Dark and brooding thought-provoking tragedy

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2008)

"The Dark Knight" has got to be the darkest and most mature superhero movie to come to the big screen so far, tackling morality in such uncompromising manner that is at times haunting and often painful. With the burden of the obligatory backstory done with, director Christopher Nolan, and co-writer and brother Jonathan Nolan have more freedom to paint a larger picture of Batman (Christian Bale) and in the process, crafting a masterpiece; and I'm not one to use that word lightly here, as the film provides moviegoers with their share of summer escapism coupled with tragic foundations dealing with morality, heroism, sanity, and power.
Since the end of the first installment, "Batman Begins", the Caped Crusader has now risen to legendary status among the citizens of Gotham City, even spawning wannabe vigilantes in Batman costumes. But it's a case of love and hate for the hero as some people view Batman's acts as anything but heroic, including the members of several organized crime syndicates who are slowly but surely feeling the effects of Batman being around to clean up their acts. Add Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Gotham City's new D.A., who decides to fight these criminals, together with police lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and it seems all is going well with Gotham City. That is, until a crazed sadist named Joker (Heath Ledger) comes and brings chaos to town. His only demand is for Batman to reveal his true identity or a life will be taken every time Batman doesn't.
This version of Batman is in many ways superior and more brooding than Tim Burton's version, which for a while, became the definitive big screen adaptation of the Caped Crusader. Here, Batman is as vulnerable as anyone and the darkness permeates everywhere, from the setting to the characters themselves. Bale, who reprises his role as Batman and his billionaire alter-ego Bruce Wayne, owns the role, adding a certain level of depth to what could have been yet another standard comic book superhero by providing a believable aspect of Batman's fallibility.
Maggie Gyllenhaal, replacing Katie Holmes (arguably the weakest link in the first film), brings more intelligence to the role of Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne's former flame. Actually, everyone in the supporting cast does well, especially Eckhart who brings charisma to his role as Harvey Dent who starts out as a character full of hope and it's hard not to care for him even as he eventually descends into tragic madness.
Of course, no review of this film will ever be complete without mentioning the Joker, as played by the late Heath Ledger, both because no Batman series is complete without facing his arch nemesis, and because this has to be Ledger's best acting turn and it's unfortunate it's also his last. His turn as the Joker is a far more intelligent, sinister and twisted, without going over-the-top as did Jack Nicholson in the 1989 installment.
Still, anyone who comes in not for all the existential quandaries and gritty drama but simply for the action won't walk away disappointed. Nolan has placed enough adrenaline-pumping fight scenes, car chases, and explosions which mostly rely more on organic camera-work. A couple of scenes during the climax involving choices are done with little traces of predictability it adds up to the overall tension of the film.
In a period where comic book superheroes are turning to a more mature route to the big screen, "The Dark Knight" presents a multi-faceted thought-provoking superhero tale that accomplishes more than what it's set to do. Coming from a Marvel Comics fan, I have to say that Nolan's version of one of DC Comics' most recognizable characters is by far the best rendition of the genre. Forget about it being one of the better sequels to come out; it's one of the best movies I've seen.