K: The Dark Knight is the must-see movie of the summer, if not the year. It's clear that a lot of thought went into writing the script. The plot is thoughtful and the character development was mind-blowing. I say that because it's Batman, our hero, who is the one to go too far more than once. This movie is dark, primarily because it reflects all the things we don't like going on in our real lives (terrorism, corruption, etc.), but it's also hopeful. Our faith in humanity (more specifically, ourselves) is tested when the Joker has two large ships full of passengers, one convicted criminals and the other ordinary citizens of Gotham, and they each have a device to detonate a bomb on the other ship. He gives them 15 minutes to detonate one of the ships or he will blow them both up.My only criticism, and a slight one at that, is how quickly attorney Harvey Dent, one of our three most trusted people of Gotham (with Batman and Lieutenant Gordon, of course), turns into Two-Face after one conversation with the Joker. But I'm willing to go along with it because
Of course the acting is phenomenal by all cast members, which is the reason this movie goes above and beyond plain old good story telling. With actors such as Michael Cane and Morgan Freeman in supporting roles you know its going to be great. Needless to say, Christian Bale explores the limits to which Batman would go with such natural finesse that you forget you're watching a movie and start to believe it's real. And, of course, Heath Ledger's psychopathic Joker really is worth all the Oscar buzz you've been hearing about. One of the best moves for this movie was to drop mediocre Katie Holmes for the much more talented and believable Maggie Gyllenhaal in the role of Rachel Dawes.
I highly recommend this movie. If it's any indication, I plan to see again before it leaves the theaters - probably in IMAX so I can completely submerge myself in the seedy underbelly of Gotham City (ah, the grossly glorious thought...).
J: First, a moment of silence for a brilliant actor….
Now, having said that, rest assured this movie isn’t just an homage to Heath Ledger, nor does it hinge solely on his exceptional performance as the Joker. This movie would rate four stars even without the assist from Heath Ledger’s passing (yes, it is a sad reality that his very untimely death created a certain amount of additional buzz for this film).
Truly, this movie has it all. Absolutely breath-taking action, fascinating characters, and really cool gadgets. Without doubt, Batman is my favorite super-hero and not because I grew up watching the TV show with all its Zap, Pow campy-ness. No, it’s because Batman has no superpowers other than a really buff bod and some spectacular toys to play with; oh, and about a gazillion dollars to buy and build it all with. He is what anyone could be when pushed to the edge of reason by tragedy. Certainly, Christian Bale inhabits the most angst-ridden Batman since Michael Keaton, mainly because he has the advantage of a more extensive back-story to work with, courtesy of director Christopher Nolan. And Michael Caine’s Alfred has been my favorite character in both of these movies, with Morgan Freeman a close second and a wonderful addition. Both of these actors could make the worst movie worthwhile, but fortunately they get to work within one of the best. By the way, thanks, Tom, for not allowing the “little woman,” Katie Holmes, to reprise her less than stellar (being VERY kind here) performance in “Batman Begins.”
About midway through the movie, I began to worry that a too complex plot would spoil the potential for greatness but Christopher Nolan did a fantastic job of knitting together all the loose ends by the finish. My only problem was with a scene involving the burning of a mind-boggling amount of money (I won’t be the spoiler here, so that’s as much as I’m going to say). I was confused by the scene (so much so that I had to confer with my movie-going partner, K) and feel it was unnecessary to further the plot. Upon clarification after K and I compared notes, I understood it a bit better but still maintain the point of the action could have been better interwoven elsewhere in the movie. Even though the action is nonstop, one really has to pay attention to what is going on, which might irritate those who like to just “sit and watch” and not to think much about what is going on. To those moviegoers I say, “Grow up!” or go watch “Mama Mia.” I think the best advice K and I got prior to the movie came from her parents who rightly suggested that we not drink much before the movie because we will NOT want to stray to the ladies’ room at any time during the film (damn absent Pause button!).
“And here…..we……go” with the intensity of the Joker. I choose not to speculate about the effect this characterization might have had on the psyche of Heath Ledger or whether it could be counted as even a partial cause of his far too early passing. However, his interpretation of the Joker is beyond words. Very few actors have the chops to pull off something like this, even Jack Nicholson could not embody the evil of the Joker the way Heath Ledger has. Mr. Ledger made the Joker his own and it will forever remain his part with no equal. His anarchy was a fascinating twist and the ever-changing explanations of his facial disfigurement effectively portrayed the insanity of the character. As Alfred points out, “Some people just like to see things burn.” And burn is exactly what the Joker does, literally and figuratively. And sadly, there will be no explanations from the actor about how he came to inhabit the part. For a frustrated thespian like me, that is the cruelest cut of all!
Ok, Spoiler Alert here so if you haven’t seen the movie yet you might want to just say “What a fabulous review” and stop reading. I walked out of the movie feeling a certain amount of sadness for Christopher Nolan. Imagine being the director of the second installment of what is arguably a world-class Hollywood franchise with people clawing at you to begin the next movie and you realize with horror that you have, in fact, killed off the WRONG villain! My heart goes out to him. But, Hollywood, being the vast industry it is, will still insist on the third movie being made. I do not envy Mr. Nolan – I wouldn’t want to have to face topping this movie. Good luck, Mr. Nolan, too bad we actually saw the body!
