The Dark Knight (Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart. Directed by Christopher Nolan; Screenplay by Christopher Nolan and Johnathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan and David Goyer)Short Review: See it, but pee first and don’t get that gallon size soft drink with free refills: at two and a half hours, you might find yourself squirming toward the end.Longer Review: Okay, let’s start with the Joker…The best way to describe the character? Remember at the end of No Country for Old Men when Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem’s reneltless killer) stumbled away from the car crash and you wondered what happened to him? Well, if he went to Gotham City and put on white greasepaint… he’d be the Joker.It’s been a year since the masked vigilante known as The Batman appeared in Gotham City. Crime is down thanks to his presence and the efforts of the new DA, Harvey Dent and Lt. Jim Gordon’s special task force. Enter the Joker, who offers to solve the crime boss’ problems by killing the Batman. And the stage is set for the ultimate Point/Counterpoint, with Batman and the Joker representing opposing views of human nature, using a Gotham City and its citizens to prove their points.The screenwriters seem to have paid close attention to the source material (the Joker seems strongly influenced by Alan Moore’s interpretation in The Killing Joke) but the story is more rooted in the “real world,” than any other comic adaptation to date. The Joker’s methods are decidedly low tech and even Batman’s “toys” are within the realm of things either readily available or, given his resources, entirely possible. Batman, despite his physical and mental prowess, shows the scars (both physical and mental) of his mission.The cast is uniformly first rate with even the secondary parts filled with reliable, familiar faces (among them Michael Jai White, Eric Roberts, William Fichter, Nestor Carbonell and Michael Anthony Hall).The only problem I had with the movie was what they did with Two-Face. Having been part of Batman Lore since 1942, it’s hardly a spoiler to say Harvey Dent becomes Two Face; in fact, I feel the screenwriters took unfair advantage of the fact (a little bit) because since the audience knows what’s going to happen to Harvey long before he does, it gives an extra layer of irony and naiveté to his dreams and desires. But the transformation seems rushed and the aftermath is unsatisfying despite its value in setting up the next installment. (And in the heat of his revenge, where did he find the time to obtain that suit?)Still, it’s one of the best superhero movies ever—right up there with The Incredibles. Until Watchmen.
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