The Antithesis to Batman Begins

Rating: 10/10 (29 July 2008)

First off: THis film is ruthless, heartbreaking,cruel, and the closest superhero movies have come to perfection by far. Christopher Nolan (2006's The Prestige) delivers yet another masterpiece along with his brother Johnathan as co-writer.
The acting is amazing, with a badass Christian Bale (2007's 3:10 to Yuma) giving snarl and ferocity to Batman while always keeping in touch with the characters humanity. Maggie Gyllenhal (so superb in 2006's Sherrybaby) is disappointingly ditsy as a love interest who is supposed to carry much more weight than she does. There were moments in the movie where I wished Katie Holmes was back in the role. As Harvey Dent, Aaron Eckhart (2003's The Core) succeeds in the difficult balancing act that is portraying the persona, transformation, and alter-ego of Harvey Dent almost flawlessly. His stance as the white knight adds more perspective on the role Batman plays in Gotham. Every other returning player exceeds epectations, with Gary Oldman remaining the most underrated part of the cast. Oldman exemplifies every aspect of commisionor gordon, causing his to disappear within his character. However, his performance is outshined (or is it outdarkened?) by Heath Ledger. I can't say anything else about Ledger's (2005's Brokeback Mountain) performance that hasn't already been said. The film depended on his performance and he hit it out of the park. There has been talk of giving Ledger an Oscar for his performance, but also talk that it is only because of his untimely death. Let me make this clear: There is no link between the character Ledger created in the Joker and Heath Ledger the actor who tragically died. The reason for this is because Ledger, just like last years Oscar winners Daniel Day Lewis and Javier Bardem did with their respective characters, severs the link between charecar and actor and delivers the most chilling villain since Hannibal Lector ate A liver with some fervor beans and a nice Chianti. We won't know until the Fall, when all the big name films arrive, but Ledger is leading the pack so far.
The action scenes are dazzling, but the most satisfying moments in the film are the conversations concerning the Joker's philosophy. (Namely the Holding room scene, The hospital room scene, and the rooftop finale) Ledger's voice carries so much strength that it chills the viewers spine when they realize that what he says about the world is true. Batman accepts this as well, breaking his "one rule." The nihilistic spin offered by Batman's decicion causes this film to not only go against its predecessor, but also every ideolgy held in touch by each superhero before, even Batman himself.
By far the most striking part of the film is the difference in the stance on justice and its limits. In "Batman Begins" Wayne strove endlessly to prove to his mentor, Ra's Al Ghul, that the moralities one holds on to is what separates us from the ones we fight. Wayne's determination to hold on to this view led to an ending that gave hope for the future and assuracne that uncompromising light in the presence of darkness could live. With the presence of the Joker, however, Batman becomes more rattled than ever before. At one point in the movie the Joker promises that he will break the one rule he holds so dear. In any other movie, the hero would win and disprove the joker's logic. As it turns out, this film is far more darker than any before and shows the Caped Crusader transform into the Dark Knight as he realizes that the Joker's logic, as dark as it is, is correct. I don't mean to be Absoltist in my review; Batman is not on the same wavelength as the Joker. In fact, he sacrifices far much more than any superhero sacrifices for the city he protects: His image. I always picture superheroes (especially Superman) getting off on their own idealistic image and their belief that they are perfect. Not Batman, and that is what this film does to separate him from the rest of the pack.
In short, this is a very complex and dark film. Any darker and this would be a film of a man hitting puppies with a bat.