TGWTG User Blogs

7.18.08

Yo,

The fuc*ing site just logged me out while writing the original draft of this (completed too...over two hours worth of work) deleting it when I attempted to save it. So, attempting to quell the anger and the self-bashing, I'll re-write the damn thing from memory.

This review is termed "mulled over" because despite seeing this at the midnight screening, I find its much easier to gauge a film and its long-losting appeal by letting it fester in your mind for a while, mulling it over as the phrase goes. Needless to say, the internet is now full of fanboy rants and quick-post-screening blogs about this flick, but hopefully I could draft a deeper picture for you. Spoilers may be here, or may not be. Depends on your level of comic book lore knowledge and common sense.

*EDIT* Apparently one of the pictures I uploaded to the original review was hacked, appearing as a pornographic image to viewers, but not to me as the author. All is fixed. Enjoy the review of the movie concerning complete world annihilation, demented psyches, and gruesome violent imagery, now porn-free!

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The Dark Knight (2008)

dir. Christopher Nolan

starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart

dist. Warner Brothers

prod. Legendary Pictures

This is what happens when you finally let Christopher Nolan off his leash. The direction of "Batman Begins" was so claustrophically conventional that it could have been directed by anyone. Thankfully we see the depth of Nolan's creativity in "The Dark Knight," and the film flourishes mainly due to his input as both director and co-writer. The film is a glowing example of psychological drama, which just so happens to be a comic book movie. Credit goes to Frank Miller and his "Dark Knight Returns" line of books, but the film stands by itself as a testament to the power of dark cinema; and this is coming from an outspoken Marvel enthusiast.

The film begins with a daylight robbery of a high profile Gotham bank by a nameless band of clown-masked thugs. We get our first glimpse into dark deliciousness with the subplot of each thug being shot after completing his specialized task, "The Departed" style. Also included in the opening mayhem is a surprise cameo by William Fictner, playing a heat-packing bank teller fighting back against the thugs. Its an amazing thing that even his character, appearing on screen for less than five minutes, is well rounded and provided with ample movitation. The Joker reveals himself as one of the masked clown thugs and quickly throws the cash onto a school bus that drove through the bank's exterior. After executing the bus driver, he leaves Fictner with a dud grenade in his mouth, and drives the school bus out onto the street precisely when a line of other buses are driving down the road, as police come en masse from the opposite street. Get used to this acerbic pacing, its what makes the film.

We catch up with Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale taking up the cape once again,) in a stand off between a Russian-led mob fighting against another band of thugs, this time lead by the Scarecrow, whose role dissapointingly extends only to the point of capture after a short car chase. Batman returns to the in-construction Bat Manor #2 to mope and heal, joined later by his man-servant Alfred (Michael Caine reprising his role,) who deals the usual wit and charm to cheer up the Crusader before seeing him off to discern the string of crimes committed by the now city-wide infamous Joker, who has busied himself by contracting a bounty from Batman-defeated mobs in exchange for the Bat's death. Along for the ride again is Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman,) Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman,) and Rachel Dawes, with Maggie Gyllenhaal replacing the Cruise-controlled Katie Holmes. Dawes, formerly Wayne's bat-crush, is now dating D.A. Harvey Dent (a wonderful Aaron Eckhart,) whose passion for the right thing inspires Wayne to hold a fundraiser for the District Attorney; which draws the Joker out from hiding; who roughs up the crowd and drops Dawes from a window to divert Batman before dissappearing, later beginning a host of high-profile murders in order to draw Batman out to reveal his true identity. The plot extends for two more hours after this, and I, like the many trailers, will leave the rest up for audience enjoyment.

More than anything else, the writing for this film elevates it to the point of masterpiece. The Nolan brothers weren't sated with a simple good-guy-insane-guy plot, they crafted a deep and philosophical examination of the psyche of both the "hero" and "villain" archetype, much like Scorese's "The Last Temptation of Christ," did for the "savior" mindset. But that is not all, they extend this analysis of psychology to the citizens of Gotham themselves, at one point pitting two ferries against one another, one full of prisoners and one of free citizens, each given the detonator to the ferry opposite them, with instructions to blow up the other or wait to be blow up themselves. Another moment of intrigue is the dual capture of Dent and Dawes, the moments leading up the facial scarring of Dent. The idea of "choose one at the expense of another" has been a comic book staple since 1940s Superman, but never has it been expressed in such an engaging and talented way. This is what you get when the team behind "Memento" gets the narrative go-ahead. The arc of this film is well-paced, stapling your eyes to the screen with moments of intensity unrivaled in cinema since "Children of Men." Fist fights and a few "jump out" scares are thrown in between the huge fights to keep the action-addicted tuned in, but its not difficult to loose yourself in the wonderfully complex and dark world the Nolan brothers weave. Several multi-layered characters and their conflicts being throttled by an insane mind's attempt to bring about humanity's barest nature appears so effortless on screen, the audience is quickly at the mercy of the screenplay, stitched into a never-ending masochistic voyeurism.

With a script of such might, it takes the strength of several brillant actors to keep it at a level of mastery, anything less and it would descend to the level of a Middle-School Shakespeare play. Luckily, for the most part, the acting herein is superb. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman play to their archetypes, the delightfully snobbish British doter and the ever-calm wiseman, which works for the context but is dissapointing when one thinks of what could occur if more boundaries were broken. I make a small pun here when I say that Gyllenhaal's performance was much less explosive than her character, but Holme's performance was no better, the character in both lore and screenplay is the most one-dimensional and difficult to draw from. Oldman is heart-blisteringly good as Lieutenant-comme-Commissioner Gordon, his idealistic family guy tears at your skin and drawing deep, hitting every emotional nerve. You will feel, and it will hurt. Aaron Eckhart also gives a noteworthy performance as Harvey Dent, a character the writers so mercilessly destroy that you find yourself silently begging the screen to ignore DC lore and let him stay the believeable, trust-worthy politican. Both Gordon and Dent are skinned live on screen, good guys beaten brutishly by reality, a plot simutaneously gruesome and fascinating.

The wide range of talent is epitomized in the scenes with Bale and Ledger. It has been a while since I stirred up controversy, so allow me to do so by saying that Bale, despite being a wonderful actor, fails miserably as Batman and Bruce Wayne. Perhaps it is the production designer's ferverish attempts to make many locations reminiscent of "American Psycho," (the restaurant was particularly similar) but I have seen this Bale before, and better. When the scene tells me Wayne is emoting over death, all I see is a blank face and a far off stare. It doesn't help his seriousness in Batman getup when his Caped Crusader voice sounds like a constipated homeless man. Despite them being in lighter films, I found myself longing for Keaton's acidic Wayne and Kilmer's detailed Batman. That leaves us with Ledger, whose untimely and tragic death adds new layers to an already impossibly deep performance. Take away the hype born from his demise, and see the performance for face value, and you will still come away with a portrayal of insanity so perfect, that it belongs alongside Anthony Perkin's Norman Bates, Geoffrey Rush's Marquis de Sade, and Sally Field's Sybil. There are barely any words to describe the intensity and detail that went into every frame of the Joker's psyche. He is hilarious, demonic, and never appears as Ledger. His performance is never as beautiful as when he tells the origin story of his smile-like scar. It's two times in the film, each time he tells the tale it's different, and the work inspires such engrossment that you can never look away. Talks of what happened before the events of the film, the Joker's true identity, and other topics will go on forever, the sign of a fantastic performance.

With such glowing prose you may expect "The Dark Knight" to be a testament to cinematic perfection. I am happy to express that it is not so, but in the way that, though flawed, its imperfections build a sense of humanity in the film. The Batman-to-thug fist fights are ham-handed and messy as always; despite being well-paced the film does suck up a lot of time; some shots attempted cinematic flair but came out annoying and uncool fluff; and the deadly disposal of the villain (as in the last film) is severely anticlimatic. But looking at ten things from the film and finding only one you dislike is a sign of a diamond film: a cinematic endeavour whose glories are made even more spectacular by its faults.

Comic book films have reached a new level with "The Dark Knight." Wonderfully paced, generally acted sensationally, and with writing superior to many classics, it stands as a film that reached beyond its humble expectations and became a deep and rewarding experience. As far as psychological dramas go, its intense, intoxicating, and incredibly entertaining. And it just happens to be about a rich White dude in a black cape.

Trailer:

One Word Review: Sadistic

Headline Review: "Nolan and Ledger Make Comics Art Again."

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A few points I couldn't fit in the review:

- Ledger should not get an Oscar for this role. Posthumous awards are a conflicted philosophy, as we never know how much the fact that they are dead factored into the voting. Despite it being a performance for the ages, it should stick to audience adoration.

- You remember? That one part? After Batman made the giant laury tip over? And was riding right up to that building? And mid-wheelie his bike's frame flipped around? And he continued riding in reverse? Without losing an inch of momentum? THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!

- Please, please, please stop comparing Heath Ledger's Joker and Jack Nicholson's Joker, they are two different characters. I'll prove it: Nicholson's: named, with a backstory, cartoony atomsphere, homicidal artist, catchprase. Ledger's: no backstory or no, insane atomsphere.......insane. Two different actors, directors, movies, and styles. They just happen to share the same name. STOP COMPARING THEM!!

- "Spider-Man 4" cannot have Sam Raimi, Kristen Dunst, or Tobey Maguire. It is the shared fault of that trifecta that has kept the Spider-Man films from anything but kid-ertainment, especially compared to what DC put out in "Dark Knight." Ditch the three, hire some unknowns, and do the "Tangled Web" arch to inspire some dark production and costume design. In fact, just call it "Spider-Man: Tangled Web."

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NEWS

- Most likely going to UC Irvine now. Wee. Will attempt to get a quarter/year abroad from the UC system though. Hopefully to England or France.

- My friend Bennett the Sage is taking his blog "INTO THE WOODS: A blog about bad movies" into the video format! Check out his stuff here on TGWTG and love it!!!