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My review of The Dark Knight

A few weeks ago I went and saw the new Batman movie – The Dark Knight. Before I continue I must confess that I am and always was a huge Batman fan and will always be biased in favor of anything that includes the Batman.

Until Batman Begins came along my favorite Batman was the one from the animated series (voiced by Kevin Conroy) and off course the comic books.

Batman and Joker

With the Batman of Joel Schumacher and Tim Burton in the 80’s and 90’s I really missed the dark, brooding, introspective Batman from the comic books.

Then Christopher Nolan came along and gave the Batman series a well deserved “reboot” with Batman Begins. This opens the door for The Dark Knight to really kick off without having to do too much explaining in terms of back story, etc.

So, on to the Dark Knight. There are some spoilers here, so if you still want to see the movie, don’t read on!

For me it’s the first “comic book movie” that can really stand alone as a proper crime drama, almost like The Departed or Heat. It was shot on location in Chigago and this gives it a real gritty feel and rooted in reality.

The film kicks off with a bank robbery by The Joker and his mates. This co-incides with Batman contemplating retirement and handing the torch as the defender of Gotham to Harvey Dent. Harvey is Gotham’s DA and its “White Knight”. Fighting the good fight in the courts and in City Hall, not confined to the shadows like Batman – Gotham’s “Dark Knight”.

However, with the new menace on the block, Batman has to pull out all the stops to save Gotham and himself from being pulled under by the shear madness of The Joker.

Most of the hype around the movie has been around the late Heath Ledger’s portrail of The Joker. Believe me, this hype is not without merrit!! Heath delivers a fine performance, delving into the demented character of the Joker and bringing it to life like no other actor could so far. Another “twist” is that there is no backstory for the Joker. He simply arrives on the scene and leaves a trail of death and destruction in his path. The Joker is so unpredictable that everytime he is on screen you start to feel a nervous sense of dread. This guy is not some clown in a mask. He is a genuine lord of chaos that lives in the shadows of his own dementia. I think Alfred (played by Michael Caine ) sums up the Joker the best when he says: “Because some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

Batman and Joker

The Joker himself sums it up like this:

“Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I’m a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it! You know, I just, do things. The mob has plans, the cops have plans, Gordon’s got plans. You know, they’re schemers. Schemers trying to control their worlds. I’m not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. So, when I say, ah, come here, when I say that you and your girlfriend was nothing personal, you know that I’m telling the truth.

It’s the schemers that put you where you are. You were a schemer, you had plans, and uh, look where that got you. I just did what I do best. I took your plan and I turned it on itself. Look what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets. Hm? You know what, you know what I noticed? Nobody panics when things go according to plan. Even if the plan is horrifying. If tomorrow I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it’s all part of the plan. But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds!

Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I’m an agent of chaos. Oh and you know the thing about chaos, it’s fair.”

The Dark Knight is a dark (almost black), uncompromising movie with no happy ending and that should satify both the comic book and crime genre lovers. Never during the 2,5 hours do you shed the sense of fear and dread for the saftey of Gotham city or its citizens.

Even if you don’t like Batman, or comic book movies, you should go and see this one. You will be surprised.