Review: The Dark Knight

Dir: Christopher Nolan Starring: Chrisian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman

The Performances

• Heath Ledger's Joker is one of modern cinema's true great villains. In every scene he's in, he steals the screen. His voice, his mannerisms, his cunning plans - this is what a screen villain should be all about. His performance is reminiscent of Hopkins' Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs; creepily powerful, terrifying yet somehow adds a sense of sensitivity to this dastardly mass-murdering clown. We have lost a great talent in Ledger, but this performance stands among the best of the last 25 years.


• Perhaps the biggest surprise in The Dark Knight is Gary Oldman as Liutenant Gordon. He handles the tough role wonderfully with charm and surprise, and his climatic choice towards the end of the film is truly riveting.


• Aaron Eckhart is just as good, but will probably be overshadowed by his showy co-stars. His charming politician is as good as any of the Supporting Actor nominees in 2007, and his powerful transformation into two-face is acted brilliantly.


• Maggie Gyllenhaal is a fantastic replacement for Katie Holmes' sleepy performance as Rachel Dawes in Barman Begins. She does Buisneswoman Rachel and Girlfriend Rachel with effortless charm.

The Action

Criticized by some for being too adult (The Telegraph's reviewer said kids shouldn't be allowed to watch films this dark), yet chmpioned by others for it's fantastic use of IMAX, I thought the action was great. Visual Effects in this film were astounding, and they weren't overused at all. I admit, it is very dark, but that's how Nolan does it. And by the way, I do think it should be rated R (15 in the UK).

The Script

Many have said the dialogue was cheesy, and while I agree with that (to a lesser extent) I thought most of the dialogue was brilliant, creating instantly classic lines such as "Why So Serious?", "This Town needs A Better Class Of A Criminal" and "You either die a hero ot live long enough to see yourself become the villain". thes are classic examples of great, iconic lines.

The Direction

Christopher Nolan has cemented his reputation asne of the best directors working in Hollywood with this film. He has yet again created a dark, mysterious city with a desire for a hero. Some of the Joker shots are fabntastic, and the action scenes are absolutely mesmerizing. Bravo, Mr Nolan, Bravo.

*****/*****