JohnDoe
Bryn
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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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
... I still haven't seen it. Not sure if I'll see it while it's in theatres, either. Did you see it on IMAX? I read that Nolan took the time to use IMAX cameras for quite a few scenes...?
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I actually saw the film about a month ago, but haven't had a chance review it till today.
The first blockbuster in eons that delivers, I'm almost ashamed to be a gushing fan boy along with the millions of others, but the truth is it is that good.
It is a film that DEMANDS the big screen. I am actually planning on see it at the IMAX ASAP but it always is booked out. If you watch the Chris Nolan interview above he talks about the IMAX cameras and YES it adds loads to the visceral excitement of the action scenes.
Have you watched Batman Begins yet?
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
Food Slate
Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhardt got into their characters superbly -- Eckhardt especially when he was Harvey Two-Face...brilliant!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
If you like Aaron Eckhart then this film is for you.
Look forward to hearing your verdict after viewing.
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
A great review as always. I agree about Maggie G's role being underplayed. I felt much more could be done than her simply playing the almost superfluous role of an attractive female.
I thought Ledger was eerily excellent, especially with that lip-licking mouth movement. Aaron Eckhart was fantastic too, I wondered why he didn't get more praise from the press.
I saw it at the IMAX cinema and would definitely recommend that. But there were parts when I felt queasy...
Tracy
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
It was a ride wasn't it. Aaron Eckhart is one of those actors that can even make bad movies good, so with a juicy part like Harvey "two-face" Dent he soars.
Thanks for the visit
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I enjoyed Maggie's screentime, it was just minimal and I blame the script for not developing the charcater beyond the first movie. Still didn't drag the film down for me or anything crazy like that.
I am dying to see it on an IMAX screen.
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Yes, I wished they had done more with Maggie's role, I felt she could do much, much more. I always enjoy seeing her.
I definitely recommend the IMAX experience. We went on Friday night and were lucky it wasn't sold out like it usually is.
Byee
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by Lady Henrietta Muddling
Potter in a Harry
I haven't seen it but I will now.
I thought maybe it wasn't much good, and all the hype over Heath Ledger was just that; hype.
I didn't realise Aaron Eckhart was in it. I loved his performance in 'In the Company of Men'. He pulled off being a prick so well. [That really didn't come out as I intended].
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Yeah heath was over hyped, he doesn't do a bad job though. Just really uneven with some wasted opportunities.
I am a masive Aaron eckhart geekboy too and "In the Company of men" was the film that made me rank him too....have you seen one he did called "Thursday", may be up your alley.
Great to see you visit, don't be stranger!
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Current Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
i think Gyllanhaal as Rachel Dawes was much more interesting than Katie Holmes, she managed to inject some sexuality and playfulness into the character which is something that seems to be beyond Holmes's reach . . . id rather see bright and sassy than dull and demure any day
i know you have already commented my review but if anyone else want to see me gush over how compelling Ledger was as The Joker CLICKHERE