Of the recent comic book adaptations to the big screen few have been so eagerly anticipated as Christopher Nolan's follow up to his 're-creation' of Batman on screen, the critically acclaimed Batman Begins (2005). While Iron Man whetted many a comic fans 'appetite for destruction' with witty dialogue and slick C.G.I, the promised coup of the summer blockbusters awaited in the second of Nolan's Batman films, The Dark Knight. While the unfortunate death of Heath Ledger cast a further dark shadow around the films release, it was the actors advanced critical praise for his pivotal role as The Joker that had both comic-book fans and non-comic book fans eager to view The Dark Knight.
The public deserves a better class of blockbuster comic-book movie and Nolan is going to give it to us. Indeed The Dark Knight gives us the explosions, the violence, the psychotic villains, the corrupt cops, the romantic triangle, and the tortured heroes. It gives us everything we desire and Nolan yearns to give us more than most would expect from 'standard' comic-book fare. Of course the devoted comic-book (and animation) fans are aware of the seminal and solid structure of Gotham that has been created graphically over the years and have yearned for this world and its denizens to be properly 'fleshed out' on screen. Nolan has taken some of these seminal elements from these comic-book stories (Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns), and awarded devoted Bat-fans not only the mature development of major characters, we get glimpses of minor character 'treats' as well. On the whole The Dark Knight successfully brings the world of Gotham and its characters to life on the big screen as no other live action film has in past interpretations. Nolan has shrewdly minimized the use of computer-generated affects within the film bringing the viewer down into the street-level of Gotham. This street view of the action causes the rooftop scenes to be utilized to maximum effect. When computer graphics are employed in the film they (usually) make sense, the one exception being the 'extraction' scene. So visually The Dark Knight fulfilled and surpassed all my expectations of the real world treatment of Gotham and its 'Dark Knight', what about the story and the acting?
Spoiler Alert! If you have not seen the film do not read below this sentence.
As we were 'teased' at the ending of Batman Begins, the sequel would feature The Joker, and as we all know Heath Ledger had already received many accolades for his portrayal of the 'clown prince of crime'. Suffice it to say that all that was stated about Ledger's performance, as The Joker is unmistakably true. He infuses The Joker not only in his singsong litanies, but through his physical contortions as well. I thought the most effective scenes with Ledger were the puppy dog looks he achieved in the interrogation scenes. The decision to have The Joker maimed (by himself or another?) and then slather himself in make-up was brilliantly done. It resonates with The Joker's 'condition' not being a result of chance circumstances, but as a willful human act. This Joker is 'created' to give people what they want, a psychotic 'terrorist' who promises the thieves he works with money (killing them after), 'the mob' whom he promises Batman's head on a plate (when we know he won't kill Batman), and to Batman the promise of ridding the world of a demented, twisted killer (with the implied price being 'The Batman' would have to kill him). The people of Gotham also need their 'terrorist' their arch-villain and the Joker is happy to oblige them with a painted (or masked) face in the media or gleefully blowing up hospitals (dressed in drag as a nurse no less!).
Aaron Eckhardt as Harvey Dent is intent on cleaning up Gotham’s crime lords and is utilizing his charisma and power as district attorney to achieve this. His character is on the ‘right’ side of the law and Bruce Wayne begins to question if he is the right 'crusader' to clean up Gotham when Harvey is doing such a bang up job with Jim Gordon. Speaking of banging, Dent is currently shaging Bruce’s ex-girlfriend Rachel Dawes (a tired Maggie Gyllenhaal). While copycat Batman’s (with guns,) are also causing Bruce to think about hanging up the Bat-suit, he’s also thinking about getting his 'woman' back from Dent.
Aaron Echardt is perfectly cast as crusading district attorney Harvey Dent and makes the transition to 'Two-Face' more tragic by his 'All-American' good looks. I do feel that the C.G.I. of 'Two-Face' could have been played down a little more, it was a litttle too 'Terminator' like for my tastes. Maggie Gyllenhaal is cast in this film (thankfully replacing Katie Holmes) as the 'romantic interest' between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent. Her character is certainly a weak link in the film (as it was in the first). A few critics have pointed to her lack of screen time, yet I feel that another actor cast in this role would have carried at least some magnetism toward both Dent and Wayne. This 'lack' of Gyllenhaal's acting is painfully revealed when she is killed, and I found myself not even caring that much about her, a bad sign (although I probably would have even applauded this if it was Holmes)!
If lack of screen time is to blame for Maggie Gyllenhaal's character how then do we explain Gary Oldman's wonderfully subtle take of Jim Gordon? With very little screen time Oldman continues to infuse Gordon's character with believable force. Unfortunately, he is the one shining spot in Nolan's direction of the portrayal of the Gotham police. I am still confused why Nolan changed the names of some of the obvious characters on Gotham's police force like Montoya's? Perhaps it is was a directive of D.C. (the comic company not the capital)? The worst treatment of the police is in the dialogue of the street patrolmen, making them sound like cowards and idiots. Nolan and Nolan could have benifitted in the police dialogue department by picking up a copy of writer's Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka's wonderful Gotham Central comic series.
Both Morgan Freedman (Lucius Fox) and Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth) reprise their roles well and prove to be the consummate actors that they are, another example that little screen time need not affect the definition or strength of a films character.
The characters of the mob, particularly 'Boss Maroni’ played by Eric Roberts, display more of the weakest parts of The Dark Knight. Clearly Nolan could have cast someone better to play this role, as Roberts mumbles and stumbles his way through the film (too much Botox?). The scenes were he should have broken both of his legs, or at least his ankles, from a fall should have been more forcefully played also. To make matters worse we later see him walking with just a cane and barely hobbled!
Last but not least Christian Bale respectfully reprises his role of Bruce Wayne/Batman and his stoic features continue to lend itself well for the 'face' of Batman. Once again long time Bat-o-philes will apreciate how this on screen Dark Knight appears and disappears in an instant, and best of all we actually get to see ol' long ears conducting actual dectective work (although that print on the bullet defies plausability)! One scene I believe could have been heightned is when Bruce is brooding in the chair after Rachel's death, why not show his black eyeliner running like The Jokers? There have been major complaints about the gravelly intonations of Batman, and I do agree that this 'Transformer enhanced' voice seems to be a little over-the-top particularly given the vocal range of Bale. This is a minor complaint in an otherwise definitive treatment of 'The Batman' on film.
The plot of The Dark Knight careens somewhat from pulp to soup to sap, yet it is in the strength of the majority of actors in this film and its decisive visual staging that make it a definitive dark rendition of The Batman and the world of Gotham onto the big screen.
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