Dark, bleak, and uncompromising

Rating: 8/10 (3 June 2016)

Following on from BATMAN BEGINS comes Christopher Nolan's second entry in the revitalised Batman film series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first movie and looked forward to this one, aware that many principal cast members were returning. Add to this all the fuss surrounding Heath Ledger's untimely demise and his supposedly terrifying performance as the Joker, and I walked into the cinema ready for a great time. I wasn't disappointed.
This is Hollywood blockbuster film-making at its finest: intelligent, well-scripted, with great effects, acting and choreography. This is a powerful, brooding film, even darker than its predecessor, that packs a whole lotta violence into a 12a certificate movie. Okay, so this film ain't gory, but it's certainly one of the most violent and disturbing flicks I've seen in a while. A lot of that is down to Ledger's performance, which has rightly been called brilliant. Blowing memories of Jack Nicholson out of the water, Ledger is a virtuoso in the role, a real freak of nature, a repulsive killer stealing every scene. It's the best performance this actor ever gave, and it's a shame he died when he was just realising his true potential as an actor and not as a wooden pretty boy.
The film kicks off with action and follows it with more action. Car chases, fantastic technology (the sonar stuff breaks new boundaries), some martial arts fights and the biggest and best explosion seen on film...they're all here and they never let up. The bone-breaking blows that Batman rains down on the villains are incredibly powerful and I still can't work out how this achieved a kiddie-friendly rating. The script has plenty of twists and turns, including the deaths of some notable leading characters, and plenty of characterisation as well. Themes of good and evil and what it means to be a hero are explored well and the actors all do their roles justice. Special mention goes to Aaron Eckhart, an actor who I've previously found bland but who's excellent as DA Harvey Dent here.
If I had any complaints, it would be that Bale hardly gets a look in as Batman takes a back seat to the villains on display. But when they're so good, who cares? Old-timers Caine and Freeman add sparkle, humour and warmth to their parts and there are lots of laughs along the way to go with the shocks and chills. I found Gyllenhaal to be a lacklustre replacement for Katie Holmes, but she's barely around so that doesn't matter. Special effects are top-notch, with one make-up/CGI job surpassing Arnie's ruined face in TERMINATOR 3. So THE DARK KNIGHT is a fantastic film – dark, bleak and uncompromising. It may be a little too much for some viewers, but I loved every second of it – and I look forward to watching it again. A great film.