The Real Batman

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2008)

The Dark Knight is the best summer movie since ... okay I don't know when because its been too damn long since a outstanding summer release has overwhelmed me. It picks up right after Batman Begins. The Dark Knight (Christian Bale) is combating evil as rival gangs vie for the missing Falconi. Batman has inspired the people, police, prosecutors, and government officials with hope. A few idiotic copy-cats also join the fray, much to Batman's chagrin. Enter the Joker (Heath Ledger). His contention is that the criminals have lost their edge because Batman is alive. His solution: kill Batman. One of the people who has caught Batman's hope is the new police commissioner, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). In fact, Batman hopes that as Dent and Gordon become the white nights for decency, Gotham will no longer need Batman. Dent starts to fall for Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhal). A cat-and-mouse game ensues, intertwining Batman, Joker, Dent, Rachel, Gordon, Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Alfred (Michael Caine). I don't want to give away any more of the plot because it is so well done and does not fall into predictable pratfalls and plots prevalent in summer movies. What it does, though, is give us good performances, great writing, outstanding directing, and a great time at the movies. At the outset, this is gritty Batman. It is nothing like the Tim Burton or Joel Schumacher takes which thrust Batman into a fantasy world removed from our own. It is real. That is especially true for Batman himself. For a change, we get to see a bloodied and bruised crusader who has to stitch up his wounds and clean blood. The frightening aspect, though, is the presence of evil. The Joker is truly menacing, diabolical, and frightening. Heath Ledger's performance is outstanding, giving us a glimpse into random, chaotic, no-holds-barred evil. His plotting is genius, bordering on insanity. There is no real joke or humor in Ledger's Joker. Aaron Eckhart also shines as Dent. His tragedy that scars his life and turns him into Two-Face. As we look into the this twisted relationship between Batman, Dent, and Joker, we can see where heroes and villains are similar, and different. While Batman and Dent find hope in their war against evil, the Joker simply wants to prove everyone is evil and no better than his own dark soul. I will admit the dialog gets a little corny at the end, but nowhere near the abysmally horrific diatribes George Lucas subjected us to in his Star Wars prequels. When Batman questions one crime lord, and later the Joker, he goes very far. I heard the audience rejoicing with this. They obviously knew Batman was willing to go far enough to stop evil. He is a Dark Knight instead of a white knight. Which one are we? Are we willing to do what we need to combat and stop evil? One of my favorite parts entails Alfred explaining to Batman that some men do not need a motivation for evil. Rather, "they just want to see the world burn." Probably my favorite dialog scene is when Batman interrogates Joker, who does want to see the world burn just to prove everyone else is just like him. This is stellar filmmaking. The only question is how can Nolan top this one? Enjoy it.