JohnDoe
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BrentonThe Dark Knight (2008) - Footage Included
August 29th 2008 01:19
The Many Sides of the Good Guys and the Bad Guys
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher and Jonathon Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Eric Roberts, Heath Ledger, Anthony Michael Hall.
“...So we’ll hunt him because he can take it.” - Gordon
Darker and more intense than any of its predecessors, this is the batman movie for the 30 year old geek boy age. In this sequel Director Christopher Nolan who helmed Batman Begins, continues to distil the shadow cloaked psychological violence of the bat as seen by Frank Miller in the graphic Novels “The Dark Knight Returns” and “Batman: Year One”.
Drawing on Alan Moore’s gritty and inventive comic, “The Killing Joke” and Grant Morrison’s "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth" for inspiration, Nolan’s exciting second chapter of the Caped Crusader lives up to the hype.
The Dark Knight opens with an intensely thrilling bank heist reminiscent of Michael Mann’s Heat setting the tone for the next 2 plus hours of involving action. A madman is on the loose in the Gotham, an enigmatic anarchist, an urban terrorist intent on destroying the last remanent of morality in the city. Known only as the Joker (Heath Ledger), he has worked his way into the criminal underworld.
“Nothing. No matches on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing is custom, no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. No name, no other alias.” - Gordon
Hope for the city comes not from the bat but in the form of white knight District Attorney Harvey Dent. A stoic and determined believer in justice who also happens to be romancing Bruce Wayne’s flame Rachael Dawes.
Tackling the complexities of vigilante justice and existing on an invisible line that a crime fighter must walk in order to quash his enemies without becoming that which he despises most. The film is loaded with relevant social sub text regarding the nature of the war on terror and the powerful machinations of pure intentions corrupted.
John Doe Says:
Many are claiming the film reinvents the comic book genre. John Doe won’t go that far, but it certainly continues to evolve the adult extensions began with Alex Proyas’ The Crow, and Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City. It is easy to draw comparisons between the film and Cinema classics like Citizen Kane and even Hearts of Darkness reworking like Apocalypse Now.
The tight narrative ensures the viewer is constantly assessing the plot. Dwelling on the similarities between each of its 3 leads, the screenplay by the brothers Nolan exploits the character dynamics to become a triage coin of psychological examination.
The set pieces are astonishing in their authenticity. Utilising all the technical tricks of manipulation, the sound design and cinematography invest the viewer in the heart of each fresh visual maelstrom.
Christian Bale (American Psycho, Emperor of the Sun) is again the embodiment of the flawed human superhero playing the Batman. Brooding and driven by rage he is assured as the bat. In the role of alter ego Bruce Wayne he effectively communicates the uncertain struggle to find an artificial personality that can exude the illusion of truth.
Much has been made of Heath Ledger’s final cinema outing as the maniacal and unhinged Joker. Some of the praise is justified, though Oscar Nomination rumours over state his effectiveness. For every moment where Ledger embodies the jester of death with clairvoyant body language and slow drawling line delivery, there is also several opportunities missed. Growing into the part his diabolical psychosis becomes more pronounced. This may have been a conscious decision for a character arc, as the Jokers exploits become more successful so to does the confidence grow, sadly though this means that any menace or threat of intent is subdued.
If JD was to signal out one great performance, it has to be Aaron Eckhart (Thursday, In the Company of Men) as Harvey “Two Face” Dent. Continuing on from his strong turn in Thank You for Smoking, Eckhart brings dimension and humanity to his part. The subtle internal transformation realised with cloaked facial expressions a precursors to the external tragic villainy to come.
Where he is normally the extroverted villain in films like True Romance and Leon The Professional, here the versatile Gary Oldman brings a genuine tenderness as the incorruptible Officer Gordon.
The film is not without its faults. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary) makes the most of what’s on the page for Rachael Dawes. Sadly the part is underwritten and as a result we don’t quite connect on the emotional level necessary to carry the suspense of one of the films major dramatic revelations.
An armoured van seemingly constructed from the same material as Superman’s torso also stands out as a minor quibble in suspension of disbelief.
Over all this is a gritty and authentic adventure that drags a fictional hero into the real world and revels in convincing us to believe. Fast and savage, the running time passes by with seldom a pause. A pop culture landmark sure to be dissected and reconstructed several times in the coming years.
The Dark Knight is an intelligent action film with plenty of substance, everything a big budget blockbuster should aspire to. But be warned the cost of such an exercise means it is not family friendly and caters to a more mature audience.
Now as a treat here are some FAN MADE posters for Batman 3.
Christopher Nolan discusses the making of the Dark Knight
Aaron Eckhart talks Two Face
Gary Oldman delves into Gordon
Some early leaked concepts for the Dark Knight on DVD
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher and Jonathon Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Eric Roberts, Heath Ledger, Anthony Michael Hall.
“...So we’ll hunt him because he can take it.” - Gordon
Darker and more intense than any of its predecessors, this is the batman movie for the 30 year old geek boy age. In this sequel Director Christopher Nolan who helmed Batman Begins, continues to distil the shadow cloaked psychological violence of the bat as seen by Frank Miller in the graphic Novels “The Dark Knight Returns” and “Batman: Year One”.
Drawing on Alan Moore’s gritty and inventive comic, “The Killing Joke” and Grant Morrison’s "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth" for inspiration, Nolan’s exciting second chapter of the Caped Crusader lives up to the hype.
The faces in the Knight
The Dark Knight opens with an intensely thrilling bank heist reminiscent of Michael Mann’s Heat setting the tone for the next 2 plus hours of involving action. A madman is on the loose in the Gotham, an enigmatic anarchist, an urban terrorist intent on destroying the last remanent of morality in the city. Known only as the Joker (Heath Ledger), he has worked his way into the criminal underworld.
“Nothing. No matches on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing is custom, no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. No name, no other alias.” - Gordon
Hope for the city comes not from the bat but in the form of white knight District Attorney Harvey Dent. A stoic and determined believer in justice who also happens to be romancing Bruce Wayne’s flame Rachael Dawes.
Tackling the complexities of vigilante justice and existing on an invisible line that a crime fighter must walk in order to quash his enemies without becoming that which he despises most. The film is loaded with relevant social sub text regarding the nature of the war on terror and the powerful machinations of pure intentions corrupted.
The Bat stalks and the Joker takes action.
John Doe Says:
Many are claiming the film reinvents the comic book genre. John Doe won’t go that far, but it certainly continues to evolve the adult extensions began with Alex Proyas’ The Crow, and Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City. It is easy to draw comparisons between the film and Cinema classics like Citizen Kane and even Hearts of Darkness reworking like Apocalypse Now.
The tight narrative ensures the viewer is constantly assessing the plot. Dwelling on the similarities between each of its 3 leads, the screenplay by the brothers Nolan exploits the character dynamics to become a triage coin of psychological examination.
The set pieces are astonishing in their authenticity. Utilising all the technical tricks of manipulation, the sound design and cinematography invest the viewer in the heart of each fresh visual maelstrom.
Christian Bale (American Psycho, Emperor of the Sun) is again the embodiment of the flawed human superhero playing the Batman. Brooding and driven by rage he is assured as the bat. In the role of alter ego Bruce Wayne he effectively communicates the uncertain struggle to find an artificial personality that can exude the illusion of truth.
Much has been made of Heath Ledger’s final cinema outing as the maniacal and unhinged Joker. Some of the praise is justified, though Oscar Nomination rumours over state his effectiveness. For every moment where Ledger embodies the jester of death with clairvoyant body language and slow drawling line delivery, there is also several opportunities missed. Growing into the part his diabolical psychosis becomes more pronounced. This may have been a conscious decision for a character arc, as the Jokers exploits become more successful so to does the confidence grow, sadly though this means that any menace or threat of intent is subdued.
If JD was to signal out one great performance, it has to be Aaron Eckhart (Thursday, In the Company of Men) as Harvey “Two Face” Dent. Continuing on from his strong turn in Thank You for Smoking, Eckhart brings dimension and humanity to his part. The subtle internal transformation realised with cloaked facial expressions a precursors to the external tragic villainy to come.
Where he is normally the extroverted villain in films like True Romance and Leon The Professional, here the versatile Gary Oldman brings a genuine tenderness as the incorruptible Officer Gordon.
The film is not without its faults. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary) makes the most of what’s on the page for Rachael Dawes. Sadly the part is underwritten and as a result we don’t quite connect on the emotional level necessary to carry the suspense of one of the films major dramatic revelations.
An armoured van seemingly constructed from the same material as Superman’s torso also stands out as a minor quibble in suspension of disbelief.
Over all this is a gritty and authentic adventure that drags a fictional hero into the real world and revels in convincing us to believe. Fast and savage, the running time passes by with seldom a pause. A pop culture landmark sure to be dissected and reconstructed several times in the coming years.
The Dark Knight is an intelligent action film with plenty of substance, everything a big budget blockbuster should aspire to. But be warned the cost of such an exercise means it is not family friendly and caters to a more mature audience.
Now as a treat here are some FAN MADE posters for Batman 3.
Batman 3 if Marion Cotillard played Catowman
Batman 3 if Kristen Bell played Harley Quinn
Christopher Nolan discusses the making of the Dark Knight
Aaron Eckhart talks Two Face
Gary Oldman delves into Gordon
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