The Dark Knight (2008) * * * 1/2

Directed by:  Christopher Nolan

Starring:  Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Eric Roberts


When The Dark Knight first came out, I gave it a two-star review and wrote "it is a colossal disappointment." I also wrote that Heath Ledger was "fine as The Joker." Upon subsequent viewings, I realize I underestimated both the film and most definitely the sweep of Ledger's performance. Ledger, of course, won a posthumous Oscar for his role, and at the time I doubted how much he deserved to win, but his performance and his presence sets the tone for the movie and its theme.  He isn't just a villain out to make a few bucks or kill some good guys.  He is out to corrupt Gotham with carefully devised moral quandaries for his victims.

For instance, his plan at the end to arm two ferries with bombs and the detonators will be in the hands of the hostages. The game: Press the detonator and you will blow up the other ferry. What makes this more interesting is that one of the ferries contains prisoners and the other ordinary citizens. How this is resolved is something of a masterstroke. The Joker also wants to corrupt the incorruptible, as in Batman and Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who is turned into Harvey Two Face through an explosion and again stays with the theme of the film, which is would you sacrifice your soul to fight evil? By the end, we know the answer for some of the characters, but others aren't so lucky.

There are some things about the film which still don't work, such as Bale's Dirty Harry voice as Batman. It's rather distracting. And I also think Michael Caine is underused somewhat here. His presence in a film is always welcome and I like to see more of him. Perhaps in the next one. It's not fair to compare Ledger's performance with past Jokers such as Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero because The Joker is the same here in name only. Here he is much more evil, maligned, and not a typical villain with a loud cackle. Ledger is charmisatic and is able to carry the film and underline its theme with each scene he is in. He's even scarier than most villains because as he explains in the scene where he is in jail, "You have nothing to threaten me with."

So after a couple of years, I'm officially changing my mind on The Dark Knight. Why it didn't work for me the first time remains a mystery, but it works better now. I remember that I wrote that I didn't like the way Bruce Wayne and Batman were so down all the time. I said, "If you do good, it should make you feel good." But I suppose when Gotham considers you a vigilante and is ungrateful despite your services, maybe you'd be a bit dour also.