Now that I have seen this film several times...

Rating: 9/10 (20 September 2008)

I can finally put the film in its proper context. When I first saw the movie, I went into it absorbing all the hype about how mind blowingly amazing it was and how it was an instant classic if not THE best film ever made. So I viewed the film in an intellectual frame of mind...and I loved it, but with some reservations. Firstly, I admired Bales performance much more then Heath Ledgers, who practically everyone said and continues to say stole the show. I thought he was an exceptional villain, but since he was a completely remorseless maniac, with even Ledger himself calling him a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy", I didn't know what to make of it. For a film that was going for "realism"(as real as you can get with entirely foreign geographical locations like Gotham City and scientifically implausible devices and applications), having a brilliant, insane super criminal who somehow has limitless access to henchman and supplies, and can rig hospitals and ferry boats with explosives even when there is manhunt out for him right in the middle of a major metropolitan city seemed a little far-fetched. Didn't it? To buy in to the story, you have to accept that the various crime bosses and crooked business men have almost total control over Gotham. Of course corruption exists, look around you, but I just find it hard to believe that all the corrupt civil servants and mob members would have the ability to manipulate the entire city for the Jokers benefit.
Anyway, what I really admired about the film was Batman himself. I see Batman as the ubermensch, I think he is human potential at its very peak, and I think Christian Bale did an outstanding job at it. He has emotions and deep feelings of love and compassion for people he cares about and the citizens of Gotham themselves. He is deeply touched that his Batman persona is actually making an impact in peoples lives, lamenting on crude vigilantes, yes, but relieved that he may one day retire from being Batman because of the new DA, Harvey Dent, who has been christened "The White Knight" of Gotham. He may get to relax and maybe spend time with his longtime crush, Rachael Dawes, but then the Joker enters the picture. Watching Batman become increasingly desperate to apprehend the Joker, whether through outright physical abuse, or abuse of technology(some sort of device to monitor peoples cell phones throughout the entire city simultaneously), it is actually a little disturbing to watch Batman become unhinged. What I also liked about Batman was something Henri Ducard told him in "Batman Begins": "If you commit yourself to an ideal, you can become more than a man...a legend." Batman has completely omitted himself to his code of ethics and morals, and built himself up to be the greatest human alive, look at how he easily evades the attack dogs late in the film. I think that any benefit we can get from superhero stories is how the hero can teach readers or viewers to reflect on these morals and apply them in real life, who doesn't want to be Batman? The Dark Knight makes me appreciate Batman Begins much more then I had previously, the former accentuates the good qualities of the latter and gives it focus, a sense that it is one part in a longer struggle.
The supporting cast are all excellent. Aaron Eckhart played Harvey Dent, the third lead in the movie. While I thought the hospital room scene wasn't totally believable, I was honestly moved by Dent slowly moving into insanity because of the Jokers actions. Not when he laments about how his girlfriend was taken from him, but during subtler moments, like when he was talking to Jim Gordon in the hospital, you can see he is gone off the deep end. Or before that when he is going to kill an insane henchman of the Jokers, flipping a coin to decide his fate, I thought that was the most disturbing moment in the movie. Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal and every other actor actor involved are handle themselves greatly, there isn't a weak actor in the cast.
Finally, after watching the film several times more, I finally see the greatness in the Joker. I have never seen Mr Ledger in another film before, so I couldn't appreciate how deeply he sunk himself into the role. The physical transformation is astounding, and he does play an insane mastermind to the absolute T, even if he doesn't seem right in a "realistic" world frame. He is charismatic and will certainly be remembered, and I see him as a Mephistopheles type character. Batman has always been a mythical story at heart, so why not embrace it? Congrats on your amazing performance Heath, you played pure evil and insanity in a great way, and I hope you somehow know how many fans you have down on Earth.
I also give my heartfelt praise to the director, screenwriters(director Chris Nolan and his brother), cinematographer and everyone else involved. The movie has great dialog, a great and consistent plot, is a wonder for the eyes and is just fantastic all around as it explores different themes like pure evil, morality, order, human nature and more. It is not the best film I have ever seen, but it is a very respectable effort.
PS I would also like to compliament the action scenes and sick humor used by the Joker. The Dark Knight also works perfectly well as a straight action picture for those without minds(just kidding). It is just as exciting as the best action movie ever, Die Hard and the Jokers dialog, while twisted by his evilness, is also very funny