A Sign of Hope

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2008)

Wow. How else could I describe this movie? I was wondering how this could possibly better than Batman Begins, but the truth is it was a different type of a movie. Yet it still held those morals of righteousness, faith, ethics, responsibility and so on, it was just presented in a different way.
The acting was amazing overall. Maybe not every individual performance was first rate but as a whole the cast was among the best ever. Christian Bale, who is undoubtedly the best Batman ever and probably the best superhero ever, like in Batman Begins, provides a deep and thought provoking performance. One with authenticity, validity, purity and most of all originality. His performance is subtle yet compelling, it is not by what we as a culture would like to think of as heroic but in my thinking that is exactly what it is. Unlike every other superhero he does not have superpowers. He is an intellectual who needs to rely on his and his friends' intelligence in order to do what he does. He is not an actual "superhero" he is a man. A man with the audacity to do what is always right even when no one else would do so. Bale throughout is able to display the turbulent lifestyle he lives in and how at times he "The Batman" himself has to question his own morality.
The best performance of the movie though was not Bale's its Heath Ledger's. Like Bale he brings originality to a comic book character. It seems though that in every comic book movie the villains are never quite as unusual or scary as they should be. Ledger in this movie is able to pull off what repeatedly other actors have failed to do as comic book villains, give you that bone chilling feeling. Entirely throughout he brings intensity beyond intensity. His performance is so capturing and disturbing that he makes you laugh out of sheer horror, something that you rarely feel while watching a movie. The most frightening part about the way he portrays his character is not his freakishness, it's that his performance is not the least bit cartoonish, it is in fact very real. His performance is just beyond words.
Aaron Eckhart was quite a surprise to me. We basically saw the rise and fall of his character Harvey Dent. The way he transformed from an incorruptible district attorney to a vengeful bloodthirsty maniac was simply perfect. Gary Oldman I was not surprised by though. I have always thought of him as a talented actor and unlike Batman Begins he is able to give a more serious portrayal of James Gordon and did as well as I expected and more. Maggie Gyllenhaal was a godsend compared to Katie Holmes. She seemed more fitting in the role of a lawyer and was able to pull off many scenes Holmes probably could not. Michael Caine is perfect for the role of Alfred. Alfred is more than a butler of Batman he is a friend, a father figure and righteous man. Who better than for Michael Caine with his great voice to portray such a character? Another actor with an even better voice is Morgan Freeman. He may not have had a large amount of screen time but he was certainly never a forgotten figure at any point in this movie.
The writing was very good. Christopher and Jonathan Nolan are among the best writers currently and once again show off their talent. What is so interesting in the way that the script was written was that it did not aim to make anyone the star of the show. This script brought the best or should I say the most intriguing traits out of every character and actor. Everyone in this film had their moment to shine which was very satisfying to see. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman all deservingly so are allowed to not just be in this movie but a part of it. Not once have I thought "oh I wish I could have seen more of this character and less of that one". The writing was the glue to this movie and should be given more credit.
I am now much more comfortable with saying that Christopher Nolan is currently the best director. He in the past has done great movies such as Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins and The Prestige. This movie was a perfectly crafted and is probably one of the best made movies ever. He is able to do something that most directors, including the great ones, cannot do. He can keep you well engaged into a movie and still provide some sort of a deep meaning at the same time. At no point in this movie did I ever wonder what time it was or how much longer is left. That something I could say I have never done. What other director in the past has brought out depth from a superhero? The answer is no other has. He maintains an authentic feeling that you would get from watching The Godfather and still excite you like your watching Die Hard. His direction in this movie is more than special it is a monumental achievement in film.
Now what do I mean by a sign of hope? It not only has its hopeful and inspiring message saying that we have the power. It says that society doesn't have to determine who we are. That is not even it though. Over the years now summer blockbusters have become mostly shallow and superficial. This maybe one of the biggest blockbusters ever but it has something that the others did not have: true, deep meaning. Hopefully this movie can be an example to the rest of Hollywood. Maybe just maybe Hollywood can do something that it has not done for years; incorporating thought provoking, deep philosophical themes consistently back into their summer blockbuster commercial movies.