Dark Knight, The (2008)

3.5 out of 4

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts, Chin Han

Director: Christopher Nolan

Time: 152 mins

Viewed: Regal Marlboro 8, New Jersey

Dark, uncompromising, and often tense, The Dark Knight is a superhero film that doesn't feel like any ever made. Picking up from the welcome 2005 "reboot", Batman Begins (also featuring the same director and most of the cast), the city of Gotham now finds itself in the throes of a brutal crime wave initiated by the sadistic Joker (the late Ledger) and his mob cronies. Bruce Wayne / Batman (Bale, solid, as usual), incorruptible police lieutenant Jim Gordon (an understated but excellent Oldman), and the charismatic new D.A., Harvey Dent (Eckhart, superb), team up to stop him. Also returning from the first film are assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes (Gyllenhaal, replacing Katie Holmes), the genial butler Alfred (Caine) and weapons expert Lucius Fox (Freeman). Now, I've never been a big fan of Batman, since I don't really consider him a superhero (he's essentially a rich man with gadgets - and I want my superheroes to have out-of-this-world or extraordinary powers, darnit!), but since the origin story in Batman Begins and now this superbly written and made sequel, I'm a definite admirer. The script is smart, with plenty of surprises, and a villain who is as mesmerising as he is dangerous. Much hype has surrounded Ledger's final full performance, and while I would have gone to see the film in any case, based on the chilling trailers that came out before his untimely death, I'm sure many people have turned up out of some macabre curiosity. Heath's Joker is a worthy adversary for Bale's Batman, cruel and vicious but never veering into the over-the-top character that Jack Nicholson turned him into in the original Batman (1989). While not exhibiting much character change, Ledgers portrayal is edgy, full of lip-smacking tics and, most impressively, convinces you that he can actually get the better of Batman. This aspect, together with its overall darkness, distinguishes Knight from most other superhero films, where the tone is often jokey (no pun intended), cartoonish or imbued with a larger-than-life wonder. The Dark Knight is gritty, realistic, and almost despairingly devoid of hope (corruption in Gotham is rife, important figures are routinely targeted for assassination, and Batman himself is viewed with suspicion). And yet, in the midst of all this grimness, the film never forgets that it's a superhero film, and is filled with the expected spectacular action sequences that superhero fans demand. I don't usually associate Batman with great action, but director Nolan has crafted some fantastic chases and confrontations. Some might quibble about the film's length, but with the increasing stakes at play as the Joker ratchets up his plans for destruction, boredom rarely sets in. The Dark Knight earns its place on the list of memorable thinking person's summer films, and worth every cent of its success.

(c) Joe Wong (2 August 2008)