The Dark KnightHeroes are praised for upholding the moral standard of society, and villains scorned for undermining it. The Dark Knight is a superhero crime movie about Batman (Christian Bale), a shadowy protector of Gotham City who has sent the criminal underworld scurrying for cover after the events of Batman Begins. But before this urban jungle can truly be called safe, Batman will have to confront a madman--a self-proclaimed "agent of chaos" known only as "The Joker" (Heath Ledger). As their iconic conflict escalates, the Joker constantly forces Batman's hand, pushing him to compromise his values, dragging him and Gotham down into the darkness.
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Since Batman was introduced as a comic book superhero almost eighty years ago, the character has been developed into a mythological icon through its original medium and other venues, from movies to video games. The Dark Knight creates a fully realized Gotham City, indistinguishable from a major metropolitan area. A convincing crime story with realistic action movie set pieces strips away the fantasy aspects from the comics while retaining the core elements that define the characters. The film opens with a bold (yet plausible) bank heist by the Joker and a group of masked hoodlums, revealing its primary antagonist as a cunning and cynical counterpoint to Batman. Despite dressing in all black and using martial arts and technology to instill terror into his enemies, Batman--and his billionaire playboy alter ego, Bruce Wayne--is an idealist; he would have to be to believe that his heroic campaign would be effective at stopping crime altogether. The Dark Knight emphasizes Bruce's reluctance in his role as the caped crusader, confiding to his childhood friend and erstwhile love interest, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), that he is waiting for the opportunity to hang up the cowl for good. Bruce sees this opportunity in rising star district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who is lauded as the "white knight" of Gotham, due to his sterling reputation and dedication to seeing the law triumph over crime. Harvey is charismatic, and despite Bruce's twinge of jealousy over his relationship with Rachel, represents something more effective than his nocturnal crimefighting could hope to be--a city redeemed from injustice, graft, and corruption through legal means. Batman's only meaningful ally within the Gotham City Police Department has been Lieutenant James "Jim" Gordon (Gary Oldman), who officially reports that his department is tasked to apprehend the "vigilante" known as Batman, yet values discretion over risky exposure and bureaucracy.
These three like-minded yet disparate scions of crimefighting uphold law and order based on their individual interpretations of it. The Dark Knight explores the merits of their respective approaches, but more importantly, how each of their exclusive attitudes blows up in their faces, evidenced by the ease with which the Joker pushes their ideological buttons. Batman operates almost entirely on a solo basis--his actions are technically illegal--although he is supported by both his long-time friend, butler, and role model, Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), and his secret research and development engineer, CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). Working with very few people--and otherwise only through hired proxies, like for his clandestine trip to Hong Kong--reveals that Bruce is almost incapable of trusting other people, in part due to the metaphorical scar left behind being betrayed by his one-time sensei, Ra's al Ghul. Even when he is offered counsel by Alfred and Lucius, Bruce all but ignores their suggestions, unable to reconcile being a hero and not also being a martyr or potentially a tyrant. Jim and Harvey work within the scope of the law, but do not trust one another. Jim is blind to the corruption under his own nose in spite of his experience, which allows the Joker to manipulate the more unscrupulous members of his department with relative ease. Harvey's reputation from his former position with Internal Affairs precedes him, earning him the unflattering nickname of "Two-Face". He is idealistic and a bit too wrapped up in his public persona--his skill at prosecuting criminals and his perception of the infallibility of the law fuels his arrogance. There are frequent cues that foreshadow Harvey's transformation into Two-Face--another alumni from Batman's proverbial rogues gallery--like his "lucky coin" he keeps with him. Harvey also has a black and white view of right and wrong--a quality that made him popular with the citizens of Gotham who elected him, fed up with living in a crime-ridden cesspool. Harvey gets away with quotable lines like "you either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain", because he represents big ideas and a promise for a better tomorrow. But as the Joker observes when comparing madness to gravity, one "push" is all it takes for Harvey to abandon his faith in the law. That he embraces the arbitrary laws of probability is meant as an affront to the principles of justice, which he is convinced has failed him.
Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is one of the most original and iconic depictions of the "clown prince of crime". He is intelligent enough to orchestrate the exact timing of the most minute events in his crimes--from when a school bus will burst through a bank wall to precisely when to reveal the whereabouts of two hostages rigged to timed explosives at different locations, even while being assaulted by Batman. Yet the perpetually cagey Joker purports that he is not a "man with a plan", claiming that plans and schemes are the structural weak points in civilized society; when they fail, people "lose their minds". The Joker is unquestionably a sadist who relishes devising creative ways to hurt people both on a physical level and an emotional one. Nothing about the Joker's past can be taken as legitimate; when he is arrested, all Jim finds in his possession are "knives and lint", and his stories about how he got his scars vary so wildly that they are likely all fabricated just to intimidate his prey. The Joker uses gallows humor and irony to paralyze his enemies with confusion. He claims that his interests are solely in sowing discord, but he begins to recruit members from the lower echelons of the mob and the maladjusted for his own gang little by little. Like the mobsters he convinces to hire him to "kill the Batman", he wants to control the city, even if just for the sport of it. The Joker isn't just willing to exploit the weaknesses of others, but he possesses a preternatural ability to read people's reactions--a skill in the hands of a gifted entertainer, twisted to sinister ends. He quickly picks up on that Batman has feelings for Rachel when he crashes a fundraiser Bruce throws for Harvey, and the opening bank heist shows that he understands the untrustworthy goons he has hired better than they know themselves. The Dark Knight showcases a villain that cunningly undermines social institutions like morality and civilization, and a jester who mocks the heroes by turning the values they uphold against them.
Recommended for: Fans of a gritty and realistic crime story featuring the popular characters from the "Batman" comic series by DC Comics. Between plenty of chases, explosions, and fight scenes, The Dark Knight is also a morality tale, raising questions about the relationship between truth and justice, as well as our ability to stick to our moral standards when they are tested.
These three like-minded yet disparate scions of crimefighting uphold law and order based on their individual interpretations of it. The Dark Knight explores the merits of their respective approaches, but more importantly, how each of their exclusive attitudes blows up in their faces, evidenced by the ease with which the Joker pushes their ideological buttons. Batman operates almost entirely on a solo basis--his actions are technically illegal--although he is supported by both his long-time friend, butler, and role model, Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), and his secret research and development engineer, CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). Working with very few people--and otherwise only through hired proxies, like for his clandestine trip to Hong Kong--reveals that Bruce is almost incapable of trusting other people, in part due to the metaphorical scar left behind being betrayed by his one-time sensei, Ra's al Ghul. Even when he is offered counsel by Alfred and Lucius, Bruce all but ignores their suggestions, unable to reconcile being a hero and not also being a martyr or potentially a tyrant. Jim and Harvey work within the scope of the law, but do not trust one another. Jim is blind to the corruption under his own nose in spite of his experience, which allows the Joker to manipulate the more unscrupulous members of his department with relative ease. Harvey's reputation from his former position with Internal Affairs precedes him, earning him the unflattering nickname of "Two-Face". He is idealistic and a bit too wrapped up in his public persona--his skill at prosecuting criminals and his perception of the infallibility of the law fuels his arrogance. There are frequent cues that foreshadow Harvey's transformation into Two-Face--another alumni from Batman's proverbial rogues gallery--like his "lucky coin" he keeps with him. Harvey also has a black and white view of right and wrong--a quality that made him popular with the citizens of Gotham who elected him, fed up with living in a crime-ridden cesspool. Harvey gets away with quotable lines like "you either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain", because he represents big ideas and a promise for a better tomorrow. But as the Joker observes when comparing madness to gravity, one "push" is all it takes for Harvey to abandon his faith in the law. That he embraces the arbitrary laws of probability is meant as an affront to the principles of justice, which he is convinced has failed him.
Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is one of the most original and iconic depictions of the "clown prince of crime". He is intelligent enough to orchestrate the exact timing of the most minute events in his crimes--from when a school bus will burst through a bank wall to precisely when to reveal the whereabouts of two hostages rigged to timed explosives at different locations, even while being assaulted by Batman. Yet the perpetually cagey Joker purports that he is not a "man with a plan", claiming that plans and schemes are the structural weak points in civilized society; when they fail, people "lose their minds". The Joker is unquestionably a sadist who relishes devising creative ways to hurt people both on a physical level and an emotional one. Nothing about the Joker's past can be taken as legitimate; when he is arrested, all Jim finds in his possession are "knives and lint", and his stories about how he got his scars vary so wildly that they are likely all fabricated just to intimidate his prey. The Joker uses gallows humor and irony to paralyze his enemies with confusion. He claims that his interests are solely in sowing discord, but he begins to recruit members from the lower echelons of the mob and the maladjusted for his own gang little by little. Like the mobsters he convinces to hire him to "kill the Batman", he wants to control the city, even if just for the sport of it. The Joker isn't just willing to exploit the weaknesses of others, but he possesses a preternatural ability to read people's reactions--a skill in the hands of a gifted entertainer, twisted to sinister ends. He quickly picks up on that Batman has feelings for Rachel when he crashes a fundraiser Bruce throws for Harvey, and the opening bank heist shows that he understands the untrustworthy goons he has hired better than they know themselves. The Dark Knight showcases a villain that cunningly undermines social institutions like morality and civilization, and a jester who mocks the heroes by turning the values they uphold against them.
Recommended for: Fans of a gritty and realistic crime story featuring the popular characters from the "Batman" comic series by DC Comics. Between plenty of chases, explosions, and fight scenes, The Dark Knight is also a morality tale, raising questions about the relationship between truth and justice, as well as our ability to stick to our moral standards when they are tested.