The Dark Knight was a game changer in so many ways. In contrast to the fun loving Jack Nicholson Joker in the 1989 movie, Heath Ledger had a much more disturbing take on the character. Joker was always a dark character but also a comedic character. There's nothing funny about this Joker. Sure he has one good comedic scene with the whole "who wants to see a magic trick" stuff, but really the comedy this Joker likes is a bit more profound. The absurdity of civility.
And that is what I took away from the movie in a nutshell. This wasn't so much a comic book movie or an action movie as it was a philosophical discussion on some very weighty issues. Heath Ledger's Joker is the embodiment of anarchy. Thomas Hobbes called it the "state of nature" where if man were left to their own devices, they would be no better than common animals; devoid of morality and conscience. Joker believes this and his master plan is to expose all culture and society for the facade it truely is.
The Dark Knight is easily my second favorite of all the Batman movies. It is a very well done movie with a brilliant story. It took elements from all the predecessors and used it to create something nobody had ever seen before. It's a masterpiece of filmmaking and storytelling. But it does have it's flaws.
One thing that gets really annoying are the long chunks of exposition. Nobody will ever shut up. Especially Alfred. I think they did that just in case people in the audience couldn't keep up. But I've attacked other movies for using the Exposition Fairy in other movies so I have to bring it up here. And it does get annoying.
Also, I'm not a huge fan of the Heath Ledger Joker. Maybe it's my attachment to the Jack Nicholson Joker but Heath Ledger's Joker was ironically just too serious. His famous line from the movie was "Why so serious?" For an agent of anarchy, this Joker is incredibly focused and calculating. Everything is planned down to the last little detail. I think of anarchy as being far more random. I just remember back to the scene with Joker and Vicki Vale where Vicki asks Joker what he hopes to accomplish. And in a brilliant piece of acting Joker actually had this look of bewilderment on his face. Only for a split second but for that split second he just didn't understand the very idea of having a definitive plan. Then he just blurts out "my face on the one dollar bill." As if that's something anyone really strives for or shown any motivations towards. It's just the first insane thought that came to his head. He didn't really want that. It was just a joke. Heath Ledger's Joker just never jokes around. Why so serious?
The last point I want to talk about I have mixed feelings. Harvey Two-Face. Aaron Eckhart was absolutely brilliant as Harvey Dent. In every way he was inspiring as an actor. The only reason he didn't get the Emmy for best supporting actor was because Heath Ledger won it. I can't say enough about how good a job Aaron Eckhart did. But here's my problem. The character was unnecessary. They did such a good job with this character, he easily could carry an entire movie dedicated to himself.
The idea of including Two-Face was that they needed a dramatic element to end the movie. The ideas of Harvey being the traditional type of heroic character is beautiful. He's the light hero where Batman is the dark hero. Which one is better? It's a very powerful point to bring up and could easily be discussed in a stand alone movie, but here we also have the Joker and everything he brings to the movie. There are times it becomes overwhelming. I'll just pose the question: What would you think of this movie if it were split into two? One featuring Joker and all he did and the other featuring Harvey Two-Face and all he brings to the movie? The re-write would be simple. Instead of Joker burning Harvey, have it be Maroni.
Despite it's flaws The Dark Knight really is about as perfect a movie as I've seen anyone try. How will The Dark Knight Rises finish the story? After I see the movie, I'll be back with the exciting conclusion in Part 8 of the Batman Retrospective. Same Bat time. Same Bat channel.
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