A Grim, Dark Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2008)

The Dark Knight follows the themes of the division between good and evil, insanity, betrayal, hopelessness, and misunderstanding.
Gotham has become flooded with terrifying events connected to the Joker , who is played by Heath Ledger. Heath's Joker has cracking white paint on his face, a swollen red smile, and hair tinged with green. He wears a suit and gloves, and moves his tongue out of his mouth when he speaks. His laughs even when he is beat up, and cackles in a manic voice. He threatens others with a knife in their mouths and a different story every time about how he got his scars on his face, implants a bomb in a man's stomach, and at times has helpers who run around in scary painted clown masks. He is frightening and the definition of villain- playing the role more psychotic and more evil than Jack Nicholson's Joker. He embodies the Joker beautifully- acting as a creature of pure malice and evil who will not stop pursuing his dream of destroying everything he can. (He of course, tells Batman that he wouldn't want to kill him because it is 'fun' having him to chase.) He says also that he doesn't have plans for anything, he just enjoys destructing this and sees what happens and what would be enjoyable to ruin next. He enjoys watching Gotham tear itself to pieces- for example in the scene where he forces boats (ones full of citizens, ones full of prisoners) to choose what boat they'd like to blow up so that the two boats will in turn blow each other up.
Gotham is shown to be devoid of morality and trust, but Harvey Dent comes to be seen as the white knight in shining armor. He locks up over 50 criminals in a day, and is seen as diligent and heroic. But, after Rachel-his lover is murdered by bombs in a room full of gas tanks set up by the Joker, Harvey is heartbroken. The Joker gives the choice of Rachel or Harvey for Batman to save from the bomb. He chooses Rachel, but the Joker being insanely cruel enough to choose to murder Bruce's one love, switched the addresses for Rachel and Harvey, and Bruce ends up saving Harvey. Half of Harvey's face is burnt off by the flames from the gas, and he turns evil from his hatred for losing Rachel. He threatens to murder a person from Gordon's family to show how it feels to have a loved one murdered and live with it. Batman saves Gordon and his family, and it is thought that he murders Dent. But, he chooses to remain as the Dark Knight, the protector of Gotham and pretend that Dent died heroically as a white knight hero of Gotham.
The visuals are stunning, and the movie grips you- wrenches you to the front of your seat, dares you to believe the 'impossible'- that evil will win. The actors play their roles beautifully- but of course Heath Ledger steals the show as the Joker. The movie really shows humanity as it is, and how psychotic some people in this world are- completely devoid of remorse, just looking to tear people apart for amusement. Recommend as many people as you can to see this. It is a dark masterpiece.