MOVIE REVIEW: The Dark Knight
In the past, I had mentioned that in order to make comic book movies work, the actors that portray the roles need to embody the role. That is to say that whenever I envision that character outside of the context of the actual comic, that the actor's portrayal is the only thing I think of. It is so with Robert Downey, Jr in IRON MAN and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. But after having watched HELLBOY II, embodiment is not enough.
For a comic book movie to succeed, the movie needs to do one of two things. 1)The movie embraces its comic book roots and revels in it. It is fully aware that it is based on a comic and that is okay. The history, the look, the tone, all reflect its comic origin. IRON MAN is an example of a movie that is fully aware of it's 4-color heritage. If the movie does not do that, then the movie must 2) transcend it's source material. That is, the movie is so well made that you forget that it was ever based on a comic at all. Despite the costumes, despite the over-the-top characters, you forget that you're watching a movie where a guy is dressed up in a Halloween costume.
THE DARK KNIGHT is the latter. I love this movie.
I was trying to figure out what it was that I loved about the movie. It's not like I'm a huge DC Comics fan. But despite the lack of love for the universe, I loved the movie.
Here is movie that despite the fact that you have a guy dressed up in a bat costume, despite the fact that the city is being terrorized by clown, and despite the fact that a guy is running around with a burlap sack over his head, it works because, ironically, the movie is so grounded in reality. This is not a movie about garish colors like neon pink and day-glo green. Nor is this a movie about a guy wearing a rubber suit with nipples on it. No, this is a movie about a psycho causing chaos and the people dedicated to trying to stop him.
Unlike so many comic book movies, this one has real depth to the characters. Even those that play bit parts are fleshed out enough that you care for them. The subtexts of doing what needs to get done for the sake of the people, the rise and fall of heroes... all of it makes for a compelling movie that is antithetical to what people know of comic movies.
Visually you have another stunning movie. Despite the fact that most of the movie is filmed in darkness, you don't get too lost in what's going on. The action sequences, the explosions... there's enough to make even the most jaded action movie watcher happy.
When it comes to performances, this is where the movie shines.
Let me get this out of the way right now: Heath Ledger is fantastic as the Joker. The nuances in his performance, the way he walked, the way he talked, everything, makes Ledger's performance the definitive rendition of the Joker. You knew the Joker was insane, and yet there were times where he seemed the most sane of the bunch. Is Ledger's performance deserving of an Oscar like so many people believe? I don't know. There have been many psychos over the years and I think that most of the "Oscar love" is only because he died, but regardless, Ledger made the film. And anyway, when was the last time the Oscars gave credit to a comic/action/sci-fi movie that wasn't in the technical categories. Despite solid performance, by virtue of the genre, those movies always fail to be recognized.
Who will be, unfortunately, overlooked is Aaron Eckhart. His performance as Harvey Dent was fantastic. The growth the character went through... from the "White Knight" of Gotham to his fall from grace was great. And the FX used on Two-Face was gruesome. Excellent job.
Playing second fiddle is the "star" of the movie himself, Christian Bale. Despite the fact that the movie bears his name, this is not a movie exclusively about Batman. Instead, we have a movie about heroes and the sacrifices they have to make. Bale does a serviceable job as Bruce Wayne/Batman. I still think his performance as Bruce Wayne is well done. He has the right look and the playboy attitude to pull off the facade needed as Wayne. But I'm still not sold on his performance as Batman. I don't know... maybe it's the low growl he always uses when he talks. Every time I hear him speak, I want to offer him a throat drop.
The rest of the cast provides a solid performance all around. I'm surprised I didn't hate Maggie Gyllenhaal but her character is still nothing more than a damsel-in-distress. Although I think she did do a better performance thank Katie Holmes (and it pains me to say that). Gary Oldman continues his excellent performance as Lt. Gordon as you see him struggle with working with someone who is working outside of law while he tries to uphold those same laws. Michael Caine is always fun and I love how playful he is in his portrayal of Alfred.
I wonder how they will do future movies. They are getting to the point where Batman's rogue gallery is starting to get more fanciful. The movies work so well because they are grounded in reality that I don't know how many more villains they have left before things start getting "comic book-y"
Speaking of villains, this is how a movie should handle multiple villains. This was SPIDER-MAN 3's biggest failing... too many characters. But because the development was so well done, the fact that THE DARK KNIGHT adds essentially another antagonist during the last 1/3 of the film isn't a bother. In fact, because we had practically the whole move to get into the character, it made the introduction of Two-Face more poignant.
In the end, you have one excellent movie despite it comic book origins. It would be interesting to see if other movies would be able to take the "real world" approach to other properties. DAREDEVIL could probably stand a re-do.
Go watch this movie.
FINAL GRADE: A