only to himself. The only problem I’ve ever had
with Tim Burton’s take on Batman in 1989 is where the Joker fits in
Batman’s life. Jack Nicholson played him marvelously and pretty much
the way any comic book fan interprets the Joker in real life but when it
is revealed that Jack Napier a.k.a. The Joker murders Bruce’s parents
when he is a child, you lost me. It was a disappointing turn to what
could have been a great film. Rest assured, Joker doesn’t kill Bruce’s
parents or pet gerbil, his entrance and exit are that of a mystery.
Ledger keeps us at a distance so we understand very little but are
intrigued enough to keep learning and waiting. This is the performance
of the year thus far and should be viewed if only for the performance.
The film is not
flawless, and should not be overdrawn in the mind of the viewer. I
waited for two viewings and post-Dark Knight Chatter to write a review
as I did not want to be influenced by the crazed fanatics. The film
does drag a bit in the last third of the picture and as stated before,
there are some performance errors, but all in all this is the best
picture of the year so far and if the Academy Awards ever had a chance
to be cool with anyone outside the artsy crowd, this is the time.
Consideration should follow for Picture, Supporting Actor, and a slew of
technical categories. Smooth cinematography, cutthroat editing, eye
candy of the sort art direction and remarkable sound and visual effects
are the standouts. The Dark Knight to encapsulate is plainly genius.
***½
/****
MAGIDSON
As hard as it is to believe, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight not
only lives up to the massive hype, but it actually exceeds it by far. I
don’t feel like I am exaggerating when I say this film has a distinct
chance to lead the nominations at this year’s Oscars. The writing, the
directing, the acting, everything is top notch. Let me say it loud and
clear, this movie deserves to be nominated for Best Picture. It is not
just the best superhero flick of all time; it’s one of the best films of
the year by far.
Taking up some time after the events of Batman Begins, the
movie follows Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman (again played by
Christian Bale) as he continues to protect Gotham City. Copycat Batmen
have made life difficult, but with the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon
(once again the always reliable Gary Oldman) and the arrival of the new
district attorney Harvey Dent (brilliantly portrayed by Aaron Eckhart),
things are beginning to get better. Then, the entrance of the
mysterious Joker (the late Heath Ledger, doing amazing things here)
throws the city into chaos. To have any hope of stopping The Joker,
Batman must go farther than he ever has, breaking all the rules, and
testing his limits. The problem is, maybe that’s what the murderous
clown had in mind the entire time.
On the acting front, Heath Ledger deserves an Oscar for his
interpretation of The Joker. He does things here that you will not
believe. It is beautiful in a sick way. Ledger is so powerful that
when he is on the screen, you simply can’t look away. Bale is by far
the best to ever don the cape and cowl, and he is in fine form here.
He’s equally good as Wayne as he is as Batman. Gary Oldman has a bigger
role here, and he plays it perfectly. The always reliable Michael Caine
(as the faithful Alfred) and Morgan Freeman (as Wayne’s version of Q,
Luscious Fox) are tremendous, each getting their moments to shine
(Freeman’s ethical stand is a highpoint for his character). Maggie
Gyllenhaal takes over for Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, Bruce’s love,
and also Harvey Dent’s as well. Gyllenhaal seamlessly takes this role
by the horns and gives the character added depth, which makes her love
triangle of sorts all the more compelling. Last but certainly not least
is Eckhart, who might be overlooked a bit due to Ledger’s stealing of
the show, but he is absolutely brilliant in this. He makes you care
about his character in a way that you will be completely shocked at. He
made me believe in Harvey Dent, which makes his character arc all the
more Shakespearian and tragic.
Christopher Nolan directs this film with an assured nature,
but he nails every single piece of the film. He is able to integrate
suggestions about the state of the world today, the freedoms we’re
willing to give up for safety, and even is able to invoke imagery and
feelings reminiscent of 9/11 without taking away from the story. They
simply add to the realism and brilliance on display. His work here (as
well as on the script he churned out with his brother Jonathon) is
worthy of a nomination by the Academy.
The most amazing thing about The Dark Knight is that
it exists in a world that is grounded in reality. Actions have
consequences, and no good deed goes unpunished. If you were to imagine
what our world would be like with characters like this, the movie might
mirror real life closely.
At its core, this is more the story of the fall of Harvey
Dent than either Batman or The Joker. Dent is the white knight to
Batman’s Dark Knight, and he represents hope to everyone in Gotham,
Wayne included. Without spoiling things too much, his transformation
into Two-Face sets off events that will come as a surprise to everyone.
There is a body count in this film, and not just disposable characters.
Even Batman takes a major hit in this. When the credits role, only then
will you see what The Joker truly had in mind, and nobody in the film
will ever be the same again, including Batman.
This film is a triumph on every single level. From the
editing to the score to the performances to the direction, it fires on
all cylinders. This is a movie that will stay with you long after the
credits role. It’s a fitting tribute to the life of Ledger, and will go
down as an all-time classic, mark my words.
****/****
LUCAS
One of the greatest feelings in the world is to know when you are
witnessing something great. About 5 years ago, a friend handed me a DVD,
and told me to watch it. I wasn’t much of a movie fan, but thought the
title, “Memento” seemed interesting. I popped in the DVD, and knew,
after watching, that I had seen something great. Every few times of the
year I get that feeling; and watching the Dark Knight certainly gave me
that feeling. In seldom, does a film exceed the hype that surrounds it,
but the Dark Knight literally beat it to a bloody pulse, chewed it to
pieces, and then spit it out.
TDK was 2 hours and 30 minutes of pure magic. With a film at
that length, there are typically dragging moments, but TDK is the
exception. In fact, the first 6 minutes of the film captured everyone’s
attention, and the film kept it that way by end credits. The first 6
minutes also provided a great introduction for the villainous, yet
fascinating character of the Joker. With that said, most of the positive
reviews of TDK will (must) mention Heath Ledger’s brilliant portrayal of
the Joker. While on screen, he was something very few characters can
accomplish: both 1.frightening and 2.charming. We saw it last year with
Anton Chigurgh, and now Heath has given us an entirely new kind of
“sophisticated” monster. However, the greatest part of the movie (like
Batman Begins) is the high caliber of acting across the board. Aaron
Eckhart and Gary Oldman stand out in that respect. But, Morgan Freeman,
Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Michael Caine give more depth to
this brilliant cast.
However, what tends to go unnoticed is Christopher Nolan
direction of the film. He is one the few directors with the ability to
create a realistic atmosphere that combines terror and everyday life. He
is certainly a master behind the camera, and tends to get the most out
of his actors (see Robin Williams in Insomnia). The direction of the DK
is well crafted, and nicely edited. The sound is just as good as Batman
Begins, and visually it’s a beautiful film. It will certainly compete in
the technical categories come February.
Nonetheless, if I had any problems with the film, it’s the
lack of blood. This may seem like a trivial criticism, but blood adds to
the realism of the film. I’m sure the producers wanted to keep it at
PG-13, so it’s an understandable exclusion. But, with blood, it would’ve
made the Joker seem even more sinister. Yet, even with the lack of
blood, the film exceeded my expectations, and will certainly be in the
mix of things come Oscar season.
****/****
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