The Dark Knight
by Cheeto
Posted on 3 May 2021
Rating -
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the second installment of Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy and a sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale and supported by Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman. In the film, Bruce Wayne / Batman (Bale), Police Lieutenant James Gordon (Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart) form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City, but are menaced by an anarchistic mastermind known as the Joker (Ledger), who seeks to undermine Batman’s influence and throw the city into anarchy.
The Dark Knight is a rare film in the sense that; it has all positives and no negatives. Yes I may be biased slightly, but I genuinely can’t think of anything wrong with this film. (If you can, then please tell us in the comments below).
This film is the most grounded and brilliant take on a real-life interpretation of, not just Batman, but of a superhero. This film is, of course a Batman film, but it doesn’t shove it in your face that it is. For me personally, this film is a gritty, dark and obvious crime-thriller film above everything else.
The writing in this film, both story and dialog, is immense. The plot is both smart and fascinating, all these aspects make the film brilliantly paced. The writing especially makes the scenes impactful, this makes for great viewing for us, the viewer.
This film has unequivocal amounts of action. There’s everything you’d expect to see in an action film e.g. explosions, fighting etc. What makes the action in this film especially good; is because it’s very realistic and not over the top. Once again, this makes the scenes even more impactful and meaningful. The intro to this film is one of the greatest in film. It’s both thrilling and action packed, this fires us straight into the film. The intro of course, introduces us to one of the best parts of this film; The Joker.
Heath Ledger (The Joker), gave everything and it was the most method I’ve ever seen anyone go for a role. He is so well written, Christopher Nolan really is an underrated writer. He is witty, dark and evil all at the same time. The interrogation scene between him and Batman is one of the best in cinematic history. The chemistry between The Joker and Batman is fascinating. The Joker is so well written, and is so well played by Ledger, that we (the viewer) can almost sympathise with him. I gaurantee a lot of people watching this film, would’ve sided with him. This is just because he is so well developed and ‘real’.
The two boats scene is thrilling and puts you on the edge of your seat. Harvey Dent is a great and fascinating character. Like The Joker, you can almost sympathise with him, when he tragically turns into the villain, Two Face.
The ending is how you’d want this film to end. It’s emotional, action packed and it certainly gets your heart rate up. The quote; “You can die a hero, or live long enough, to see yourself become the villain”, is easily one of the best and most iconic in film. Christian Bale once again puts in a great performance as Batman. He has much more character development, as well as much more levels to him. This is obviously (in part) because he already has an origin film behind him.
The music for this film is legendary. Hans Zimmer just continues to pump out these brilliant scores, time after time. It accompanies this film as good as strawberries and cream. The score is a huge part in what makes this film a marvel of filmmaking.
Overall, I think this film is one of the best films, of not just the superhero genre, but of cinema itself. I cannot stress enough; you HAVE to watch this film. It’s good to watch reviews and synopsis’ of it, but it’s just better if you experience it for yourself.
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