The best superhero movie of all time, but so much more than that

Rating: 9/10 (25 July 2008)

It's hard for me to refer to this movie in the context of the comic-book superhero movie genre, although it is clearly and by far the single greatest film in it  fact of the matter is, The Dark Knight transcends the genre. Most superhero films contain an inevitable fantasy element  even the other great superhero movies such as Spider-Man 2 or X2 feature a certain fantasy or sci-fi element in them. But with his take on the Batman franchise, director Christopher Nolan and the entire creative team have taken a cognitive and ingenious decision not only to make as realistic a film as possible, but also to actually root their films in the realism of our modern world. In these films there are no superpowers, freak occurrences, unexplained phenomena or fantasy elements of any kind, and any such concept that appeared in fantasy form in previous incarnations of Batman are explained by real-life vindications and abilities in Nolan's Batman films. If anything, the whole realistic setting doesn't make things easier for Nolan but rather harder, because he has to take special care to make sure that nothing bleeds over into the realm of camp. That it works so incredibly well is yet another testament to his talent.
From a technical standpoint the film is practically flawless. The cinematography by long-time Nolan collaborator Wally Pfister is absolutely brilliant  camera movements and set-ups are excellent and his use of natural lighting, especially in the many nighttime scenes, gives the film a very stylish feel while remaining completely true to the feeling of realism the film emulates. The action scenes are also incredible  well shot, conceived, and choreographed, it is truly a relief to see the film rely almost entirely on practical effects and stunts and not on CGI. In fact, as far as I could tell the film features barely any CGI, and even the elements that could have only possibly been created by a computer, such as the look of Two-Face, are completely unnoticeably integrated into the film. But what really caught me off guard isn't the technical prowess of the film, but rather that The Dark Knight is fare more than a thick plot, powerful acting, great set pieces, fight scenes, and car chases  it transcends the label of simple entertainment by also serving as, of all things, an allegory.
The acting in the film also deserves to be mentioned. Like Batman Begins, Nolan has collected an extremely impressive cast for The Dark Knight, losing wonderful assets such as Liam Neeson and Ken Watanabe but gaining equally talented talents in Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The crossovers from Batman Begins are excellent as always  both Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, who are undeniably talented actors and who pretty much consistently deliver good performances in their films, seem to have warmed up to their supporting roles, and Christian Bale is excellent and powerful as always in the title role, even if he isn't the main attraction this time around. Gary Oldman, who also appeared in Batman Begins, has a substantially meatier role this time around and is brilliant as always, completely disappearing behind the accent and playing a genuinely, purely good character, quite unlike the antagonistic characters he has played many times before. Aaron Eckhart, one of the most underrated actors who was absolutely brilliant in movies like Erin Brockovich, Conversations with Other Women and Thank You For Smoking (but not so much in The Core and Paycheck), delivers some of his best work yet with the perhaps-too-devoted Harvey Dent, whose obsession with doing the right thing ends up costing him quite a lot. It's a subtle, skillful performance that gets a little showier in the third act but which remains down to earth for the most part. And then, there's Heath Ledger, whose performance is just so incredible, so effective, so unbelievably superior it deserves to be separated from the others. His portrayal of The Joker surpasses everything he's ever done  he is engulfed, swallowed by the raw, animalistic nature of The Joker, allowing it to consume him and his performance.
It's easy, and entirely true, to say that The Dark Knight is the best superhero comic-book adaptation movie of all time, but really it's so much more than that. Rooted in reality, the film is more like a really, really good, epic crime-drama that just happens to feature a main character who wears a bat suit and a villain who dresses up like a clown. The movie transcends the comic-book feel and mentality and enters a higher realm. It's technical virtuoso, incredibly well crafted action set pieces, exquisite direction and impeccable acting work well enough, but are elevated when integrated with the film's fascinating, deep, resonant message about human nature and morals. Laden with symbolism and allegorical messages, The Dark Knight is far more than just a superhero movie, and is the best movie of 2008 so far and definitely the best of the summer.