A Dark Drama

Rating: 10/10 (5 January 2010)

I work in a video store and there is something I experience every day. Although there are more and more superhero-movies out there and even more are coming up soon, many people still disregard them. And one cannot really judge them for that, because after all, these movies are still quite "special" in a way. One does not only have to like action-movies, but, apart from that, one has to suspend one's disbelieve as to accept the supernatural or superhuman (maybe even more than in Science-Fiction). However regardless of whether you like superhero-movies or not, or whether you like action-movies or not, in my opinion there is no way around Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (and his other movies, for that matter) and the movie this review is about: The Dark Knight.
In it, the masked vigilante Batman continues his struggle against crime in the fictional metropolis Gotham with the help of Police Commissioner Gordon and the new District Attorney Harvey Dent. Some time has passed since the events of Batman Begins and the struggle is going quite well. Until they have to face the mysterious and sadistic criminal mastermind called The Joker and the chaos he unleashes.
The cinematography is great, solemn and sublime wide shots are mixed with intensive close shots and stunning action-scenes. The colors and the light are hard and realistic, and get darker and darker as the movie proceeds.
As for the cast, Christian Bale gives the best performance as Batman/Bruce Wayne there has been so far, he is disillusioned and vulnerable, and still not willing to give up. He is a mere human, who has to play the role of the playboy and billionaire on the one side and a masked vigilante, a symbol for hope and justice, on the other. Gary Oldman underplays his part as Jim Gordon in a down-to-earth, simple way. Maggie Gyllenhaal is both tough and vulnerable as Rachel Dawes, lawyer and Bruce Wayne's love, Michael Caine plays a supporting, father-figure as Bruce Wayne's Butler Alfred, Aaron Eckhart is both shining and charismatic as Harvey Dent and twisted and wrecked as Two-Face- the list could be continued throughout the whole cast. To them: Take a bow, you have been part of this great film; but there is one who stands above all the others: Heath Ledger gives a incredibly creepy and terrifying performance as The Joker. His voice is altered, whiny, terrifying, his presence threatening and menacing. He portrays his completely mad and psychotic character with an incredible intenseness and inconveniently convincing. Many in the audience laughed during his first appearances, but even they lost the urge to laugh as the movie continues, because The Joker is simply to cruel and insane.
Of course the credit is not all his, you also have to mention the writers, Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, who wrote this role and the whole script, which is surprising, twisting, thrilling, breath-taking, funny at times, but all in all dark. Each and every role and event has a meaning, not one scene is idle or useless. The music is, as well, great, one of the best works by both James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer, subtle when needed, but mostly almost painfully intense and dramatic. Action, stunts and CGI, when they appear, are astonishing, breath-taking and well choreographed, but not overused, since they are not what this movie is about.
It goes much deeper than you would expect, even having seen the prequel Batman Begins. It is about philosophical and moral questions, about whether one life is worth more than another, about the confrontation of law and crime, heroes and villains, good and evil and about truth and its value, yet such things exist. Every character in the film has to face his or her very own nemesis, and some of them stand it, some of them break and some of them fall. This motion picture is not a comic-book-flick or a simple action movie. It is much more. It is a crime saga, an cinematic epic, a dark drama.
A clear 10 out of 10 (one out of currently only five movies I have given this rating) and a definite recommendation for every movie-fan, regardeless of what type of movie you prefer normally.