“The Dark Knight” Throws The Grading Curve For Every Crime Thriller To Follow It

Due to the fact that I am currently on vacation, it took much longer for me to get to the theater to see “The Dark Knight”. There is no doubt that you may have plowed through numerous reviews, heard all the comparisons to this movie or that movie, & listened to all of the glowing opinions about this movie. While I wish I had something really ground-breaking to add to the discussion, I can really only chime in & confirm that this is the rare movie that lives up to its expectations, then crushes those expectations.

Christopher Nolan has completely fooled the movie going public. “The Dark Knight” is advertised as a summer blockbuster, which usually means that by the end of the movie, you will have everything tied up in a neat little package with a cute bow. Nolan hasn’t made that movie. He & his brother/co-writer Christopher managed to create a movie that is part action movie, part thriller, &, most important, 100% real. For a comic book movie, it is extremely believable.

There are three main chracters that serve as protagonists. The first, of course, is Christian Bale. Bale seems much more comfortable this time around. I felt like he had much more fun in this movie & seemed to enjoy playing Bruce Wayne as the eccentric billionaire playboy. There wasn’t any character explanation needed for him so he was able to just hit the ground running & show why he is one of the best actors working today.

Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent, who of course becomes the villain Two-Face, really knocks it out of the park. You probably heard this song before but this could be a star making turn for Eckhart. The charm, charisma, & grace he portrays as Harvey Dent is really kind of inspiring. Dent’s uber-perfect district attorney role could have been seen as corny or cheesy but Eckhart makes you believe that Dent really is that perfect. Of course, that makes his tragic fall to Two-Face even more painful.

Lastly, Gary Oldman is back as Jim Gordon. I haven’t seen many reviews that really give Oldman enough credit for this part, which was my favorite in the movie. He really inhabits this role & every glance, twitch, & word are completely genuine. He thankfully has much more to do than in “Batman Begins” & takes advantage of it. It is difficult to go into my favorite section of the film without ruining it, but for those that have seen the movie, Oldman’s voiceover gave me chills & really sealed the deal for me.

Michael Caine & Morgan Freeman are back but they are very minor roles this time around. Essentially, they each play a different voice of reason for Bruce Wayne. Also, Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over for Katie Homes as Rachel Dawes. She is definitely much better than Holmes but her character really only advances the plot so there isn’t much development for her.

The people that are going to the theater to see this movie that strictly want an action movie, you won’t be displeased. The stuntwork is amazing & the action sequences are intense. In fact, the final 45 minutes of the movie had my hands glued to my armrests. The score & photography only added to the tension while we watched Batman, Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent, & the citizens of Gotham become victims of…

…The Joker. What can possibly be said about Heath Ledger’s performance? Terrifying. Hilarious. Twisted. Shocking. Maniacal. You can call it anything but over-the-top, boring, or unoriginal. There is not one moment of “The Dark Knight” in which you will see The Joker & think, “that’s Heath Ledger”. That is The Joker. His voice, his facial ticks, the awful scars, & that evil flick of the tongue…it’s truly an amazing performance & one of the greatest on-screen villains ever. Should Ledger be considered once we reach award season? Absolutely.

Every single word you have read or heard about this movie is true. It’s a brilliant piece of movie making & whatever praise it gets, it truly deserves. It is exciting &, unlike most summer movies, will actually require you to think. It raises moral questions about the thin line between right & wrong. There are times that The Joker actually makes sense as he talks about the state of our society. It’s really a beautiful dance as we go from actioneer, popcorn flick to a crime thriller.

From the brilliant opening “credits” to the phenomenal ending, “The Dark Knight” is easily the greatest comic book film ever made & should be in serious consideration for greatest action thriller ever. There have been some complaints about the two hour & thirty minute run-time. Shame on them. I did not want this movie to end & would happily have watched it again, immediately after it ended. It is normally difficult for a movie to live up to the incredible amount of hype this movie has received, “The Dark Knight” does it.