When I tell you that “The Dark Knight” is an incredible sequel, read the words carefully. “The Dark Knight” is Christopher Nolan’s ace film taking the throne as quite possibly one of the best superhero movies ever made. Is it a masterpiece of modern filmmaking? Not really. Is it an incredible example of comic book adaptation that transforms in to a genuinely epic story? Why certainly. Bringing about shades of “LA Confidential” with a dash of the classic mobster movies, Christopher Nolan’s follow up to “Batman Begins” is a brutal and exhausting gangster epic that brings to the forefront a slew of complex and intricate sub-plots that question how far we’re willing to go to maintain law and order, how much violence changes us, and if the peace keepers are really any different from the law breakers and murderers.
The all star cast provide immaculate performances from Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox the weapons specialist confronting Bruce Wayne’s growing need for power to fight crime, Michael Caine as Alfred fights to keep Bruce’s sanity in check, and Christian Bale who is yet again a perfect fit as Batman who questions his own purpose in Gotham as he confronts the reality that Batman may not always be a necessary element to the city as Wayne’s own fight for good is only an inch away from transforming him in to another Joker, hiding behind a façade and delusions of grandeur and struggling with a fight for justice he simply doesn’t want to take part in anymore. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a great replacement for Katie Holmes providing a… purpose for Rachel Dawes beyond a simple love interest. In one fell swoop, “The Dark Knight” destroys all the flaws of the previous film while also improving on the characters who felt slightly under-developed when we last met them.
There’s also Nolan’s version of Batman’s eternal foe the Joker who, on screen, is the most horrific and shocking depiction ever created. There can be no doubt about Heath Ledger’s acting ability after watching his variation of the Joker, a horrifying, nightmarish serial killer whose own brilliance becomes the downfall of every single person around him. A combination of Charles Manson, Hannibal Lecter and Jigsaw, Heath Ledger is the epitome of what the Joker should always aspire to be in future mediums. Forget Jack Nicholson’s hammy performance, forget Mark Hamil, forget Cesar Romero, Ledger is simply the greatest Joker of all time, and Nolan implements the man’s mad talents in this spooky madman who simply had no reason for his utter anarchy in Gotham. And Nolan never really ventures to explore the Joker’s purpose, because the sheer packs of lies, endless games, and relentless violence turned the clown in to a ghoul as he always should have been. And Nolan never opts for comedy or that Adam West camp that even Tim Burton fancied with his “serious” Batman films.
Though Ledger is quite excellent I often found myself enamored with the origin of Two Face, as Aaron Eckhart is brilliant as the conflicted District Attorney realizes his own violent tendencies while constantly attempting to avoid bringing himself to the throes of violence and murder that the Joker is seeking to inflict on the populace of Gotham City. All the while his ego and alter ego lie in his dependence on his coin which he uses as a means of unbiased decision making and a thin line between hero and pure maniac. “The Dark Knight” aspires to go beyond the comic books and provide some truly interesting character study with a second look at the man behind the cape and cowl dissecting vigilantism and Wayne’s own god complex he lords over the criminals in Gotham’s underbelly. Nolan’s traditional means of filmmaking bring a sincerity and gritty realism to the Dark Knight that we’ve never seen before, and it’s one of the best films of the year, period. One of the biggest fears for the first half was that there was going to be this inevitable turn in to a pure “Magnum Force” rip off, and we almost did.
As Batman finds himself stopping crime all over Gotham, he’s faced with a slew of copycat vigilantes who dress as him and cause him to question his own power as a law condoned vigilante, which instantly brought to mind “Magnum Force” where Dirty Harry essentially faces the same question of morality. As for the big reveal, the emergence of Two Face is rather great, it’s just a shame he’s not as emphasized here as I would have liked. I hoped he’d have been ushered in to the third film as the next gut wrenching villain, but alas, Nolan doesn’t seem to be intent on further exploring the duality of the man known as Two Face, and it’s a shame. I was frankly disappointed. The developments in the second half didn’t quite sell the likelihood of a better sequel up ahead, but “The Dark Knight” is still a near flawless example of superhero cinema with marvelous performances, a top notch script, and direction that aims for a more adult audience. It simply doesn’t fail to hit its mark.