Good and evil are easy to spot . . . in a comic book

Rating: 10/10 (22 November 2008)

Java Man Reviews "The Dark Knight" (PG-13) Directed by Christopher Nolan. Written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan. Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman & Morgan Freeman. Originally appeared in LakewoodBuzz.com November, 2008.
OVERVIEW:
Once again it is time for all of the good people of Gotham City to marshal its forces against the architects of evil. On the side of good are Batman/Bruce Wayne (Bale), District Attorney Dent (Eckhart), Assistant D.A. Dawes (Gyllenhaal) and career cop Gordon (Oldman). The allies of evil include the city's crime kingpins and the satanically sinister Joker (Ledger).
Good and evil are easy to spot . . . in a comic book.
But in the noirish world created by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, things get complicated--and interesting. Is Batman a hero? Or is he an outside-the-law vigilante? The joker gets his jollies by pitting the so-called good characters against each other as he creates one ethical dilemma after another. For example, two ferry-loads of passengers are placed in a position where they must decide to blow up the other boat before they get incinerated themselves. What would you do? By the end of the film good and evil have kept themselves well-hidden, behind a veil of ethical and moral ambiguity.
REVIEW: 4 out of 4 Java Mugs!
With a cast of characters who originated on the pages of a comic book one might expect simplistic storytelling and cardboard characters. This film is any thing but, because it transcends its source in a way that The Godfather films outclass the pulp novels they were based upon. Compelling dialog immediately pulls us into the narrative, just as the characters find themselves drawn into the complex chaos of human existence. The Joker's nonstop patter is a perfect example: In addition to his usual wisecracks and witticisms, he spouts such surprisingly complex comments that a psychology major might start taking notes.
But its not just the dialog, it's the late Heath Ledger's inspired performance that makes the Joker such a memorable character. He may win a posthumous Oscar. Though not as dominating as Ledger's, other performances are extremely effective. Bale's deep-voiced, brooding Batman reveals how similar these polar opposites really are. "You complete me" the Joker informs Batman at one point. Eckhart, Gyllenhaal and Oldman are quite convincing as the crime-fighting trio who try to bring the bad guys to bay. Significant supporting work is turned in by Oscar-winners Caine and Freeman as Batman's worldly wise backups.
The technical aspects of the film are flawless. Many scenes have been shot with Imax cameras and Chicago is magnificently cast as Gotham. Well-executed chase scenes and other action sequences perfectly match the film's somber tone. Obvious CGI is kept at a minimum, and everything seems to be happening on the mean streets of Gotham, rather than on a hard drive of a computer.
As of this writing, The Dark Knight is the second-highest grossing film of all time, just 50 million or so behind Titanic. This is a much better movie, so let's get out to the theater and pass that sinking ship, $8.00 at a time.