"Oh Boy, You're in for a show tonight son!"

Rating: 8/10 (29 September 2012)

..and was it indeed.In an astounding opening airborne sequence, Movie Master Nolan unveils 'Gotham's reckoning' who will set the terms for the next nearly 3 hour of your 'almost' mind numbing experience.
Gotham is living on a lie. Its been 8 years since the Dent Act was introduced - a martial law kind of act specifically against thugs to lock up the filth of Gotham. The act itself was introduced on the background of a concocted story of lies that Harvey Dent (Gotham's White Knight) was killed whilst trying to nab Batman who is falsely implicated of killing of 8 citizens.
Set against this backdrop, Bane appears. As Gordon narrowly escapes from Bane's den and is left to recuperate, it takes a small time orphaned police officer promoted detective, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to be Gordon's eyes and ears.
Bruce Wayne who has cuddled himself into a shell and is impervious to the happenings outside the walls of his mansion, is forced to come out of voluntary/forced retirement to stop Bane.
The Nostalgic Players :
Since my childhood, father would tease about a Michael Caine/Morgan Freeman movie. Though they have barely got to share scene space with each other in this trilogy, seeing these 2 along with Gary Oldman has been a pleasure to watch and something that is and will be hard to come by,especially as they age.
The Score :
The music creeps to you from behind and keeps pace with the movie. Though there is silence when most required to allow you hear the bone crunching raw action, I can't help feel the similarities on the trumpet in Inception and this one, taking into fact Nolan has taken the services of Hans Zimmer in his last few movies. But that's just awfully me.
A Story of Our Times :
'The Dark Knight' was replete with references to the Bush era - the cost of freedom for security(remember the scene where Batman uses Lucius invention to hone into every single telephone/mobile conversation in the city of Gotham.Batman justifies its use in the scene for the larger good of snuffing out the Joker).
The DKR, filled with big words and topics that, for many especially rest of the world, would take a political science student to be interested in, the signs in The DKR are unmistakable - when 'the good times' are taken for granted (8 years since Batman took the fall for Harvey Dent's death) it results in the decadence and rot of Gotham's society. The very institutions that were supposed to serve its citizens have outgrown itself 'leaving little for the rest of us',purred by the latex wearing Anne Hathaway (Gentlemen,claws off please).
It's in these times Bane appears and arms the people with the idea that enough is enough and to take take law into their own hands, in a twisted way though, and in the process hell bent in destroying Gotham. The elite of Gotham are tried in kangaroo courts by a 'special guest'.
Gotham's Reckoning :
Though Batman enthusiasts will miss Heath Ledger, Tom Hardy's performances as Bane is in no way overshadowed by memories of The Jokers iconic performance nor by the fact that almost his whole face is covered with gas mask that keeps him away from excruciating pain.
In his own creation, Nolan has transformed Bane from the multitude of tube sticking venomous life support, with no dialog, who was more of an apprentice to Poison Ivy into an on your face vengeful man out to complete Ras Ul Gul's unfulfilled destiny. Bane is larger than the protagonist himself in most aspects and there should be little doubt on that.
Hailing from a pseudonym South American country, he sees through Batman in the physical sense whereas his predecessor was more into mind games and out to prove that there is evil even in the best of us.
Body aching and broken inside out, Batman will push and push he will as Bane promises to not just torture his body but his soul. This is as disturbing as it gets.
A perilous world :
Nolan's Gotham is crafted in a perilous world.
I guess that's what Nolan wants it to be, as every time he creates a nemesis, he wants us to believe Batman is already going down the spiral and 'Hope' for the people of Gotham has always been a luxury from the start. Its not that many directors have not been able to do that in finesse, but to bring it to the larger mainstream audience with cracking splendor of technology and special effects is what Nolan has made die hard and 'young' fan following the world over. Ironically, good or bad, studios will let him be to have their share of the pie.
The DKR culminates in the story of hope, revenge, betrayal, human strength in all of us to take that choice we wish was as easy as it is to say.
'Endure, Master Wayne'. Endure through it all . Its no easy words.