Darkest "Knight"

Rating: 10/10 (5 August 2008)

"The Dark Knight" may or may not get the title for the greatest superhero film of all time (questionable, but I still hold that 2004's "Spider-Man 2" is the greatest), but unquestionably what will forever make it memorable is that it features the much-talked-about final performance of Heath Ledger, who passed away tragically from an accidental drug overdose earlier this year, thus making "The Dark Knight" a must-see at the movies this summer. His performance here is the film's shining achievement, although strangely enough he doesn't get that much screen time in a movie that runs 152 minutes and he's only on screen maybe half that time. (In what is) Probably the most beloved adaptation of the DC Comics character created by Bob Kane and who first appeared in "Detective Comics #27," Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) is again battling the forces of evil as the Dark Knight of grim Gotham City, aided in his endeavors by several loyal confidants including faithful butler Alfred (Michael Caine), Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and inventor Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). Things get underway when a bank robbery (a la 1995's "Heat") involving clown-faced goons yields a new and terrifying menace to law & order in Gotham City: The Joker (Ledger), a disfigured criminal mastermind looking to spread chaos and destruction and bring about the downfall of the Dark Knight. Meanwhile, Bruce (forever brooding) is vying for the affections of ADA Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, replacing Katie Holmes from 2005's "Batman Begins") against Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who's on his own personal crusade to rid Gotham City of crime and corruption. At a hefty 2 1/2-hour running time, director Christopher Nolan seemed to throw everything into "The Dark Knight," even in one interview I read calling this film this series' "The Empire Strikes Back." Perhaps an accurate assertion, since a lot does happen here but occasionally this oft-brilliant and mesmerizing film is prone to stalling in its quieter moments (and believe me, there are some). I do find it quite odd that since we're talking about Gotham City, one of the darkest places in comic books, there is an amazing amount of light, since many of the action scenes take place in broad daylight rather than under a menacing cover of darkness. The sheer brilliance of "The Dark Knight" is the belated Heath Ledger. Like Brandon Lee in "The Crow" (1994), this film is a testament, it is the last great work of a truly great actor and he will be missed. As the Joker, Ledger is cold and calculating, and truly menacing. He's evil and madness incarnate, and who could forget his now-classic "Why so serious?" "The Dark Knight" is far from perfect, I already mentioned the overly long running time and the seeming tacked-on rise of a deadly new villain, but the performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker and some stellar acting from the leads definitely makes this Dark Knight, the Darkest Knight for comic book superhero movies.
10/10