The Dark Knight Brightens The Summer

Rating: 9/10 (17 August 2008)

Christopher Nolan returns with The Dark Knight, his second entry in the post millennial Batman franchise. Christian Bale returns as a more anguished, morally ambiguous Batman than before. Morgan Freeman returns as Luscious Fox, Gary Oldman returns as Gordon, and Michael Caine once again is Alfred. All actors shine in their supportive roles, especially Oldman. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the new Rachel Dawes and is OK in the role but nothing more. Aaron Eckhart plays Harvey Dent/Two-face in a great visual parallel to the film's theme of moral ambiguity and the duality of man. Heath Ledger as the psychotic joker becomes the catalyst forcing each of the righteous men to act for good or ill: Batman, Harvey Dent, and Gordon. Ledger's performance is as good as advertised. The action, acting, art and set direction, cinematography, dialog, and direction are all first rate. The film builds to a different kind of climax, reminding us that fate plays a role in influencing our lives, and we must adjust to survive. This is a terrific action film for adults with several contemporary parallels that are a little uncomfortable at times. There are a few drawbacks, such as how the joker seems to pull everything off without a hitch off camera. The Bond-like moments and the obnoxious flip comments made by Nicky Katt in the S.W.A.T. van during the chase under the Chicago loop are serious detractors from an otherwise outstanding super hero movie. The brief appearance by scarecrow served what purpose? This appears in IMDb's top 5 of all time? I think that says more about today's audiences and less about the film. ***1/2 of 4 stars.