Joker shines as Batman returns in 'The Dark Knight'
Rating: ****
Batman may be the dark knight, but it is the late Heath Ledger as Joker
who truly haunts this movie. Director Christopher Nolan returns with
star Christian Bale as Batman and by having the late Aussie actor Ledger
act in "The Dark Knight" they have allowed the movie to be
hijacked by what is clearly one of the finest performances of the year.
"The Dark Knight” continues where “Batman Begins”
left off. If "Batman Begins" was dark and brooding, "The
Dark Knight" is gothic and philosophical.
But the filmmakers haven't allowed themselves to forget that they are
making a summer blockbuster based on a comic book hero and have peppered
the movie with some punchy and explosive action sequences.
The brawls between Batman and the bad guys are too up close and dizzying,
but the chase sequences unfold more gracefully.
Ledger might have stolen the show as the Joker but the other actors
do a very impressive job.
Aaron Eckhart does a brilliant job as Harvey Dent and his character
clearly evokes the empathy of most of the audience. Maggie Gyllehnaal's
performance as Rachel Dawes is not going to make any one pine for Tom
Cruise's wife Katie Holmes who played the same character in the original.
Michael Caine brings in that air of dignity and warmth playing the
butler Alfred. Bale is again solid as Batman, but he still seems a bit
too distant in his bat costume and sounds like he is labouring to annunciate
his lines.
The true genius of Ledger's performance is his ability to play an out
of control psychopath and pulling back just in time to avoid being a
caricature. His Joker is a manic intellect, who won't flinch at killing
anyone. His ability to keep us under the threat of his unpredictability
is as viscerally powerful as any action scene worth millions of dollars.
His performance is electric and admiring and that makes it even more
tragic because his death has robbed us of more such performances.
The movie begins with a bank robbery and introduces us to Joker. The
District Attorney Harvey Dent is leading a crusade against the underworld
and has won the heart of Bruce Wayne's love, Rachel Dawes. Batman wants
to leave the life of crime fighting and wants to support Dent to take
up the cause of fighting crime in Gotham City.
But Joker proves to be too much and it requires the power of all the
good folks in Gotham, even the ordinary citizens, to finally overcome
the evil of the Joker.
Nolan maturely handles some pretty heavy themes. The conflict between
good and evil, fate and choice, action and consequence are all properly
explored. The interior conflict in every character is evident and we
readily connect with them. The Joker may be the only character that
seems to be most pure in his motives, albeit evil, but the tragic death
of the actor playing him brings in that outside extra dimension of complexity.
"The Dark Knight" is one of those rare films that manages
to deliver on almost all levels. It may not be appropriate fare for
young children, but with its adult themes and its numerous action sequences,
it should please the teens too. It just might be a bit too dark to be
a date movie.
