Smart. stunning and stirring; third time's the charm.

Rating: 8/10 (7 August 2012)

After four years, here we are – the climax to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. Yet, anticipation and expectation has never been higher, after Nolan set the bar so high with the trilogy's previous installment. One could even go so far to call him the victim of his success. Yet, nothing could prepare me for what lay ahead.
The film opens, similarly to Knight, introducing us to the villain of this piece; for this we have Tom Hardy (easily one of the actors of his generation) as Bane. He has been understandably, but unfavourably compared to Heath Ledger's flawless Joker; they are two different actors playing completely different characters, so if Hardy's Bane "isn't as enticingly charismatic as Ledger's Joker", I'm okay with that. His character is primarily conveyed through his hulking physique, that delightful voice and captivating eyes, which wonderfully convey emotion throughout; he is both an intellectual and physical equal for Bruce Wayne. Never has the possibility of death loomed so close on Bruce's horizon.
And speaking of a certain Mr. Wayne, Bale delivers his best performance of the trilogy in this installment; his is respectably reserved, stalwart and soulful – entirely believable and endlessly engaging as the older, bruised and battered Bruce Wayne, who is now psychologically and physically frail. But when Batman does return, it's a blissfully euphoric moment of sheer elation. Bale is also supported by a brilliant supporting cast; consisting of reliably great returns: Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, who delivers some of the film's most touching moments; and impressive newcomers: Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anne Hathaway. Gordon-Levitt gives a strong and assured performance as the honest and likable cop John Blake, while Hathaway proves to be better than Michelle Pfeiffer who made such a mark on the role 20 years ago, and is superb in the part.
From the beginning there is a strong sense that this will not end well, but despite the doom, the series has never been more entertaining or spectacular. From the stunning opening sequence to the magnificence of the Heinz Stadium scene or the fantastically choreographed and conceptualized fight between Bane and Batman half-way through; the scale is undeniably breathtaking and truly epic. In my opinion, much of this is due to Nolan's genius method of doing everything as practical as possible, with real extras (there are around 11,000 in the Stadium), explosions, stunts, etc. It pays off dividends and makes the action believable, exciting and exhilarating. Wally Pfister's marvellous cinematography also benefits the film to no end; Chris Nolan knows how to direct an action sequence and Wally Pfister knows how to shoot it. As far as I'm concerned, they're been the best D.O.P./Director duo of the millennium so far, if not my favourite ever. Nolan's rejection to rely on CGI and do everything for real gives the action an impactful physicality; in one particular scene, you can feel every single brutal blow.
Unsurprisingly the film is both emotionally and intellectually resonant, with lives truly at stake and powerful speeches delivered; it also strongly plays off of A Tale of Two Cities throughout (it's made quite blatant in an emotional moment) to great effect , delivering a moral message about terrorism, class divisions and how you can eventually become what you oppose. It could be said to making a statement about capitalism and the financial elite during a stock market sequence coincidently shot as the Wall Street protests began. But maybe I'm reading too much into it, because make no mistake, the film doesn't forget to have fun; whether it's new toy "the Bat" or a passing remark Bane makes about a child's vocal talents. It's this perfect balance between comic-book sensibilities and real-world groundings which makes these films so fantastic.
Overall, this is a more-than-satisfying and trilogy-best conclusion to greatest comic book film series ever made. This is not just brilliant comic-book filmmaking, but also brilliant filmmaking in general. With Inception, Nolan confirmed his visionary genius, with The Dark Knight Rises, he has cemented it. To quote one of the cops in the film, "Boy, you are in for a show tonight, son."