One of the Century's Best So Far

Rating: 9/10 (25 August 2008)

It's not often that I get excited about a sequel without being overly impressed with the original. But then again, The Dark Knight is a different creature entirely. Along with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the sequel to 2005's Batman Begins is this year's most highly anticipated film. The reason: Heath Ledger.
Up until three years ago, Ledger was just another young actor in Hollywood. Then he took on the role of Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain. His brilliantly subtle and honest performance not only earned him a best actor nomination at the Oscars, but also gained him the respect of film lovers and critics all over the world. For the first time in his career, he demonstrated his talent and potential and, all of a sudden, he became Hollywood's golden boy, a reputation sealed by an arguably equally impressive performance in the 2007 Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There.
Then, on the 22nd of January 2008, he unexpectedly died of an accidental prescription drug overdose. His last complete performance was the Joker in The Dark Knight. Amongst the initial mixture of emotions and speculation was the thought that here was the James Dean of our generation, and The Dark Knight found itself on the cusp of becoming the Giant of the 21st century. There was a huge amount of pressure on all involved. With all the hype and publicity surrounding the film, the public wanted and expected something special.
Batman Begins showcased director Christopher Nolan's desire to do more with the comic book genre. Though not without some (serious) flaws, his darker, grittier and less fantastical origin film gave the genre a breath of fresh air, with a hero shown to be very much mortal, even if its villain wasn't. With the origin story done and dusted, Nolan had to liberty of tweaking with the genre some more in the sequel. What resulted was a film that, in many ways, transcended the comic book genre and, like many involved had claimed, was more of a crime epic. The outstanding opening sequence, a tribute to Michael Mann's Heat, affirmed this.
Think Heat, think L.A. Confidential, think Infernal Affairs (or The Departed if you must). Make no mistake about it, The Dark Knight ranks with the best crime films. At the same time Nolan made sure not to forget the superhero element of the story. Bruce Wayne, though even more human and unsure of himself, is still Batman and the Joker, with no explanation of his origins and a larger-than-life performance by Heath Ledger, is a character of immense menace that only just belongs to the comic book realm.
The story revolves around the efforts of three men to rid Gotham of crime: Christian Bale's Batman, who is looking to hang up his batsuit in order to pursue love interest Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Lt James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and DA Harvey Dent. Thanks to Batman's efforts between the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, organised crime in the city is beginning to struggle, until the Joker shows up, uniting the mobs of Gotham City under a common banner, with the promise that he would "kill the bat man".
What results is a monumental saga of good versus evil and the corruptibility of man. The plot provides relentless edge-of-seat viewing as the Joker and mob engage Batman and Lt Gordon in a tug-of-war, with Harvey Dent as the rope, building to a devastating climax that dwarfs anything before seen in a comic book film. And with more twists and turns than the maze in The Shining, the story, though two and a half hours long, is taut and completely free of fat. The only criticism would be that it seems to have taken on a bit too much and in order to save time, the "Bat Sonar" was introduced  a daft device with little other purpose and just something else from Batman's seemingly all-containing utility belt.
Tim Burton's Batman, now a distant memory, had the distinct peculiarity of being the Joker's film, with Jack Nicholson stealing the limelight from pretty much everyone else involved. Now, with the events surrounding Ledger's tragic death, it's unsurprising that the Joker was to have his day once again. However, taking a different approach to the usual incarnations, he is portrayed as a psychopathic killer and master manipulator. His make-up is uneven and dirty, and his 'smile' is a result of a knife cut. Heath Ledger's performance, hailed by many in the days and weeks leading up to the film's release, was nothing short of remarkable. His depiction matches well to his appearance; a dark, sinister and incredibly intelligent man, whose only purpose in life is to cause chaos and make sure that he has a great time doing it. A wonderful performance and flawless writing meant that every scene he appeared in was a pleasure to watch.
Though Ledger gave an excellent turn and his contribution cannot be overstated, The Dark Knight was a film of strong acting by a world class cast. Although Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal (in the role of Rachel Dawes and a merciful replacement for Katie Holmes) were all excellent in their respective roles, it is Gary Oldman that gives the standout performance as Lt Gordon. The one criticism, however, is that Michael Caine's Alfred Pennyworth, possibly the best character and performance in Begins, is given a much smaller role. Perhaps understandable, given the scope of the film, but a shame nonetheless.
With an excellent story and script, top notch acting and superb direction, The Dark Knight is without doubt the best comic book film ever made and is also a serious contender for the best film so far of the 21st Century. Quite simply, a must-see film. Will it become the Giant of this century? And will Heath Ledger be the new James Dean? Don't bet against it.