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We’ve suffered from a superhero glut at American
cinemas this year, so much so that if I don’t see another costumed
do-gooder before 2009 I’ll be more than thrilled. Still and all, when
the dust settles at the end of this film year, Christopher Nolan’s
Batman feature The Dark Knight will wind up on my best-of list. It’s an
ambitious, visionary work that’s concerned with far more than a
powerful outcast saving the day. Posing moral questions about the nature of
good and evil and examining the dynamics of living in a free society that
depends on the civility of its citizens to survive, the film explores the
nature of heroism and villainy to reach the conclusion that they are not
very far apart. As with most sequels in this genre, Knight benefits greatly from not
having to spend time dispensing any background concerning its main
character. We quickly learn that Batman (Christian Bale) has had a profound
effect on crime in Gotham City and that he’s become an unofficial
aide to Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman). Yet despite his presence
there’s still a great deal of work to do, because organized crime
still runs rampant. Gasoline is poured on the fire by the appearance of the
Joker (Heath Ledger), who has the temerity to rob a mob-controlled bank.
Though the task of stopping this wave of crime is great, Batman has help in
his fight in the persons of idealistic District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron
Eckhart) and his assistant, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), as well as
trustworthy butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) and high-tech-gadget-maker Lucius Fox
(Morgan Freeman). As written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan, who
borrow heavily from the graphic novels The Long
Halloween and The
Killing Joke, the plot is complex, gritty, and
full of surprises. More an urban crime epic than a simple comic-book film,
the story features its share of action setpieces, most notably the opening
heist and a fatal chase scene shot on Chicago’s Lower Wacker Drive.
However, the meat of the story is the battle of wills that develops between
the characters. At stake is the moral fiber of a city, with beleaguered
knights awash in a sea of corruption that tempts them every day to turn a
blind eye. Each and every character and citizen of Gotham is forced to make
a moral choice between right and wrong at some point, and though their
actions may seem negligible, the sum total of their decisions decides the
fate of their city, as well as of their souls. The film contains a degree of intensity not normally
found in features of this sort. Make no mistake, this is not a movie for
children. A great many things separate this from previous Batman films, chief among
them the portrayal of the Joker. He’s nothing more than an agent of
chaos, a walking contradiction as his actions seemingly defy logic yet wind
up being part of a grand sinister plan. He has more than a few cards up his
sleeve and as portrayed by Ledger he comes off as one of the most memorable
villains in film history. This isn’t a hammy turn but a passionate,
frightening portrayal of psychotic behavior. Making the character even more
compelling is the humanity Ledger brings to the role, as there are hints
about the character’s tragic background, which he mines to great
effect. Even when he’s not onscreen, the Joker dominates
the film, for we know that his plans drive every other character in the
story. Much is made of the similarities between Batman and his nemesis:
Both men hide a great deal of pain behind their masks, having suffered
great tragedy, and each has responded by allowing his life to be dominated
by insanity. Ledger will get the lion’s share of accolades, but Bale
matches him. The actor knows that he’s in a potentially thankless
role, but he makes Bruce Wayne and his alter ego interesting by showing the
character’s hopes, doubts, and regrets. These two pros play expertly
off one another and provide the film with an emotional core that elevates
it above its genre roots. Although many will be attracted to the film’s
wow factor, it is the human element that makes it memorable. The members of
the main cast all inhabit their roles with a sincerity that grounds them,
and we can’t help but become invested in the plight of family-man cop
Gordon, tarnished knight Dent, or Dawes, the woman caught between two men.
We relate to their trials because they are our own — the struggle to
do right in a world of temptation that seems to reward the corrupt and
vacuous. The Dark Knight is a film steeped in tragedy, sacrifice, and heroism, and the
eternal struggle at its core gives it a resonance that makes it one for the
ages.
This article appears in Jul 10-16, 2008.
