A strong Oscar contender that goes beyond being just a comic book superhero movie

Rating: 10/10 (26 July 2008)

"Batman Begins" set the tone for Christoper Nolan's take on the Caped Crusader by being more than a superhero movie. Instead of stringing together a plot to link huge action scenes and crazy villain antics, that film was a serious exploration of the psyche of Bruce Wayne, an attempt to understand what motivates a man to become a bat.
Now, with "The Dark Knight", Nolan has done it again, but on a whole other level completely. "The Dark Knight" is not so much a superhero movie as it is an exploration of the nature of human morality. On the one hand, there is Batman, a hero for the causes of good who will never be seen as heroic because he is, in the end, a masked vigilante whose primary weapon against crime is fear. Bruce Wayne seeks the day when Gotham City will no longer need Batman, when a true knight-in-shining-armor will rise, somebody as incorruptible as Batman but also highly visible and inspirational. Batman stands for good, but he's no role model.
Wayne sees such a role model in Gotham City's new district attorney, Harvey Dent, portrayed very strongly by Aaron Eckhart. Like Batman, Dent is a force for good. But, because he is on the correct side of the law, he can not only do good but also inspire others to do good. For Bryce Wayne (and many others), Harvey Dent is a savior, whereas Batman is a stop-gap solution. But, in order for Dent to remain a savior, he must truly be incorruptible, which is not easy. The film does a brilliant job of exploring exactly how much a man of good can be pushed.
And who is there to do all of the pushing? Who is here to represent the forces of pure evil? In steps the Joker, a violent psychopath who unleashes chaos in Gotham City purely for the heck of it. This is not the cartoonish clown of prior Batman incarnations, who uses gags like exploding jack-in-the-boxes, hand buzzers that electrocute, or lapel flowers that squirt acid. No, this is a fiend who is pure evil. I don't use the word "evil" lightly and I feel like it is used too lightly in our common lexicon. For me, evil is beyond being very very bad or even irredeemably bad. Someone who is evil must fully understand the difference between right and wrong and still choose wrong out of disdain for what is right. That is what this Joker does, going beyond that to not only mock the forces of good, but to place them in situations that force them to question the nature of right and wrong. The Joker traps people in their own morality. He is in every way the Devil in a clown suit.
Everybody knows about all of the buzz surrounding the late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, and Ledger far exceeds expectations. He lives up to the hype and goes far beyond. There has not been a performance this strong in a very long time. Comparisons are already being made between Ledger's Joker and Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter from "The Silence of the Lambs," but the fact is that, as menacing and chilling as Lecter is, he's got nothing on the Joker. Hannibal Lecter can creep his way into your head, but the Joker will ask questions of your very soul. There has been much talk of giving Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar for this role, but I will go one step further: if Heath Ledger does not win the Oscar for playing the Joker, then the award should not be given out this year at all.
Not much has been said about the other characters, but they all give solid performances. Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon is something of an unsung hero in this film, in that he is what links Harvey Dent's brand of morality with Batman's brand of morality as well as being the link between Dent's actions within the law and Batman's actions outside the law. He stands in the movie speaking for us as an audience that supports Batman's vigilantism but also understands the needs of a civilized society and knows why Batman cannot become public policy and must remain an outlaw to be effective. Oldman has been known for his many villain roles, but here he plays a hero who doesn't have to wear a mask. There's an equally brilliant performance by Michael Caine as Alfred, a paternal figure for Batman who tries to keep him on track with his morality, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Batman's gadget man who makes a rather poignant remark about the morality of eavesdropping that feels particularly relevant in this day and age.
By tackling an issue like morality, "The Dark Knight" has so deeply grounded itself in reality that it can be appreciated even by those who are not comic book fans. It is this that enables it to be more than just a superhero movie and which makes it a strong contender for the Best Picture Oscar. This is not just a comic book movie for kids. This is a powerful action movie, a technical and cinematographical masterpiece, and a serious philosophical exploration of morality for a mature, thinking audience. It is not only the best film in 2008 but also one of the best films to come along in a while.