Jokerman Dance To The Nightingale Tune

So, since we looked the beginning of a new Batman series, it's only natural we'd go into the sequel, The Dark Knight, the first Batman movie not to feature the word Batman in the title.

Some time after the events of Batman Begins, organized crime has taken a huge hit, thanks to the efforts of Batman (Christian Bale), James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and new District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). However, a new player enters the game, calling himself The Joker (Heath Ledger), shaking up the status quo and threatening to bring Gotham to its knees. How far will Batman go to stop a madman with no clear goal in mind?

Yeah, I'm just going to come right out and say it early: this is one of the greatest films I have ever seen in my life. I remember sitting in the cinema, watching the events unfold, filled with awe and wonder, not wanting it to end. Some people say it was too long, I say it was too short! Considering how it took until 2012 to get the next film, how could it be too long? Maybe I'm just a wee bit obsessed with Batman to notice...

As criminal as this might be, I'm only going to cover the returning actors briefly, partly because this will probably be another long blog, partly to go over the new arrivals, and partly because what I said in the Batman Begins blog still holds true (also, for the handful of people who haven't seen this yet, some spoilers may show up).

Christian Bale is still dynamic as the Caped Crusader, at odds with himself over the fact that he feels he can retire and settle down with Rachel (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal this time around), but also with the fact that the mob is cottoning on to the fact that Batman doesn't kill. In the Batman persona, he's a lot more fierce and brutal, and I like it. This fury, THAT'S the Batman I've been wanting for a while. The Batman that does not rest, the Batman that will hunt you down. Don't get me wrong, I love Keaton's Batman and Conroy's definitely has shades of this, as well as being one of the greatest examples you can follow, but DAMN!

Michael Caine plays more of a mentor role than a father-figure here compared to the last film (not that he's any less of one, just that the Batman/Alfred soundboarding that they do in the comics gets more of a look-in) and he has some fantastic lines, both as one of the primary sources of humor (the bit on the boat about the supermodel “applying her own bloody sun tan lotion”) and for his observations on the human race and how the criminal mind thinks. Have I mentioned just how legendary this man is?

Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman continue their upstanding work, as confidantes and aides to Batman, with Oldman getting one of the best scenes in the movie when he has The Joker at gunpoint: “We got you, you son of a bitch”

Also, Cillian Murphy returns, albeit briefly. It's still awesome, and also offers the first hint that Batman is getting too well known in his methods, when Crane recognises when the real Batman shows up amongst the copycats.

While she's not new, the actress is, so I'll use Maggie Gyllenhaal as the converging point between the old and the new. As much as I no longer dislike Katie Holmes as Rachael, Maggie is just a better fit for the role. She exudes a warmer personality, as indicated by her smile, and she comes across less angsty.

Now, for the new players. And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Heath Ledger as The Joker. Holy crap, is he ever ace! The Joker in this incarnation forgoes the classic gag arsenal of previous Jokers in favour of knives, guns and the clever use of a pencil (who doesn't love that scene?) and also has the best lines (“Got a little fight in ya. I like that”). It's implied that he's wearing make-up, as opposed to being exposed to a chemical pool and staying that white. Combine that with his tatty clothes and attitude, and we have the most realistic Joker yet, who borders on being the bastard son of Alexander DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange. Heath raised the bar for supervillain acting in comic book movies and it's a masterful role.

Aaron Eckhart is the other new major player and damn if he's not charismatic as all Hell. It's almost like he took his Nick Naylor role from Thank You For Smoking and transplanted it here, but gave him a heroic angle. Dent is dashing, debonair, determined, and has a mean right cross. His eventual downfall into Two-Face is tragic and the make-up for the scarred side is among the best Two-Face designs I've ever seen (only beaten by the artwork for the incredible Dark Victory. Seriously, between this movie and that book, that's how I think Two-Face should look. Less like Jekyll and Hyde fused together, more like an actual burn victim).

Wow, what was supposed to be a brief look at the returning players ended up being longer than I thought... but on to other things.

The action sequences are excellent, and the whole movie has a heist/crime film feel to it. In fact, if you took Bruce Wayne out of the Batsuit, that's what it would be. Certain scenes with Dent and Gordon play out like it's a new version of Heat. My absolute fave scene is the interrogation between Batman and The Joker. From the moment it's revealed that Batman has been standing in the room when the lights were out, to the final moment of the scene, it's excellent directing and writing. Panning around the room, The Joker trying to convince Batman he'll be an outcast, Batman's outrage, pure gold. The dialogue in this movie is sensational, and I praise all the writing talent on hand.

Two things this movie has over Batman Begins: first, this movie shows a little more of Batman being a detective, like the bullet testing scene. This is something I had been wanting since Batman Begins, and I was glad to see it here, though I'd have loved a little more.

Secondly, I found this film a little more emotional, not that the first was lacking. But with Two-Face... oh man, he's written so well. The scene in which he puts the gun to his own head, flips the coin and looks disappointed when he's spared? How can one small scene be done so well?

There is obviously so much more to say about this movie and how brilliant it is. It is my fourth favourite movie of all time (I should do a top ten list somewhere down the line) and nothing I can say will do it justice. An easy 4.5/5

As early as this may be, tomorrow will be the finale of the Batman films as directed by Nolan. So, if you haven't seen it yet (and chances are, many of you won't have), I'll try and keep it as spoiler free as I can but just in case, come back to it at a later date. But for everybody else, tomorrow's blog will be The Dark Knight Rises.