The Dark Knight [M]

As Batman and the new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, beat and hammer Gotham’s mobs to the point of desperation, they slowly realise that there will be repercussions to their acts of nobility and protection. With a new villain, the theatrical and psychotic Joker gaining the help of the mobs, prowling the streets of Gotham and turning everything into chaos, Batman is faced with the challenge of accepting that he may not be the hero that Gotham needs. 

The darkest, mind-expanding, and delightfully twisted of all the Batman films, The Dark Knight is a film that simply cannot be missed, earning the late Heath Ledger, God rest his soul, his posthumous Oscar for the most outstanding portrayal of the Joker ever to be seen and felt on screen. 

As Batman and the new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, beat and hammer Gotham’s mobs to the point of desperation, they slowly realise that there will be repercussions to their acts of nobility, righteousness, and protection. With a new villain, the theatrical and psychotic Joker gaining the help of the mobs, prowling the streets and turning everything into chaos, Batman is faced with the challenge of accepting that maybe he is not the hero that Gotham needs. 

There can be no question that Heath Ledger was the pivotal centre of this film, but before we delve into the sick, twisted, and just genuinely outstanding performance that he gave, let us first talk about the script. I found this with Batman Begins also, though more evident in this film, that the scripts are very crucial ingredients because they clue the audience into the mindset of the characters. When plans are exposed to the audience, hero’s and villain’s alike, new ideas and perceptions of societal morals, social standing, and general human behaviour are introduced into our minds and we come away from this movie completely aware and much more enlightened than before. It really makes you sit and marvel at the power of the written or spoken word. It’s pretty damned cool yes? 

Now, to get to the real meat of the film: the totally and inexplicably outstanding and memorable performance from our very own Heath Ledger. Starring as the Joker, Heath delivered a wonderfully psychotic and dark and twisted performance that chilled, repelled, and held you in complete captivation. What was particularly great about Heath’s Joker, and I do believe that this makes him the greatest villain of all time, was that you had no idea where he was coming from, what his angle was, what he wanted. It’s explained simply and clearly in the script, but Heath’s macabre portrayal of a twisted mind was really enthralling and totally compelling and empowering. People are a lot scarier when you don’t know what their motive is and when Heath delivers that great line of “I’m a dog chasing cars, I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it”, that sums up the character of his Joker, but at the same time it doesn’t answer anything and even though people don’t like being in the dark when it comes to movies, The Dark Knight, and Heath’s Joker in particular, just proves that the most sinister and effective characters are the ones that have no back story. Seriously, it is blatantly impossible to write how amazing and deeply moving Heath’s performance was. I mean you could feel it in your very core. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! 

Starring Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freemn, and Aaron Eckhart, who delivered another wonderful performance, both as a hero and villain, The Dark Knight is an incredible movie that simply cannot be missed. It’s packed with drama, action, explosions, romance, merciless slaughter, violence, a great script, and delightfully dark comedy. IT’S ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT AND I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN, KILL YOU, AND CARVE YOUR FACE IF YOU DO NOT SIT DOWN AND WATCH IT! 

Let’s put a smile on that face!