Pure Cinema

Rating: 9/10 (30 July 2008)

It is rare that I am reluctant to leave a theater. Especially after sitting for over 3 hours (30 minutes before the film started). Usually, when I witness a great film, I enjoy the movie and then hit the aisles before the end credits have completed.
Not this time.
From beginning to unfinished end, this film ranks with "The Godfather" as one of the greatest pure works of cinema ever achieved. And I do not mean to diminish the likes of "Lawrence of Arabia", "Ben Hur" or "The Lord of the Rings" by including this film in their company. While those films were most definitely more epic in scopetaking place over a much longer period of time with infinitely more story to tellChristopher Nolan and his crew have pulled off a modern miracle with this opus. Themes of good and evil play out during the 2 1/2 hour running time, through differing variations, with characters forced into dire scenarios, and action so kinetic and virile that you will barely have time to recover.
And speaking of the characters, the film realizes them so fully that they approach mythical proportions. There is a lot at stake, not the least of which is the end of life as we know it via the Joker. He is a terrorist without a conscience, and enjoys chaos. And suffering. And his manipulations know no bounds, as we witness late in the film during the murder of a key character. This film evokes heart-rending tragedy on a grand scale. And Heath Ledger should win an Oscar.
And yet, the tragedy is counter-balanced with cleanly-cut, beautifully-shot action sequences that will bring you out of your seat. One scenewhich I will never forgetinvolves an 18-wheeler and the Batpod (a glorious invention), and I was so thrilled at the propulsion of this sequence that I yelled out involuntarily at the scene's climax. This movie will gather you up in its momentum and carry you away...it is that good.
And so, by the end of the film when the credits were rolling, I just continued to sit. I sat until the final note of music was played, and until the final name crawled off the top of the screen, so that the only thing left to display was the MPAA rating page. The lights came on and the ushers were beginning their cleaning duties.
And I still did not want to leave.
This is one hell of a movie.