A Thrill for the mind and the senses

Rating: 10/10 (22 July 2008)

After several outstanding actions movies this year, we get the idea that filmmakers have finally started doing justice to the original sources, the stories of heroes that are flawed, strive to conquer evil and maybe eventually better themselves and the world. We had the joy of traveling the road with "Ironman", with its flawed protagonist who tries very hard to use technology to defeat his nemesis. Then Indiana Jones makes a return appearance, showing how age is taking its toll on his armor, giving us a couple of surprises and quite an ending for its installment. The much improved "Hulk" benefits from a leaner screenplay and a great performance by Norton, but nothing prepared for us the magnificent achievement that the sequel to "Batman Begins" turned out to be.
"The Dark Knight" is almost a perfect film. Its sole blemish is a bit of miscasting, taking away a bit of the believability of the main character. Leaving that aside, we welcome back Michael Caine's Alfred, with his blend of sarcasm and fondness for his protégé. Then Morgan Freeman's imposing technological wizardry, still works very well, as he must now decide whether he should follow Bruce Wayne in his new path. Oldman's commissioner takes on more responsibilities and makes more dangerous choices, some of which will shock the audience.
It's the new arrivals that add the punch to this film, first Eckart's Two Face is a wonder to behold in his transformation from the ultimate knight in shining armor to the tormented villain who descends into madness as the film reaches its conclusion. However, it is the wonderful and bewitching Ledger who has the winning hand and turns what could be a regular drama into a powerful epic where evil has no reason and knows no fear. His Joker is a perverse, demented, and killing machine, a creature that knows no boundaries, doesn't know the meaning of remorse or probably listens to his conscience anymore, if he ever had one.
His series of crimes begins with an assault on a local bank, and the execution of the heist is explosive and unforgiving, and if the audience is still catching his breath from the explosive happening, this sets the stage for worse things to come. Soon this metropolis will have turned into hell and the Joker is king, with Batman soon struggling to find ways to control the chaos and realizing this might be the challenge of his life.
Ledger's performance has many shades, incorporating a range of emotions hardly seen in any movies before. His madness is a very cool act, a performance for those who want to pay attention to the repulsive actions of a criminal who wants to test the mettle of a society that is slowly thinking into something more horrible than they want to believe. He knows this and grabs them by the throat, soon having them confront their fears and their natures. Words like unbelievable will come to mind as we seen him do his joyful, demented celebratory dance, telling others that the world is about to end. If the film is not perfect, Ledger is, a force to behold, and an intensity to match, and this where Bale comes.
Bale doesn't disappoint, and he delivers his most solid performance, as his caped crusader must use his wit, physical stamina, and his sense of morale to vanquish his biggest challenges. Bale is now tormented by guilt and pain, like he has never seen before, and he might soon discover that he is someone he didn't know.
"The Dark Knight" is indeed a masterpiece, a film that weaves many elements, rarely seen in escapist entertainment, such as the superhero genre. We have a story dealing with human duality, with political and social ethics, with the fine line that separates sanity and madness, and what each might be. There are many floating metaphors in this film, such as the coin, the choice, the colors, the meaning of what truth really is. It is a fantastic achievement, and it should be honored and recognized by everyone who sees it.