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Bookmark this pageThe Dark Knight (2008)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Movie review
From Time Out London
Christopher Nolan follows the sombre origin myth of ‘Batman Begins’ with a less introspective, more frenetic sequel. Once again there are lots of ideas on the boil, this time mostly to do with community action and leadership, but an endless flow of bullets, bombs and bat business drowns out most debate. Right from the off, Nolan sidesteps the analyst’s couch and plunges us straight into battle.He starts with a disorienting bank robbery and from there barely allows us to breathe – or think, even – over the next two and a half hours as we swing from the US to Hong Kong and back to the streets of Gotham. Here, the crime rate is soaring, it’s always night, and any daylight leaves you squinting. It’s always downtown too; the city is inescapable, a confusing mix of the pedestrian and the paranoid.
For this sequel, there’s a whole lot of story going on, which reduced to basics involves the wildly unpredictable Joker (Heath Ledger) wreaking havoc on Gotham. This perverse clown’s keyword is chaos – crime without sense – and there’s more than a nod to the post-9/11 order. ‘Some men just want to watch the world burn,’ chips in one onlooker. Later, when a good guy turns bad and half his face is burnt to reveal bone and sinew, it’s hard not to recall those images of charred bodies in Iraq.
Ledger makes a great, freaky Joker, with dirty, lank hair, a voice that soars and dives, and a tongue that slithers and salivates. Two scenes stick in the mind: him walking away from a doomed hospital in a nurse’s dress right before an explosion, and later hanging out of the window of a speeding car, tasting the air like a reptile, with the soundtrack falling silent in tribute, freezing this psychotic, iconic villain in time and allowing for a moment of sadness amid the noise. If he wins an Oscar, who’d begrudge him that tribute?
Meanwhile, Christian Bale’s stately if unmemorable Bruce Wayne/Batman reassumes relationships with Michael Caine’s affable man-servant Alfred, Morgan Freeman’s man-sage Lucius Fox and Gary Oldman’s modest cop, Lieutenant Gordon (whose quietness is drowned out by the film’s bombastics). New to the scene are District Attorney Harvey Dent (a slick Aaron Eckhart), who Wayne wants to promote as a human alternative to his vigilantism (an interesting sideline on the need for humility and choice when picking a leader), and Maggie Gyllenhaal as a replacement for Katie Holmes’s Rachel Dawes, but she barely gets a look-in.
It’s all very monumental, and the film’s more self-conscious moments, of which there are many, would provoke a giggle if you weren’t distracted by yet another explosion, chase or ratcheting up of a score that shrieks importance.
The challenge that Nolan has set himself is to make a comic book film that’s serious, entertaining and popular. It’s a tall order, but an admirable one. ‘The Dark Knight’ is a film that’s fantastic on the action front, seeds its acrobatics in its own reality, and always feels relevant even when its ideas are drowned out by clatter. That said, every once in a while, you’d like to be able to lean into the screen and tickle somebody’s ribs.
Author: Dave Calhoun
Time Out London Issue 1979, July 24 - 30, 2008
User reviews of this film
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- hannah said...
- Posted on Aug 20 2008 19:42 well, what can i say? thought this film might be good fun... but what a load of RUBISH it was. it was sooo long and dull and the plot was very poor. most of the acting was wooden, especially Christian Bale who played batman. (does he have problems with his vocal cords or something?) it was such a drag and the violence was just OTT. the only good part of the film was the special effects, but then again every film has them. i have to say that i feel like i've waisted 3 hours of my life. i wouldn't see it if i were you, i know i regreted it.
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- RICHARD said...
- Posted on Aug 20 2008 14:05 VERY GOOD BUT ABIT SCARY
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- jax said...
- Posted on Aug 20 2008 12:11 fantastic film, could not believe this sequel could be better. Joker fantastic and deserves the credit he is receiving. Bale as always brings a dark side to the films, much better adaptation and back to the original comics. Go and see it, one of the best films.
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- Luke said...
- Posted on Aug 19 2008 11:29 Does Anyone Recommend Me To Go And See This Film..
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- rob moss said...
- Posted on Aug 18 2008 21:11 Amazing film one of the best I ever seen is really long but just keeps geting more and more exciting
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- Schmem said...
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Posted on Aug 17 2008 15:33
OH my god i love this film its immense!!!
i dotn normally like action packed films or films with a freaky demmented guy in them but this film was just amazing!!!
I love it and best thing about it is that i could watch it again and again and again...:) - Report as inappropriate
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- Gemma said...
- Posted on Aug 17 2008 10:26 This film was absolutely incredible, very macabre, action packed and thought provoking- I can't get it out my mind so I’m going to see it again today!
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- Gemma said...
- Posted on Aug 17 2008 10:26 This film was absolutely incredible, very macabre, action packed and thought provoking- I can't get it out my mind so I’m going to see it again today!
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- coolboy said...
- Posted on Aug 16 2008 15:16 Brilliant. Oscar worthy performace by the joker Such a shame what happened to him but he will rembered as an incredible actor
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- pac-man said...
- Posted on Aug 16 2008 01:10 Wasn't looking forward to watching this. On;y went along to keep the other half company, but the time flew by and I really enjoed it. Thought that the Joker's performance was good, but can't really see what the fuss is about.
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- Scott said...
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Posted on Aug 14 2008 10:59
Good film, but nothing special.
Don't understand the rave reviews. Heath Ledger was very good in this and that is what made the film.
Other than that it was slightly dull. It could have lasted half as long as it did.
I'll forget about it in a month or so.
If you want a proper film - watch "Into The Wild" or "Walk The Line" - two absolute collosul film. - Report as inappropriate
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- JORDAN said...
- Posted on Aug 13 2008 16:41 best film i have evr seen THE JOKER is the best he plays a brilliant part evry one should watch this film
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- kabeel said...
- Posted on Aug 12 2008 18:46 joka was da best actor evaaaa man!!!! Batman was crap compared to him!!!! Joka has some well gud triks innit!!!
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- kabeel said...
- Posted on Aug 12 2008 18:46 joka was da best actor evaaaa man!!!! Batman was crap compared to him!!!! Joka has some well gud triks innit!!!
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- kabeel said...
- Posted on Aug 12 2008 18:46 joka was da best actor evaaaa man!!!! Batman was crap compared to him!!!! Joka has some well gud triks innit!!!
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Cast & crew
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Eric Roberts, Cillian Murphy, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Jai White, William Fichtner full cast
Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Drama
Rated: 12A
Duration: 152 mins
UK Release: Jul 25 2008
US Release: Jul 18 2008
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