Jasonic's Favorites: The Dark Knight
Hello, and good evening, Internet!
The impact of this film is among the greatest a Batman film has ever had on the general public and I'm more than happy to return to it as a fully-fledged Batman fan alongside the rest of the trilogy!
Released in 2008, The Dark Knight was and still is one of the quintessential Batman and superhero films that many love for various reasons you'd still hear about today. While Batman Begins has been semi-overlooked for being the less popular film of the trilogy, this film cemented both Batman and The Dark Knight Trilogy in the modern cultural eye at the time. According to Wikipedia, it was quite literally the highest grossing film of 2008, the fourth-highest grossing film to that time, and the highest-grossing superhero movie of that time. Critics and fans lauded it for just about everything it did right and differently in a good way, especially with Christopher Nolan's established methods of directing and storytelling; for example, rather than heavily following comic book movie tropes established by previous frachises such as X-Men and Spider-Man, this movie took the world and characters of Batman and integrated them into a full blown crime drama with the Joker's organized crime being a heavy focus of the plot. No doubt thanks to this movie that everyone has heard of the Joker, his most famous quote becoming the iconic, "Why so serious?" line that every Joker cosplayer recites to play into their look. Just about every live action Joker since then has sought to replicate the energy of Heath Ledger's iconic performance, this movie making him one of the most iconic Jokers next to only Mark Hamill's animated performance he's been known for since the 90s. Knowing how great this movie was and still is in the public eye, I have been most looking forward to this one as far as reviewing it with the rest of the trilogy. I mentioned in my review of Batman Begins that this trilogy was my introduction to Batman after hearing how many people loved it throughout my school days -- mainly The Dark Knight -- and I have since become a greater Batman fan having played the Arkham games, watched the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher series, and seen a majority of the iconic Batman: The Animated Series since then. Returning to this film, any Batman film, as a full-blown Batman fan has its benefits as it allows you to pick out references and nods to other versions and continuities as far as the portrayal of the characters and elements of the universe. That said, I'll ask what I always ask and say does this movie actually deserve any criticisms despite its critical acclaim it's known for? To find out, let's journey back to Gotham City, strap on the bat cowl, and drive the Bat Pod straight into the iconic masterpiece that is The Dark Knight!
*SPOILERS* (though at least everyone has either seen or heard of this movie by now, so who cares?)
The movie picks up a roughly ten months after Batman Begins; it opens with an ever-iconic bank heist where a bunch of clown-masked men rob the mob-owned Gotham National Bank, betraying and killing each other for the amount of money they're told to steal. The mastermind behind the operation, "The Joker" (Heath Ledger), soon reveals himself and takes off with all the money on a school bus; later that night, thugs led by Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) attempt to make a deal with with a Mob boss before fake Batmen attempt to stop them with a gun. The real Batman (Christian Bale) soon intervenes and apprehends everybody before resigning to his penthouse as Bruce Wayne where he's operating for now and is greeted by his butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), who notices his wounds from the Rottweilers attacking during the scuffle. As Bruce issues a more versatile suit of armor courtesy of Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Gotham's new district attourney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), assists in the trial of Mob boss, Salvatore Maroni (Eric Roberts), successfully defending himself in an assassination attempt and receiving appreciation from his current flame, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) consider allying with Dent in their attempt to eradicate the Mob with the possibility that one day he (Dent) will take the place of Batman as Gotham's "White Knight"; meanwhile, Bruce meets Harvey as himself and subtly competes for Rachel's affection, Bruce hoping that someday he can retire to be with her as she seemingly waits for him. The allies for Gotham assemble while some nasty behind-the-scenes Mob activity stirs beginning with the Chinese criminal banker known as Lau (Chin Han) offering a secure place for their money in Hong Kong; the Joker, meanwhile, intervenes on the meeting of Mob bosses to propose killing Batman for half their stolen money, convincing them that Lau will give them all up to the police if he (Lau) is caught. All the while, Bruce plays his hand to track down Lau's illegal activities to Hong Kong, catch him, and have him arrested, the Joker then faking his death as a ruse to kill one of the Mob bosses and take his place, leaving all his men to fight over the money. With Lau compromised and the remaining Mob bosses evading the prison system, the Joker appears on the news, blackmailing Batman into revealing himself lest he kill innocent people everyday, starting with one of the Batman impersonators from earlier. Leaving various clues about his next targets, Joker soon kills a Gotham judge and present GPD commissioner, Gilian Loeb (Colin McFarlane) despite Gordon's efforts and soon raids Bruce's fundraiser for Dent, attempting to make an example of all of Gotham while Batman intervenes. As things progressively get more dire for Gotham everyday, Dent is soon forced to give in by falsely proving himself as Batman so that the two of them can hopefully take down the Joker. What they soon find is that the Joker appears to be one step ahead of them in terms of his anarchy, the two of them finding out why you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
Despite the praise that this movie gets for a number of reasons -- memes included -- I might be among the few that have reassessed the story's structure to be not quite as good as Batman Begins though there are still a number of things it does masterfully. The opening back heist, for one, is one of the most iconic scenes in film history -- superhero or otherwise -- as it establishes the movie's tone as less of a film about a superhero continuing his daily life and more of a crime drama; the buildup of the thugs talking about the Joker toward the reveal of one of the thugs BEING the Joker is a great introduction to the character, showing that the Joker is full of literal surprises and that his shtick is being that of a twisted party act. Scarecrow's presence in Batman's opening action scene also creates a sense of continuity between films; whereas most superhero movies up to that point tend to kill off all villains at the end of their introductory film, this showed that a superhero series could have a sense of continuity prior to the MCU -- first released in the form of Iron Man a few months prior to this movie, funny enough -- and is assisted by the fact that Cillian Murphy returns once more as a maskless Jonathan Crane in the third movie. Tying Batman's childhood flame to Harvey Dent before he becomes Two-Face was an excellent choice as well; while Katie Holmes not returning as Rachel breaks the immersion of returning characters, it creates a subtle love triangle in the sense that Bruce's lingering affection for Rachel still motivates him and that she's torn between the two men -- Harvey doesn't have as much of a conflict against Bruce though. While this trope is cliche nowadays, it at least further cemented the idea that Batman can't ever have a normal life -- a fact re-enforced by the fact that they took the risk of killing off Rachel midway through the movie. This and the number of moves executed by the Joker were one of many ways in which this movie showed the Joker's unpredictability to a point where the movie feels like total anarchy in typical Joker fashion. Some, however, have begun to reassess this as detriment to the movie in the sense that it feels like it's rushing through plot points to get to the next scenario with Joker; I heard a take I had never heard before recently in the famous YouTuber, Nostalgia Critic's, review of this movie that the film could have easily ended with Harvey/Two-Face's inaudible scream as he realizes he and his coin have been scarred with the movie fading out and credits rolling right there. In a way, I can see where he's coming from with how the whole hospital scenario and every other setpiece of the third act climax feels rushed to a point where all that and more could have been saved for the sequel; given how Batman Begins did the four-act structure justice, it does somewhat come off that way with them only reducing this movie's structure to three acts. I won't hold it against the movie though; regardless of if the film should have been as long as it was, I still consider this movie one of the many model sequels up there with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Back to the Future Part II, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day as the second act of a trilogy that continues the story in an organically darker direction that ends on the note of an uncertain future -- in the case of this movie and Star Wars especially, the villains won. With that said, I still enjoy a lot of what the movie does right by giving us some of the best action in cinema, superhero or otherwise.
On that note, let's talk about the action scenes; a friend of mine didn't like this movie and the other Dark Knight movies as much for having bare minimum fight scenes compared to other superhero movies, but I'd say that's to the movie's benefit. The movie is first and foremost a dark, grounded crime drama with superhero characters portrayed realistically as possible; director, Christopher Nolan, rarely, if ever, relies on the use of computer animation in his movies, going as far as to increase the number of practical shots in this movie tenfold compared to Batman Begins. Gone are the CG nightmare sequences of Scarecrow's fear toxin and in come more practical shots of the filmmakers performing legitimate feats such as flipping an 18-wheel truck for the truck chase scene and Joker actually blowing up a hospital set for the hospital explosion. Just as Nolan relies little on CG, this movie rarely, if ever, relies on there being numerous fistfights between Batman and his thugs and villains; we see him actively beating up thugs in scenes like the opening fight against Scarecrow's thugs, the fundraiser scuffle with Joker's men, and the one actually cool fistfight scene aesthetically where Batman is in the night club beating up Maroni's thugs while the colored lights flash in and out all around them. Like Batman Begins before it, the movie really shines in its one standout vehicle action scene; the Batmobile (Tumbler) truck chase midway through the movie is 100% practical shots from what I can tell and is the most exciting scene in the movie with the amount of vehicle action and feats performed in it. While the aforementioned truck flip scene is the most astonishing part of the movie from a practical standpoint, I am all for the Batmobile swerving through the tunnel around vehicles and even jumping in the way of the rocket aimed at the GPD truck carrying Harvey Dent as he turns himself in. While that may look like the end of the Batmobile for the first-time viewer, it certainly doesn't stop there; this movie also sees the introduction of the Bat Pod as Batman proceeds to eject himself from the wreckage of the Batmobile on the additional Bat Pod accessory he installed in case something like critical damage would happen. The Bat Pod blowing up empty cars in its way and swerving around Joker's vehicles in an effort to trip them with his cable make for some sleek Batman vehicle action that would never be possible on the regular full-sized Batmobile and that makes this vehicle action scene a step up from the last movie. The climactic third act may not be as full of action as most other superhero movies of the time and since, but it does give Batman more creative things to do in the way he cleverly uses his sonar function to detect where the SWAT teams are so that he can incapacitate them and stop them from killing the hostages disguised as clown thugs. Batman also does some of the most creative works with his grappling gun to ensure that he trips up the SWAT teams before they can wrongly kill the hostages, going as far as rappeling a group of them off the side of the building right as the helicopter catches him in the searchlight. The final battle between Batman and Joker isn't nearly as exciting as most other hero vs. villain confrontation in terms of action, but it at least showcases the brutality of Joker sending the dogs after Batman as well as Batman being able to endure the dogs' bites with his new armor. I certainly got the most excited I've been in a while rewatching the action and practical effects of this movie and I'm all for it.
Anyone who lives under a rock would never know anything about how much of an impact this movie has had in terms of acting in Batman media; tempting as it is to talk about Heath Ledger first, I will hold off for now and say that Christian Bale is still a great Bruce Wayne and okay in terms of the Batman persona. He still plays up the anti-socialite billionaire playboy persona very well as Bruce Wayne, even going as far as appearing crazy enough to confirm Harvey Dent's suspicions about him being crazy when he knocks him out to keep the Joker from finding him. As Batman, however, his throaty "bat voice" gets a lot more gravely in this movie, beginning the voice's decline in quality over the course of the trilogy; on the plus side, his body acting is better as far as the plotpoint of him creating his new armor that allows him to turn his head so there's that going for him over the Michael Keaton version. Michael Caine's take on Alfred Pennyworth continues to be admirable and inspirational as far as the way he looks after Bruce and continues to be his caretaker even in the absence of Wayne Manor; as always, he is heartfelt and full of wisdom, going as far as starting the meme of "Some men just want to watch the world burn", which continues to remain iconic. As with the other roles I know him for, I will repeat myself with the words of CinemaWins and say that Gary Oldman is always a win; he demonstrates well the incorruptible cop persona that Gordon is known for, has a great American accent in the role, and this movie especially provokes his more caring persona in terms of acting the moment Two-Face puts his family in danger. Most movies he's a part of have him as one of the best actors and this movie is no exception -- it was also a nice touch that his wife was named Barbara as a nod to his comics' daughter (aka Batgirl). As far as returning characters, I mentioned before how Katie Holmes was replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, breaking the emersion of her character; as far as her performance though, she at least has the fighting, moralistic spirit Holmes' version possessed to keep herself from being a full blown damsel, even going as far as the hero failing to save her when she's in peril and she dies. While it remains a mystery what she would have said in her last moments, I can't help, but feel the desperation in her voice knowing she was out of time in her last moments talking to Harvey. Speaking of Harvey, Aaron Eckhart portrayed a much more grounded take on Harvey Dent/Two-Face; with Billy Dee Williams previously portraying the Harvey side in Batman '89 and Tommy Lee Jones playing the Two-Face side in Batman Forever, there is literally no comparision between those versions because this character is nothing like those. Eckhart lacks the character's schizophrenia, but avoids making him a passive participant in a criminal's prosecution by making him stand up for himself in trials and intimidating the criminals with his concept of chance (of which he makes his own luck) by lowering his voice into that signature Two-Face growl when threatening them. The growl really comes out when he's the fully scarred Two-Face -- the main use of CG in the movie -- and he instigates his campaign to eliminate the corrupted cops responsible for Rachel's death. As intimidating as Two-Face acts as a villain, the fact that this version among others was once the "White Knight of Gotham City" makes me feel especially sorry for his downfall and eventual defeat at the hands of Batman. And now for the big one: Heath Ledger (RIP) as the Joker; no doubt, this is the model Joker of modern times in the way he acts animatedly deranged, snarls in significant lines, and maniacally laughs at people losing their cool and attempting to hurt/kill him. The heavily memed lines of his (i.e.: "Why so serious?", "Let's put a smile on that face!", and "Everyone loses their minds!" to name a few) are iconic for a reason as they portray him as a deranged, sadistic, and anarchist clown with the ability to manipulate and control the masses with scary threats and ideas that, while uncivil, certainly make sense in his mind. I could go on about how he stole the show of this movie and set the standard for Joker actors going forward, but we'd be here all day so I'll say that, despite his negative backlash he received upon his casting being announced, he made an unexpected impact on the character, the actor's unexpected death igniting interest in his portrayal and assisting cosplayers and future actors in finding the perfect live action persona to model after. Other actors such as Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox and the various side characters are great and carry this film all the way to the end.
With Hans Zimmer alongisde James Newton Howard returning to score a Nolan production, the score of this movie canNOT go unnoticed. As a whole, the film's OST carries that signature orchestral Hans Zimmer flare with occasional electronic instruments to emphasize the severity of the situations unfolding in the movie. The opening track, "Why so Serious?" accompanies the opening heist scene and starts off with the electronic buzzing (or whatever it is) that plays commonly whenever the Joker appears onscreen during a tense moment; the song the progresses into strings signifying the intense, espionage-like nature of the heist and listening to it in isolation for a change allowed me to picture the the heist sequence as if it happened in real-time. The following track "I'm Not a Hero" continues the string-like rhythm from the previous track in the beginning and evolves into a more heroic-sounding piece with a more contemplative Batman-like tone; the track's title is obviously Bruce's quote about not being a hero necessarily, but rather an inspiration to the people of Gotham -- a fact that some people are divulging in by going as far as impersonating Batman. The song later swells into the more orchestral triumph that Batman's presence in this series exuberates and the sweeping percussion, in my opinion, gives off the weight of his cape sweeping along as he walks in to battle criminals around Gotham; THAT gives it the impression of it being a Batman track. Later on, the track "Like a Dog Chasing Cars" continues that swelling of intense orchestra to signify the Joker and his thugs playing their hand into the truck chase before things change about the 2-minute mark. By then, the more heroic swelling of Batman's entrance into the chase sequence plays as he defends the police escort as best as he can; I rarely, if ever, listen to enough film soundtracks in isolation, but with easy access to Spotify, I finally decided, "Hey, why not?" and pulled it up for the sake of studying the music thoroughly for this review. That said, I'm thankful to have heard that track for myself and been able to picture the Batmobile/Tumbler sequence it goes with. Finally, the last track on the album titled "A Dark Knight" funny enough is the longest track on the album, clocking in at 16:15 and covering the end of the movie plus the credits. The ending orchestral swelling during Batman and Gordon's final speeches plays at the start, demonstrating the end of the conflict while hinting at the uncertain future of both Batman and Gotham given the movie's position as the second act of the trilogy. Once the initial theme is done, the theme lingers into the softer credits themes that play as the credits progress; I'm usually done watching a movie and tune out to other things when the credits roll, but given Hans Zimmer's iconic flare, this last and final track was unmistakably the credits and lasted a long time because of how long credits usually last. Given its title and the placement of Gordon's last line calling Batman "A dark knight" immediately before the credits roll, this no doubt inspired YouTubers like CinemaSins to adopt the phrase "Roll credits," whenever someone drops the title in a film. If there's anything that made this movie iconic other than the moving parts, it was the memes and a lot of our modern Batman/superhero culture can attribute to a lot of what this film did well.
All in all, I don't consider The Dark Knight to be as perfect of a film as others have made it out to be especially when comparing it to Batman Begins, but it is up there with one of my favorite superhero movies as well as films in general. It's got a chaotic and anarchic pacing befitting of a character like the Joker, which may be to its benefit or detriment depending on who you ask, but regardless, it has some of the best practical action and effects and shots put to a superhero film, enjoyable and iconic performances that are hard to top, and some of the best Hans Zimmer-composed music put to film, Batman or otherwise -- The Lion King and Inception's OST are still up there though. Unlike Batman Returns before it, The Dark Knight has the distinction of being the second act of a trilogy that was planned from the start as opposed to the filmmakers simply making a standalone movie and capitalizing on its success by making a sequel; both have very Empire Strikes Back-like downer endings though given that Nolan opted for a more tonally consistent Batman trilogy from the start, I'd personally say that The Dark Knight Trilogy is the best overall live action Batman film series thus far and remains one of the greatest trilogies ever, superhero or otherwise. We have yet to see what the Matt Reeves Batman trilogy has to offer in whole, but regardless of what other people think of The Dark Knight Rises compared to this movie and its predecessor, I still hold this trilogy in high regard with how it made me a Batman fan. We will get to the last one eventually, but for now, I will say that this movie was a worthy follow up to its predecessor even if it didn't quite raise the bar in every way. Ultimately, I give The Dark Knight a solid A and recommend it to fans of the previous movie, Batman in general, or iconic movies.
Thank you all for reading and I will see you in the next review!
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