Dark indeed and stunning with it

Rating: 9/10 (31 July 2008)

Dark indeed, both visually and emotionally and while not perfect, (was it just me or is it really hard to tell who is doing what to whom in the 'big' climax), this is still the boldest, most imaginative and most grown-up of the Batman movies to date. While the set pieces are superb and master-classes in action cinema, this is far from being a 'children's' film. It's violent, it's disturbing and it's very post 9/11.
Surprisingly, a knowledge of the franchise or even of the earlier Christopher Nolan movie, "Batman Begins", isn't necessary. This feels fully formed in its own right, though your enjoyment of the film is bound to be considerably increased if you know exactly who Alfred or Commissioner Gordon is. It begins brilliantly with a bank heist in which the robbers start killing each other as the robbery progresses, (or was it always just one robber all along?) This opening sequence quickly introduces us to Heath Ledger's Joker and Ledger lives up to the hype. This Joker is a movie monster who can take his place alongside Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lector and Ledger is magnificent. It's an indelible character part and the tragedy is we will never see him repeat it.
However, contrary to what's been said, Ledger's performance doesn't dominate the film; he is matched by Christian Bale's Batman/Bruce Wayne. Bale's Batman is no cardboard cut-out but a fully fledged, living, breathing and deeply complex character, the darkest of dark knights, but the real complexity of his character isn't in his relationship with the Joker but with Aaron Eckhart's district attorney, a Galahad metamorphosing into a Mordred. Eckhart, too, is brilliant and no Batman movie before has gone this far in drawing together the darker sides of its three principal protagonists. Is it any wonder that Maggie Gyllenhaal's 'romantic interest' seems so sadly side-lined.
A post 9/11 Batman? You bet. This is no simple super-hero movie but a genuinely bleak tale of a terrorist let loose in New York where even the good guys find themselves at a loss as to know exactly how to deal with this sort of 'crime', (primarily because the Joker is no ordinary criminal but a real terrorist whose sole purpose is to destroy the status quo). Did Nolan really think this would wash with a mass audience? If so, it was a gamble that has paid off. "The Dark Knight" is breaking all box office records, although Ledger's death may have something to do with that. We still seem to have an unhealthy fascination with actors who have died young and in tragic circumstances without taking anything away from Ledger's performance. But no other comic-book/superhero movie has ever been this nihilistic nor ironically has ever been this successful at the same time.
It is confusing. Even at 2 ½ hours, (it never feels like it) , too much seems to be happening for us to get a handle on it. There are a lot of villains on screen, (Eric Roberts, still handsome if almost unrecognizable, is one of them), and while the Joker is the dominant bad-guy he isn't on screen that often. As I've said, the film's main relationship is between Batman/Wayne and Eckhart's Harvey Dent. In other words, there is a lot going on. Throw in some stunning set-pieces, (the build-up to the Joker's initial capture is particularly brilliant), and you might find yourself wondering just what the hell is going on. It hardly matters: this is a bold, innovative film. It's "The Godfather Part 2" to "Batman Begins'" "The Godfather". I can't see it being bettered.