The Dark Knight returns us to Batman and the City of Gotham along with the regular cast o’ characters we know and love. It begins ala “Heat” with a terrifyingly intelligent twist and proceeds to run wild through the streets of the Gothic town never stopping, never slowing and forever reminding us that yes indeed, Hollywood can do good.
The headliner that you cannot ignore (the interwebs are literally on fire and in full blaze) is the late Heath Ledger as the classic (and original Batman Rouge) Joker. A maniacal creation drawn from several sources it is this villain that has long tortured the Caped Crusader throughout the movies, television shows and comics. And it is here that one actor manages to perfect each and every moment on screen so deliberately and intensely you know Ledger went to his grave with some dark memories.
The Joker is an iconic villain. He’s killed Robin in the comics. He’s been the foil of Batman and others throughout the DC Comics universe. He is The One. Bigger than anyone on the block. And his mannerisms, his speech, his cracked mind and the wild eyed lunacy is spot on. More than anything I squirmed for the first time in a long time as The Joker played out as a spinning spinster of spastic insanity. I actually feared him. I loathed him. And I wanted him to get his from Batman.
That is perfect casting, directing and acting at the peak. Each look, glance, word or even shrug from Ledger conveys something deeper. His mind is a sprawling madhouse on a carnival ride intent on killing, destroying and pushing anyone and everyone to near ends of sanity.
I cannot say enough of Heath Ledger’s performance. It is iconic and legendary. I actually lost sight of it being Ledger on screen and was immersed in the film as if it was reality playing out directly before me. That is the highest compliment any film can be paid. And I’d tip it more if I could.
Batman is just as good. A powerful tale of choices and destiny are wrapped carefully in this powder keg. From one end of the spectrum to the other Bruce Wayne learns the hard way and then the harder way. He loses and wins and struggles to see the point of everything he’s done and will do. And in the end we see him take his mantle (burned and smoking as it may be) and make the unwavering choice that he will indeed be Gotham’s Dark Knight.
We see a transformation of Harvey Dent to Two Face that is just poetic as it plays out across the screen. Watching Two Face and Joker have a chat (Dent in hospital bed strapped in and Joker dressed as a nurse for the cherry on top) is every fans dream. You can only wish that Ledger had survived to see these two iconic characters either join forces or battle it out in the streets of Gotham.
Jim Gordan is a familiar friend you watch and love to see. A fake-out on his fate is played early but you know nobody really dies in Batman, even in this reality based direction they’ve chosen. You see his family (and a small cheer goes up as we see the future Batgirl in her younger years) and you see the pain him and his own endure in the final moments of the film.
Caine and Freeman bring us the good as they always have. Maggie as Dawes is far above Katie Holmes. She can have Tom Cruise. Give me classy sassy Maggie any day. Sadly, we won’t be seeing anymore of the invented character after this film.
This is what Hollywood is about. Iron Man. Hellboy 2. Casino Royale. Movies that are helluva fun but also retain something deeper in between the lines. Go see this movie. I’ll be seeing it several more times and the DVD in December is on my list already.
Superman ain’t go nothing on The Dark Knight. Welcome back to movies Detective…you’ve been missed.
