LITERAL REMAINS

Screenplay by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan

Ignore the hype or whatever the boffo box-office might be trying to spin: The Dark Knight is not the movie to end all movies. It is, though, one of the best superhero movies ever made, and if you were to strip away all of the comic book costumes and Bat toys, it would still be one of the best crime films of the decade.

Batman’s presence in Gotham City intimidates some of its criminals to go the straight and narrow path. His presence also attracts the attention of other criminals, drawing them from the underworld to the surface. One such criminal is the psychopath calling himself The Joker. The Joker not only takes on the Batman, the police, and the mob, he wants to let chaos loose through the streets and watch the world burn to its very foundations. Watching the Joker’s schemes and plans unfold isn’t just plot developments being counted off on the fingers, it’s a menacing Wagnerian opera unfolding against the backdrop of a city and its citizens trying not to be overrun by decay, a rot that doesn’t regard social status.

If there is one thing you should not ignore about The Dark Knight, it is the late Heath Ledger’s performance. To compare Ledger’s Joker with Jack Nicholson’s Joker would be to compare apples to oranges. Where Nicholson’s performance was clownish and over the top, Ledger’s is a lunatic time bomb and you hold your breath waiting for the eruptions of violence when he is on the screen. He is creepy, he is real, and he is to be feared. The Joker preys on the people of Gotham, pushing them to cross the line. In one intense scene, the Joker places explosives on two ferries (one carrying convicts, the other civilians), and informs the passengers on each ferry that the only way to save themselves is to blow-up the other ferry before midnight, or he will destroy both by remote detonation.

There are some predictable moments in The Dark Knight, but there are also some surprises that leave your jaw hanging. This is a masterful and compelling film.

5 out of 5

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