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Article from thestar.com
There's just one thing wrong with The Dark Knight, part two of the revived Batman movie franchise: it may not get all of the credit it so richly deserves.
The tragedy of Heath Ledger's early death last January, shortly after he'd finished portraying the villainous Joker in a performance that now defines the role, has understandably overshadowed other aspects of this outstanding film, which arrives in theatres tonight via midnight screenings.
The Dark Knight is that most uncommon of movie sequels, as virtuous as The Godfather II or Aliens: it doesn't just expand a previous storyline, it immeasurably enriches it by adding shadings of character development and moral complexity that were only hinted at in Batman Begins, the 2005 series rethink by director Christopher Nolan, who rescued Bob Kane's comic book creation from camp hell. Nolan returns as helmer of The Dark Knight and he's again also the co-writer, this time with his brother Jonathan (who takes the reins from Batman Begins co-scripter David S. Goyer).
There is such confidence and verve on display here, both in front of and behind the camera, and such innovation in the storytelling, you can see why it was deemed unnecessary to have Batman 2 affixed to the title.
The movie stands on its own considerable merits, rarely flagging throughout its 2 1/2-hour running time. Tech credits are aces, especially the IMAX-ready visuals, and the grimly dynamic score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard adds a sense of foreboding.
This is a summer blockbuster that delivers all the fanboy essentials – great action scenes, incredible gadgets (including a groovy new Batpod motorbike) and genuinely special effects (there's an airborne rescue that will take your breath away) – while at the same delving into the motivational layers more common to arthouse fare.
Ledger's astounding turn as The Joker makes him first among equals in a superior cast, which adds Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal to returning stalwarts Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman.
Despite his character's name, and vastly unlike previous incarnations by Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero, Ledger doesn't play The Joker for cheap laughs.
His vision is of a frighteningly unfettered psycho who acts like a terrorist and yet who kills for no grander motive than his stated love of mayhem: "I'm an agent of chaos."
He certainly is a man of contradictions. His messily applied clown makeup barely disguises the hideous facial scars that are a partial explanation for his insanity, and he claims to favour random acts of violence over planned attacks.
Yet he executes his schemes with such meticulous timing and technical wizardry (including the old-school bank heist that smartly opens the film), it's hard to think of him as anything but the most diabolical and determined of schemers.
Unlike most super villains, The Joker harbours no deep desire to blow up the world, although he'd lick his lips with glee if that happened.
He's content to rule the roost in Gotham City, which means stealing the money and exploiting the thug brutality of the many criminal gangs that billionaire industrialist Bruce Wayne, in his alter ego as caped crusader Batman (both roles again delivered with authority by Bale), has been striving to eliminate from Gotham's greasy streets.
Batman has his usual secret allies in faithful butler Alfred (Caine), gadget builder Lucius Fox (Freeman) and police ally Lt. Jim Gordon (Oldman), all of whom can be counted upon to deliver technical support, sage wisdom and the occasional wry quip as the situation requires.
Love interest Rachel Dawes, Gotham's assistant district attorney and the film's sole major female character, is ably played by Gyllenhaal, who takes over from Katie Holmes, a lesser actor whose presence in Batman Begins was that film's major flaw.
There's a second crusader in Gotham this time. He's District Attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart, impeccably cast), a man idealistic enough to dream of a crime-free city and yet cockily pragmatic enough to bend rules to achieve it. Small wonder his nickname is "Two-Face," a moniker enhanced by his habit of flipping coins to dramatize his belief that so-called random events in life often have significant human involvement.
Later developments in the movie add a much more dramatic meaning to Dent's nickname, bringing stark visuals to the theme of duality that runs throughout The Dark Knight, one that would be hard to miss even by those who just come for the popcorn.
The movie is almost Shakespearean in its fascination with the good and evil that resides within all of us. It suggests that the greatest challenge of life is not to reject dark impulses outright, but to learn how to control them so they don't overwhelm our loftier goals.
Bale deserves applause not only for skilfully demonstrating the interior guilt of a principled vigilante (his Batman is almost as controversial as Will Smith's anti-hero in Hancock), but also for his willingness to share the spotlight with Ledger, whose incandescent performance would have attracted serious Oscar talk even without the actor's untimely passing.
No one is completely the star in The Dark Knight, just as no one is completely the hero, which is why it would be a shame if the movie were to be viewed merely as a summer diversion or the stellar swan song of Ledger.
This film is not only one of the year's best; it may well end up as the finest of 2008. At the very least, it deserves consideration for Best Picture and Best Director, along with the expected Oscar kudos for Ledger, a man whose star burned briefly, yet oh so brightly.
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