I recently watch the Batman sequel, the Dark Knight. Then I went and watched it again. The film is pitch perfect. Flawless is another word that comes to mind. It’s a lot like the daydreaming that precedes a big trip, and when it finally arrives you are more than wholly satisfied.
It’s the Last Supper of genius. The Nolan brothers, Christopher and Jonathan have collaborated on their magnum opus. The have previously collaborated on numerous projects like Memento, Insomnia, Prestige and Batman Begins. If Begins was a great genre film, Dark Knight transcends the rigid convention that hero films are restrained to. When you consider the collection of acting talent, and the dark vision of the Nolan’s, whose particular lens is the soulmate to Bob Kane and Frank Miller’s dark muse, it’s a perfect storm of artistry. Combine that with the tour-de-force performance by Heath Ledger who truly brought the Joker alive. All of this united with a great script, kinetic confrontations, and the solid performances of the Best Batman Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine. This film is truly one for the ages. It’s not your daddy’s Batman.
The cast approached this film, like the previous one, with the earnestness of a serious drama or thriller. Oldman’s Gordon is the real deal. He’s the cop that you hope exists. He is the paragon of integrity and honor that Gotham truly needs. Caine and Freeman keep Bruce Wayne’s head clear and ground him when he loses his way. They both bring their distinct brand of humor to their respective roles that help balance the explosion of drama and violence on the screen. Maggie Gyllenhall delivers a strong performance that is occluded by the others but brings a range of emotion that I have trouble seeing her former, Katie Holmes, achieving.
In Dark Knight Bale becomes the brooding Bruce Wayne and tortured action hero that his predecessors couldn’t. His range of emotion vacillates between the love lorn and sincere, to cocky, to a visceral rage that jumps off the screen and brings depth to our hero. In Begin, the genesis of the Dark Knight is realized through the violent murder of his father and mother. Then he goes on a soul searching expedition and exhile to channel his anger and guilt. This time he has confronted the anger that drove him to come within moments of killing his parent’s murderer to the righteous caped crusader. This is a distinction that truly separates the hero from the vigilante, the right and the wayward. The evolution of character of the Batman is juxtaposed with the other characters in the world of Gotham to create the morality tale that Nolan so expertly pulls off at the end. “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain.”
Then there was Heath Ledger’s Joker. He was the definitive joker. I was floored, and I know that a lot of people want to throw genius and iconic around since his unfortunate death but it all fits in the blank. It’s as if he never watched Jack Nicholson’s rendition. This was an original, and legendary take on the canon’s most infamous villain. When Nolan cast Ledger to take on the role, some people questioned it. Nicholson denounced it. I wasn’t sold, but curious. I sat through the movie glued to the front of my seat in awe of his talent. His nuanced take and realistic characterizations of a truly maniacal character were masterful, and believable. The Joker has a line in Dark Knight that stuck with me, and although I tried not to over sentimentalize his performance, I was overcome with admiration. “In their last moments people show you who they really are,” the Joker said, when describing his preference for knives as opposed to guns. Ledger gave the performance of his life, and one that most who lived a longer one couldn’t touch. Nicholson was great as the Joker in the 80’s Batman, but Ledger was legendary. It’s as brilliant and layered as Anthony Hopkin’s Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. Just as sadistic as last years Oscar winning performance by Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh. And every bit as deserving of the Oscar.
Finally, the artist responsible for this beautifully complex thriller, which happens to be a part of one of the most prolific franchises of all time. He confronts such epic themes as love and loss, revenge, faith, justice, trust, and evil. In The Prestige Nolan posed science versus religion. With Memento he challenged the very nature of truth and judgment. He took a bold idea of what he thought we wanted from this genre, popcorn action or believability and cutting narrative that doesn’t sacrifice an ounce of action.
“His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly's wings. At one time he understood it no more than the butterfly did and he did not know when it was brushed or marred,” Ernest Hemingway once said about F. Scott Fitzgerald. After watching the hauntingly fantastic Dark Knight this quote kept running through my mind. Nolan has truly directed a masterpiece that transcends the hyperbolic boundaries that confine the hero genre. A continuation of the trilogy leaves me feeling ambivalent after watching this one. “You Complete Me,” the Joker sarcastically chides Batman. His iconic performance should be left as the definitive end to the character. Even though the Joker is Batman’s arch nemesis, the next one can stand alone on Nolan’s and his cast’s immense talent. Ledger was destined for this role, and sadly it will be his final “full” performance. He had so much to offer the world with his charisma, his ardent diligence to the craft, and his try anything mentality. I hope that Nolan will continue with his best work’s source material, but consider the legacy that he is a part of. Ledger’s light shined so bright that it truly stands the test of time, and deservedly has a shot at the best supporting actor legitimately. Even an announcement of the end of the trilogy would be better news to me then to hear that the Joker has been recast. Here’s to you Heath, I hope you Rest In Peace. . . Well done.
