The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
****1/4

Consummate
You're bound to feel all sorts of emotions after watching the latest Caped Crusader installment. I'm guessing one of them is bound to be stunned. Nolan's masterpiece pulls out all the stops in its creation of a highly realistic world gone terribly, terribly wrong. The chaos accumulates so hard and fast that it almost takes your breath away. That accomplishment — and the fact that this film has mastery on virtually every level — is why this is the best superhero movie ever made. It's why it may end up being the best decades into the future. It's also why this may be one of the several best movies ever made, too.

Tightly-Wound
It opens with a bank heist so elaborate, so beautiful, and yet so twisted that it left me wondering how the film was going to follow such a stellar opening act. Well, it did - and how. The film is so cleverly written that it wouldn't surprise me if it won Best Original Screenplay this year. But though it has its beard-stroking moments (and entire plot layer, actually), that cleverness gets woven into a plot so action-packed that I doubt more has happened in 2 1/2 hours of celluloid, ever.

Hijacking the best bits of many other great films (unnamed to prevent spoilers), The Dark Knight goes far beyond them in creating several truly original, frighteningly memorable scenes. Somehow the script, actors, director and editing team worked at such a high level that they succeed wildly at creating a great thriller, a great drama, and an unparalleled superhero movie.

Stylishly Profound
Perhaps The Dark Knight's greatest accomplishment is its exhilarating balancing act. It has more thrills, in a seemingly perfect story, than any film I can ever remember — and yet it doesn't add up to just another pretty face. At the same time, it is one of the most subtly thought-provoking films ever made — and yet I doubt anyone left the theatre thinking they had just watched a documentary.

You would think that the centerpiece of the film would be Heath Ledger's spine-tingling Joker. In a way, he is, and the performance is so good as to give future villain actors shoes far too big to fill. He was somehow able to tap into the deep sense of all that is wrong with our world. To say he is a shoo-in for Best Supporting Actor sounds almost like sacrilegious understatement. But though The Joker is a magnificent nemesis (the kind that would have made any other movie wildly successful), he is only one of several main characters in this movie. Batman, too, is a central character, and so are politician Harvey Dent, Commissioner Gordon, and even Lucius Fox.

Unquenchably Good
The central themes of The Dark Knight are so pointed and so skillful that they work their way into your insides like surgical needles. Some seem, on the surface, to be relevant only in this story, but they cunningly blossom out into our world and ourselves. 

Whom should we put our hope in: inspired vigilante justice or our legal system? When we go out of our way to smother evil, do we only give it an excuse to become stronger? After we realize the chaotic brokenness of the world, where do we find our sense of fairness and retribution? Is there really no explanation, sometimes, for what evil does? And since we all have the capacity for it, how much power should we give any one person?

What should we focus our minds on: our capacity for evil, or our capacity for good? Is there a difference between evil that a madman perpetrates and evil that gets sanctioned by the government? Is it ever right to play villainously in order to catch a villain? How do we deal with the atrocities of our own past without bringing harm to others? And where will we find a savior formidable, uncompromising, and overwhelmingly good enough to save us from ourselves and the mess we've made of things?

These themes, and others, are intensified throughout by the proficient artistry of an intense score, skintight editing, and directing so assured as to be bar-raising. I walked out of the theatre stunned, deeply aware that I had just seen one of the best movies ever made. And it was so compelling, so layered, and so unquenchably good that I wanted to watch it again, immediately.

_{Warning: The violence and sinister elements in the film should have won it an 'R' rating, which is not to condemn it — only to define its appropriate audience. I would not want a young teenage friend to see this film, or someone who is deeply troubled by portrayals of violence or evil. Those who are ready, though, should prepare themselves to talk it out with fellow viewers for days afterwards.}

Comments

[kamran]

yep- you nailed it on the head.
I saw it on an imax, at midnight. very worth the cash and tired factor, very much felt like I was falling or flying.
joker gave me a new understanding of evil. the scene where he had the little Chinese guy sitting on a pile of 60+million dollars, and was pouring gas on it was stunning. joker is right, we don't get it, it is not about the money, it is about the chaos. a great conversation starter for those ready to face it.

[anna]

Thanks for your review. Good questions. That film was one that kept me thinking for days after I saw it. And I read several reviews between seeing it the second time. I think I like this one the best.

http://catholicinformation.aquinasandmore.com/2008/07/24/the-dark-knight/

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[Mandi]

I was totally glued to this movie at the midnight release ( even though I was dead tired!). It really spiraled into a tighter and tighter story throughout. However, I do agree with your warning note. I believe it was beyond PG-13 and had trouble watching a couple of scenes myself. I won't rush out and buy it like I did the first one, but I am glad I saw it.

Interesting note- Glenn Beck discussed it several times on his tv show in regards to the conservativeness he feels is portrayed in it. very interesting discussion...

[Chris Sligh]

I agree with your assessment...I hate superhero films. This doesn't feel like a superhero film. It's film about a normal guy who trains his skills to be super and then uses it to his best idea of good.

Great movie, great acting, great script and almost perfect directing.