What chance does Gotham have, when the good people do nothing?

Rating: 10/10 (11 July 2005)

What can I say that hasn't been said already? I can say "WOW", but does it carry the same emotion that everyone else speaks about? I don't know, but for me, this was the best summer blockbuster that I have seen in 2005. Christopher Nolan has done his homework, stayed true to dark, graphic stories that follow this hero, and set in place a cast that equally carry the weight of this film on their shoulders. I remember saying to a friend that the reason this film worked was because of the cast. In previous Batman films, we struggled between the over-acting of some, the celebrity status of others, and some that were just plain goofy, but now Nolan has given us a cast that carries this film into a whole new ballgame. They want to be there, they want to embody their characters, they want to give birth to this Dark Knight, and they do. When I first heard about this film being in the pipeline, I was concerned about Christian Bale taking on such a role that has been demolished by the heavy-hitters of Hollywood. Could he do it? I had faith in him, but did everyone else? Apparently they did, because he is the most powerful representation of this tortured figure ever to come out of comic book Hollywood. I applaud his work, appreciated his toned down approach, and cannot wait for him to come back and prove that he is this winged freak.
Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Rutger Hauer, Tom Wilkinson, the AMAZING Cillian Murphy, Linus Roache, and Ken Watanabe. With names like this you know that you are walking into greatness. I was worried at first about Caine as Alfred, but with the greatest of ease he turned what could have been the comic character of the film into this powerful voice of Wayne's conscious. It was incredible.
While I give so much credit to the actors, I need to equally pay respect to Christopher Nolan. Not since Sin City did I feel like I was watching a graphic novel, a comic, come alive on screen. His ability to frame each shot like a moment in the books, create these breathing characters that you can actually believe exist, as well as tell a story that has been corrupted by the Hollywood recycling machine takes talent and Nolan did it. I have been a huge fan of everything that Nolan has touched. I used to give Memento out for free at the video store just so people could experience the magic that he has. I was a fan of Insomnia and even Followers. I get excited to see his work because it changes with each picture. You never know what you are going to get when you watch a Nolan film, but you can guess that it will be dark and come from his heart. I saw it in his earlier films and it shined brightly in Batman Begins.
If I had to say anything negative about the film (which is hard to do) there would be two aspects that I would mention. The first is Katie Holmes. I just didn't like her character. She was underdefined and basically eye-candy for the younger Dawson's Creek audience members. She was worthless, perhaps it was the Tom Cruise media mud-bath that seems to have ruined our newspapers these days, but she just felt plain to me. She didn't make the cut. Then, there were times where you could tell that Bale was really forcing a grumbly American accent. Nothing too wrong with this, but it just felt forced. These were minor insecurities that I had with this overall brilliant film.
Outstanding. Perhaps that is a better word for it. I could see this film again and again. From the opening frame to the final moments of battle I was pulled from my theater seat directly into the film. No other Batman film has done that for me. I remember falling in love with Keaton as the Dark Knight, but I think Bale even gave him a run for his money. Nolan created the perfect tone and story for our disturbed hero. He took the goofy elements from Burton, erased Kilmer/Clooney, and brought us back to our roots. This film was perfection on a stick.
Grade: ***** out of *****