1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- The Dark Knight

#1107- The Dark Knight (2008)
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Directed by: Christopher Nolan


Plot Summary: With the arrival of Batman in Gotham City, criminals are scared to wander the streets. But a new kind of evil emerges in Gotham City, The Joker. After aligning himself with the local mobsters, The Joker's devises a plan to kill Batman and spread anarchy across the city. With The Joker terrorizing Gotham, the citizens are in desperate need for a hero other than Batman, as they blame him for escalating a new form of crime. The citizens and Batman want to put their faith in Harvey Dent, Gotham's new District Attorney. Unfortunately, Dent is also a big part of The Joker's master plan to spread rear amongst the city.


Last time, when I talked about Batman, I explained that it was a dark and edgy adaptation of a superhero that set the standard for what most superhero films aspired to be. It took a long time, and to be honest very painful attempts, to try and top what Batman was able to do. That is, until 2008, when The Dark Knight was released. A sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, it follows many similar aesthetics to Batman, particularly with Batman fighting the same villain. This film was really intense and pushed the limits on what a successful comic adaptation needs. Since its release, many recent comic adaptations have tried re-creating the impact that The Dark Knight had on film history.

The most modern version of Batman and Bruce Wayne is played by Christian Bale. Bale does well in both roles, but I personally prefer him as Bruce Wayne. Bale seemed comfortable playing a billionaire playboy, and seemed to be struggling to play the caped crusader. Also, his Batman voice is LAME. Everyone and their mother has made fun of this voice, and of the trilogy, I feel it is at its worst in ironically the best film. Perhaps my biggest complaint about Bale's performance is that he does well, while I feel the villains and supporting characters put on top notch performances, but looking at the cast list that should be no surprise. That doesn't mean I'm calling Bale a weak link, I just feel that with all the great aspects of the film, his performance was not the strongest or most captivating.

Now it's time to talk about what everyone else was talking about when The Dark Knight came out, Heath Ledger as The Joker. The fact that Heath Ledger died before this film could be released is tragic, but that's not what I'm here to discuss. I'm here to discuss the new spin Ledger put on The Joker, combining elements from all the previous Joker performances as well as adding his own personal flavor to the character. He can be hilarious at times, but can also be terrifying. Mixed with a frightening laugh, disturbing appearance and chilling background music from Hans Zimmer, The Joker has the full and undivided attention of the audience whenever he's on screen in one of the most mesmerizing film performances of the 21st century.

"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain," is a line uttered by one of my favorite characters in The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart. Eckhart really has a commanding presence in every scene he's in, allowing him to blend into the mix with any of the characters he's interacting with. His character is the basis for one of the main themes of the film, which is phrased perfectly in the quote I mentioned above. Harvey is made likable through his loyalties to justice and doing the right thing, allowing the citizens of Gotham and the audience to believe that Harvey Dent is the hero they need. I know a lot of people ONLY focus on Ledger's performance, but I'll throw in my two cents and say that Eckhart's performance is also worth looking at, ranging from triumphant to tragic all in one film.

Another great aspect of The Dark Knight is its wonderful side characters, played by some of the greatest character actors of all time. Michael Caine plays Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Caine's sense of humor and well-spoken demeanor help make Alfred a likable character, particularly during his fatherly conversations with Bruce. Morgan Freeman plays Lucius Fox, the chief executive officer of Wayne Enterprises and supplier of Batman's arsenal of weapons and gadgets. Freeman does not have as much screen time as his fans would expect, but his presence is always welcomed and his star power adds weight to the character of Lucius. Gary Oldman helps round out the cast as Police Commissioner James Gordon. Gordon serves as the link between Batman and Harvey Dent, but never feels as a weak link among the three. Oldman brings great quality acting to the role of Gordon, in a performance that is usually described as being right off the pages of a Batman comic, which could be the greatest compliment an actor can get from fans of the comic. 

The Dark Knight serves as a first for me on this list in terms of film comparison. Not only is this a film part of a re-booted franchise, but it is also the SECOND film in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. While I do feel that Batman Begins is a great film to start the trilogy, it is not the BEST film in the trilogy; that goes to The Dark Knight. This film had the better pacing, a gripping story, remarkable performances, and really proves that the trilogy peaked highest with the second film, rather than ending it with a proper finale (since the list has not been updated with 2012 films, it remains to be seen if The Dark Knight Rises will be on it. However, I doubt it will be). I honestly put myself in the perspective of someone who knew about Batman, but did not see Batman Begins, to see if this film fits the need to see the entire trilogy for it to hold up, or if it could stand on its own. When I finished watching, I knew why it made the list, because it could stand on its own.


Rating:  5 out of 5 stars.

I labelled The Dark Knight as my favorite film for four years, and it is still a film that I love watching every chance I get. A more realistic adaptation of Batman brought to life through an all-star cast and the director's vision for the franchise. A huge recommendation for all viewers to see and own in their collection.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review 

The Dark Knight and movie images are copyrighted by Warner Bros.