The Dark Knight experience

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2008)

The Dark Knight is no ordinary summer Hollywood flick,it is unconventional,convoluted and most precisely BRILLIANTAfter weeks & weeks of surmounting hype with the media throwing in all possible tidbits about the movie,the movie still managed to live up to the hype.This effort by a dedicated set of actors and technicians will certainly be remembered for a long long time..
I am not going to spill the beans by giving the whole movie plot,but i sure can review it The most probable question in your mind would be 'Who was the show-stealer??' .The answer to this question is a no-brainer now(Thanks to all those critics who watched this movie a week ago),it is Heath Ledger.His final performance surely does leave an impactHeath literally lived the role of The Joker and everything about him was great,be it the dialogues or the body languageOn a scale of 10,i give him 11,no villain in the recent past has been as menacing as the jokerIt is sad that he died earlier this year.He was a great talent and he would have given us more memorable roles.Big round of applause for him and i surely hope he is nominated for the Oscars next year..RIP!!
Outwardly,just like Batman Begins,the whole city of Gotham is made to tremble and joker brings the whole city to a standstill with multiple homicides,explosions and threats.The trio comprising of Batman,Lt. James Gordon and the new district attorney Harvey Dent join hands in wiping out the skum of Gotham City and they are quite successful until the city's thug mob give in to Joker's terms and what follows is sheer chaos.Joker goes on a killing spree demanding the batman to reveal his true identity and he almost succeeds!!The whole story involves a lot of sacrifices to counter Joker's moves and as an audience,we are jolted by one twist after the other.The story surpasses the mundane superhero storyline and is just inches away from realitySee it,to believe it!!
From the acting department,everybody give their best.My favorite Christian Bale delivers yet again as Batman and also as Bruce Wayne although he has very less screen time as Bruce Wayne.Bale is very much self assured but looks a tad anemic.He reprises his role just as a day at the office.Gary Oldman is given more scope this time around and he looks resolute as Lt. James Gordon.Aaron Eckhart is a new member to the cast and this is the first time i have seen him in a movie.He does well as the dedicated DA and also as the vengeful Two-Face.Maggie Gyllenhall,Micheal Caine and Morgan Freeman go about their roles with finesse and no one looks wasted at the end.The director Nolan had a clear picture of what we wanted and his ensemble deliver just the sameBravo!!
Coming to the technical department,the background music was just pulsating and concise.Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard rework on their Batman Begins theme and bring about an haunting experience which lasts the movie's length.This movie deserves it.Cinematography by Wally Pfister is top notch and is award worthy.I was dazed with the camera movements .Editing was jarring sometimes but very much acceptable.But do save your praise-points for Christopher Nolan,Jonathan Nolan and David S.Goyer.Christopher Nolan is the man who made Memento and The Prestige and he now according to me,holds the distinction of being called the most sophisticated director in Hollywood.Nolan's direction is very much in keeping the movie pacy and also elaborate at the same time.Screenplay is tight as usual.His brother Jonathan teams up with Goyer for penning the story and they sure have done their homework with the comic books .Supposedly,they have read a heck lot in bringing together a serious crime epic of a movie.Oscar worthy stuff!!
And now,my favorite moments from the film
1.) The start of the movie.a urban bank robbery which acts as a superlative intro for the Joker.
2.) The scene where Batman jumps from the top ledge of a skyscraper to gate-crash into some thugs
3.) The pre-interval chicken chase scene was just AWESOME with old fashioned stunts and gripping music.This is as good as the climax chase in Terminator 2!!
4.) All of Joker's scenes..and also his preening HEHEHE
In a nutshell,the movie was just great and it can be seen more than twice.By the end,we were left gasping for more,everybody was unwilling to move from their seats,such was the impact.It was 152 minutes of a thrill ride.Batman and Joker brawl their way into a slobberknocker and their escapades make me think by picturising the batman as a silent dark do-gooder who detests the limelight and who does everything to be within his code of ethics and the joker who is the Satan or the anti-Christ with absolute chaos as his solve motive,a person who is an crime artist with a love for the theatrics.Together,they are yin-yang but they are fun to watch So what are you waiting for,get a load of The Dark knight before your friends deliver the spoilers.