As summer blockbusters churn out a succession of candy floss confectionary seemingly best viewed through 3-D glasses, “The Dark Knight” is storytelling so obsidian theaters should hand out night vision goggles.
Complex and enthralling, “Dark Knight” is a conundrum as it’s an action film which is most successful in its murkier, contemplative, quieter moments. Blessed with an intelligent script from director Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan, the film delivers a challenging, engrossing story with a multitude of conflicted, complex characters. “The Dark Knight” also feels more violent than it actually is because Nolan expertly generates the tension of anticipated violence. He masterly fills an audience with palpable expectation.
While the film is infused with an emotional potency, the action scenes are less than rousing. Car chases are discombobulated and prone to excessive use of CGI. The fight sequences are chaotic and hard to follow. Compared to the superlative choreography of the “Bourne” films, the hand-to-hand combat in “The Dark Knight” is clunky, frenzied yet underwhelming.
The casting is spot on and while the ensemble as a whole is commendable, any discussion of the cast begins with Heath Ledger’s titanic performance as The Joker. While the buzz regarding his performance smelled like a promotional media blitz, the actuality is that Heath Ledger is damn good. He’s truly intimidating with both nuance and subtlety in abundance, especially in a sensational interrogation scene. He even makes the rudimentary phone call request both comic and desperate. It’s a staggering performance that is transfixing and further demonstrates that Jack Nicholson has been coasting for almost a quarter century.
The rest of the main cast is strong as well. Christian Bale is a pillar as the titular character. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman lend gravitas to parts which they could have performed on cruise control. Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel, the sought-after love interest, provides ample evidence that Katie Holmes was a crucial misstep in “Batman Begins.“ Aaron Eckhart’s transformation from district attorney to villain is believable and strong. It’s not only his jaw line which denotes leading man status. And while you expect Gary Oldman to prick up his ears and go buck wild, he’s restrained and genuine instead of distracting and flowery. The appearances of Eric Roberts, Anthony Michael Hall and Tiny Lister are fun, in a trivia-night sort of way.
Nolan has collected an impressive body of work during the past decade. You sense he has the ability to develop the type of versatility of a director such as Ang Lee. Perhaps Nolan could tackle a comedy, but given his penchant for darker tones it wouldn‘t be surprising if it was titled “Pineapple Depress.”
“The Dark Knight” is not rollicking fun like “Iron Man,” which could be coined, “Kitsch, Kitsch, Bam, Bam.” But if one enjoys their comic-book noir etched with a graphite pen, then this “Batman” is an intelligent, moody blockbuster not readily available at the multiplex.
One Film Beyond 