Gotham’s dark avenger delivers

Dark in character, imagery and tone, The Dark Knight offers entertainment with more depth and charisma than most comic films put together.

By Ally Lois

With all the hype surrounding the latest installment in the Batman series, it’s not surprising that the much anticipated sequel has broken box office records. Despite much of the publicity surrounding the film stemming from the tragic death of star Heath Ledger, the praise given to The Dark Knight is well deserved.

After Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) transformation into Batman in Batman Begins, the masked vigilante has established his presence in Gotham City. Striving to rid Gotham of crime, Batman continues to help Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) enforce the law amidst widespread corruption and has found a new ally in District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Despite Dent’s budding relationship with Wayne’s childhood love, Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Wayne sees Dent as Gotham’s real hero and seeks to facilitate his fight against the city’s underworld. Batman’s unconventional and theatrical crime fighting has still not entirely convinced the people of Gotham he’s one of the good guys and now his antics have provoked a new nemesis who also has a flair for the dramatic.

As one of the most notorious Batman villains, Ledger’s reincarnation of the Joker is hard to watch objectively, if only because of the publicity surrounding his penultimate performance. Despite calls for a posthumous Oscar perhaps owing to sentimentality, Ledger’s performance is arresting, and brings out an intense and menacing quality that contrasts and in some ways mirrors our dark protagonist. The Joker introduces a new kind of criminal to Gotham, one that revels in violence and chaos and cares little for profit. The Joker begins to terrorise the city and sets out to prove that the people of Gotham are wicked and depraved at heart.

Guided by the skilful hand of director Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight delivers a balanced mix of fast-paced action, striking and brooding imagery and well-drawn, nuanced characters. We are treated to fine performances all round and gain a new insight into Batman’s character. Owing to the character-driven story, the film offers much more than the average comic film and provokes questions about terrorism, human nature and the divide between good and evil.

Unfortunately the media hype around Ledger’s death and performance may have overshadowed the true brilliance of The Dark Knight, but Nolan’s masterpiece is deserving of the praise bestowed on it and offers the audience a rare mix of blockbuster action, well-developed characters and a great story.

Score: 4 ½ out of 5

Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal