Movie Review: The Dark Knight

Dismiss any acclaim you’ve read and/or praise you’ve heard from friends, family, or Batman fans; it doesn’t do The Dark Knight justice. With expert pacing, superior action, and grim chaos, The Dark Knight will keep you sitting on the edge of your seat, frothing at the mouth in excitement, and quaking in amazement. While most would agree that Batman Begins and Iron Man redefined the comic book genre and established themselves among the best superhero pics, The Dark Knight is far and away the greatest. No other superhero film has made a deeper impact on the world of cinema. Without contest, The Dark Knight is a super summer blockbuster that will withstand the test of time as one of the top action motion pictures to rouse crowds of all types.

Approximately one year after Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) ended both Ra’s Al Ghul’s and Dr. Jonathan Crane’s attempts to terrorize Gotham, Batman remains the symbol of hope, peace, and justice for the grim city. With Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and the city’s new “white knight” District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) at his side, the caped crusader fights to fend off a face-painted, sadistic criminal mastermind named The Joker (Heath Ledger). While The Joker seeks to spread chaos, the Dark Knight stops at nothing to ensure Gotham and its citizens safety and order.

Ledger’s Joker is amazing. It’s not like Nicholson’s over-the-top, loony, carnival jester, or even the highly cosmetic, scary, clown stereotype (a la Killer Clowns from Outer Space). Instead, Ledger portrays the type of figure that one would not want to encounter in a dark alley. Heath plays a deeply disturbing, frighteningly creepy, smart, dark, and volatile psychopath.

Believe it or not, Ledger’s Joker bears more semblance to the Saw “joker,” not necessarily in physical appearance, but more so in his merciless, twisted trickery. How The Joker manipulates a prison inmate and two boatloads of people is gut-wrenchingly gluing.

Look at a picture of Ledger way back from A Knight’s Tale, The Patriot, or better yet 10 Things I Hate About You. Not a single soul could have predicted that one day he would play The Joker and arguably match/exceed Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter. With Ledger’s interpretation of The Joker, he truly transcends acting. To go from portraying a homosexual cowboy in Brokeback Mountain to one of the most memorable villains of all time is quite an accomplishment.

Article Author: Brandon Valentine

Brandon Valentine is a film critic from Hershey, PA. Aside from possessing the last name “Valentine” and living in “the Sweetest Place on Earth,” Brandon was also born on Valentine’s Day. That’s right, a Valentine born on Valentine’s Day. …

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