(not once, but twice!) and I have to say that it is one the best movies I've seen. Not only is it a great comic book movie and action movie, it is a very exciting and layered crime drama. I believe it transcends the usual light comic book fare and will go on to be nominated as a
. Make sure you see it.
Besides the top prize, I feel that the hype over Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is well warranted. He is spectacular and terrifying - actually SCARY. There is a fantastic and gruesome magic trick early on that illustrates this definite difference from Jack Nicholson's Joker - who, let's face it, wasn't really scary. Heath deserves a best supporting actor Oscar.
"Here's my card..." - the Joker
The rest of the cast is on form, with Michael Cane and Morgan Freeman doing their usual good work. Christian Bale seems much more comfortable as
the Batman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, while not as pretty as Katie Holms, acts her pants off as
Rachel. Gary Oldman gets to act more as Commissioner
Gordon. I feel the most underrated but solid performance in the film was by Aaron Eckart, who played district attorney
Harvey Dent. He had the most challenging character arc - from Gotham's White Knight to Two-Face (see the movie to figure out what the hell I mean here!) He was great.
The movie is a tragedy and is not very fun. In fact, it is very dark and mean. But that makes it more interesting and it stand out from other comic films, such as
Iron Man, the
Hulk, and even from it's prequel,
Batman Begins.
It is not a kids movie. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CHILDREN! Nor is it just another summer blockbuster. It is dark and disturbing, more like
Heat,
Scarface or
the Godfather.
Watching
the Dark Knight drains you and leaves you shocked and breathless at the end. It feels like
a roller coaster ride that begins fun, then turns a bit scary as drop after drop, climax after climax hits you and you can't move, you just have to bear it, and then it drops you suddenly into a different theme park, punches you in the stomach and gives you ice cream. You leave the theater stunned and wanting to do it all again.
"You either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain." - Harvey Dent With such a great complete movie, where does the story go from here? I have no idea. It is wide open. If Chris Nolan* and the cast decide to make one more Batman film, the story could go anywhere. Any of Batman's villains could make an appearance, and rumors are already circulating around the net - Johnny Depp as
the Riddler, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as
the Penguin, and Angelina Jolie as
the Catwoman. It is way to early to take these casting rumors seriously.
As for
my bet on which of Batman's rogues with feature in a third film, I think
Catwoman and
Talia Al Ghul (Ra's daughter - Ra's Al Ghul was Liam Neeson in
Batman Begins). Catwoman would work as a copycat inspired by Batman, and Talia would be seeking revenge on Batman for killing her father. Any more discussion about a future film would cross into spoiler territory. Email me if you want to continue the discussion!
Even if
the Dark Knight is
nominated for a best picture or best supporting actor Oscar,
can it win? I say yes! If we look at the history of the Oscars, one movie was nominated for best picture that didn't fit the standard, such as
Titanic,
Million Dollar Baby and No Country for Old Men (What was with the end of that movie!? So boring!! Great villain, though.) This one film was a fantasy movie and it still won
best picture in 2004 -
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King! If the
Lord of the Rings can with the top film prize, then
The Dark Knight surely can as well!
Be sure to see
the Dark Knight, as it's just a great great movie.
*Chris Nolan is the director of both the Dark Knight and Batman Begins and the man we give credit to for the great realistic interpretation of Batman we have today. Long live Nolan! Please direct one more!
"Why so serious?" - the Joker