Ever thought of a superhero or a comic character-based movie that would be so dense, politically volatile and philosophically profound? Ever thought that a superhero film would talk about anarchy and absence of law and order in the society?
Finally, here comes Christopher Nolan with "The Dark Knight", the next adverture in the series of Batman movies.
Christopher Nolan, the director of Memento, The Prestige, Insomnia, and Following, teams up with his brother and trusted screenwriting partner Jonathan Nolan to create a motion picture experience that is not only unsurpassed in terms of technical brilliance, but also immensely jolting and disturbing on the ideating front.
Leave alone the story discussion - I am not going to discuss the story here, coz’ I believe most people here would have already seen the movie, so here are some interesting points that I noticed in the film.
This movie discusses a few very important concepts -
Since time immemorial, we have been subjected to Good v/s Evil stories; Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan tell us that it’s not always about Good v/s Evil. They tell us that both good and evil need to coexist for the society to be in a balance. The moment one supercedes the other, the society enters chaotic state. And to set order in to such chaotic state of affairs you need - Violence!
The movie also talks about anarchy and proagates anarchy which is a rather radical stand.
Another important point that the movie inspects is - till the time a person is not harmed on a personal level, it is very easy to sit and opine on issues like violence and terrorism, but when any individual is pushed to the extreme - he has only one way to strike back - Violence/Terrorism!
Also watch out for characters’ paradoxical traits - The Joker(Evil) wants to come out in the open whereas Batman(Crusader) wants to lead a dubious life!
It also raises many other philosophical topics, which I’m afraid will be too much to be discussed here.
Now coming to performances - the movie has an ensemble cast - Christian Bale returns to reprise his role as the great masked crusader Batman, and he is every inch the suave, carefree, sarcastic Bruce Wayne, at the same time he is phenomenal as the caped crusader Batman. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox(CEO and Batman’s tech guy) is just awe-inspiring. Michael Caine as Alfred(Bruce Wayne’s butler) is outstanding as well. He also is the recurring conscience of Batman.
Aaron Eckhart gives a stellar performance as Harvey Dent and Two-Face. His fall from the grace is unbelievably believable.
But the absolute scene stealer is Late Heath Ledger. Heath as The Joker gives the movie most of its philosophical depth and also its greatest moments. It wouldn’t be erroneous to state that Christopher Nolan’s intellectual depth wouldn’t have been achieved had it not been for Heath. He should get a posthumous Oscar for his show in the movie.
Technical analysis - Lenswork is just outstanding. The camera man has given the Gotham a cold, a restless, an insecure look through out the movie. At the same time the usage of IMAX cameras gives certain scenes the larger than life feel.
Editing is razor sharp and keeps you on the edge. Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is class apart. It just blows you away from the first frame to the last. Also how can we conclude the review of The Dark Knight without mentioning the sound effects! The sound design is just out of this world- every gun shot, every thump is incredibly captured.
The stunts are mind blowing. Some of the finest set pieces ever!
So as a conclusion - Why so serious guys? Do yourself a favor - Watch The Dark Knight!
Hail Christopher Nolan!