The Dark Knight Movie DVD Review
I’m not a huge fan of the Batman series of films. I’ve found them to be too campy and comic book-y and not gritty or “real” enough. So I was pleasantly surprised by The Dark Knight. The film loosely picks up where Batman Begins left off, and is set within a year after the events of Batman Begins unfolded, at a crucial time when Batman, Lt. James Gordon, and new D.A.
Harvey Dent on the warpath against the criminals of Gotham City. When a new criminal mastermind called the Joker pops up, they are all, particularly Batman, faced with their toughest challenge yet.
There was a lot of hype surrounding the film, even before the tragic events unfolded. By the time The Dark Knight released in theaters in the summer of 2008, Heath Ledger had passed away, leaving behind rabid fans and unanswered questions. Maybe that helped fuel the fire, resulting in The Dark Knight receiving both glowing reviews and record-setting box office receipts.
Or maybe it was the stellar acting.
The caped crusader is once again played by Christian Bale (The Prestige, Batman Begins) and Bale again brings more depth to the role than any of his predecessors, portraying the lonely and conflicted Batman to a “T”.
Ledger (Brokeback Mountain, Lords of Dogstown, Monster’s Ball) takes a darker turn with his Joker, and in the course of the role plays a far more believable psychotic than Jack Nicholson ever did, marrying the embodiment of evil, insanity, psychosis and pure terror. (It’s no wonder people are campaigning for Ledger’s posthumous Oscar win.)
Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking, In The Company Of Men) plays Harvey Dent/Two-Face, and gives humanity to an otherwise ugly (no pun intended) villain. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Stranger Than Fiction, Secretary) steps in where Katie Holmes left off, as Wayne’s love interest Rachel Dawes, and (in my opinion) can do no wrong in playing the conflicted woman torn between Bruce/Batman and Dent.
Veteran actor Michael Caine (The Prestige, Batman Begins) reprises his role as Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler Alfred, as does Morgan Freeman (The Bucket List, Gone Baby Gone, Batman Begins) as CEO of Wayne Enterprises, both bringing depth to their characters and helping to reflect the human side of Batman.
The cast is rounded out by many others, including Gary Oldman (the Harry Potter series, The Scarlet Letter) as Lt. James Gordon; Eric Roberts (“Heroes”, L.A. Confidential) as a crime lord; Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins) reprising his role as Scarecrow; and Anthony Michael Hall (“The Dead Zone”) as Mike Engel.
Director/writer Christopher Nolan (who also directed/co-wrote The Prestige, Batman Begins and Memento) does a great job of making a crime drama out of a comic series, adding grit and depth to both the characters and Gotham City itself.
Clocking in at 2 hours and 32 minutes, The Dark Knight is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Sound is provided in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, with optional English, Spanish and French subtitles.
Although the film is rated PG13 (for violence), I would not recommend this film for kids, as it is dark and Ledger is pretty menacing as the Joker. But for adults, particularly those who enjoy seeing comics come to life, I highly recommend The Dark Knight.