Holy Frickin' Masterpiece, Batman!

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2008)

I came out of the theater for only the second time in my life (Pan's Labyrinth, being the other) feeling that I needed to just stay in the theater and wait for the next showing. One viewing was simply not enough to let everything sink in. It was a stunned feeling, something of awe. The people I went with kept asking me what I thought of the movie, of Ledger, and all I could do was give them one-word answers because, beyond that, I found myself at a loss for words.
The 10 star rating is not for a perfect film, because no film is. It is for the audaciousness, the guts, the balls that Nolan and Co. had to do a film of this stature inside the confines of the Comic Book Movie. Iron Man is a very good film, a fun film that takes no steps outside itself, except in modernizing it for adaptation. It's clever and perky and one of my favorites of its genre. But to put it up to this is to see an ugly stepsister compared with Cinderella; it's what's at the core, which is truly important. What we have with The Dark Knight then, is something which at once is a film about a caped man, posing as a bat, who's out for justice, and also a multi-layered commentary on the world around us - "deep" may be an overstatement, but "concentrated" seems to fit. Not even the best of dramas that Hollywood puts out each year conveys complexity so cohesively, succinctly, and aesthetically.
Each aspect of the film is high powered, high velocity, full of octane. The acting, from each person of the ensemble, is pitch-perfect (except for maybe Gyllenhaal who doesn't really have a whole lot to work with, but does the best job possible). Bale's ultra-conflicted Bruce Wayne is something to behold. To this day, I do not understand why people have still not caught onto his bandwagon. (He has to be one of the best actors working today without an Oscar nod.) His role may be part of the ensemble this time, but you can't help but feel the weight of his character as the story moves along; his gravitas is even more apparent the second time around. Eckhart excels as Harvey Dent, a character you really believe in as the good guy. He sees/trusts in the good of each person, that the corrupt ones can somehow be put out of their misery, and he makes us believe that he can do that. He's just a regular guy out to the save the world. The transformation to Two Face, though, I didn't feel quite worked 100% of the time, it seemed emptier, in a sense, than Dent. The revenge factor didn't seem to be enough to warrant the kind of violence he brings forth. Pivotal as that may be, it's only a minor complaint - in my opinion - in reference to the whole film.
Oldman, Caine, and Freeman again deliver exactly was is asked of them and really feel like Batman's psychiatry team, just trying to keep him going, "having him endure" as Alfred says. Freeman has most of the (very few) light moments, and each provide welcome smiles and some chuckles. Caine's character Alfred is almost like Wayne's guru, giving him advice every time they speak. As well, Oldman playing Gordon, a routine good guy, is just so nice to see (again). His work is effortless; he's the treasure in these two movies nobody recognizes.
To see Ledger in his last fully completed role was to see validation of what I'd been hoping: an actor going out of his way to make a character jump out on the screen and live in the hearts and minds (psyche, more like it here) of their audience. (To be frank, it doesn't happen too often.) The character of the Joker makes you laugh and, at the same time, strikes a chord: Is he meant to be just scary? Is he meant to be funny? Is he actually conveying truth? Just as Nolan shows gall in his vision, so does Ledger in his final full performance: the laugh, the voice, the constant marauding of his lips like a rabid dog, his stature, even the makeup. All of this comes together creating a theatrical show of torment, mayhem, and death; and it's all to the Joker's utter delight. When it's over, we're begging for a second act. It's too bad it can never come.
Everything about this performance screams "Iconic." Hopefully, awards will follow suit.
The other winners here are first, the cinematography, which gives the film it's wonderful noir quality in blues, greens and browns. Second, is the music which is fantastic again as both composers give the film even more muscle to its spectacular action scenes. The theme from Batman Begins is expanded upon and, thus, makes it feel as though it is variation B in the Batman Symphony. The final nod goes to the IMAX shots which are just as dazzling in the regular theater. The opening sequence of Joker's cohorts crossing the buildings and Batman's decent off of Sears' tower are both obvious, but exhilarating. And not just those scenes, there are lots of "Oh wow!" moments (the 18 wheeler/bazooka sequence), as the action is balanced perfectly along with the plot, for if either had dominated the other, the full impact of the film would've been less than completely satisfying.
Even with all the trite material that floats around the box office today, it's nice to see a film made that's not afraid to give its audience a nice, swift kick - something they're not ready for, something they might not be able to handle - and then watch to see how they cope with it.