Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We are tonight’s entertainment!

I only have one question. Where is inpopculturewetrust?

You know where inpopculturewetrust is? You know who he is?

You know where I can find inpopculturewetrust? I need to talk to him about The Dark Knight (2008) starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman, directed by Christopher Nolan.

A little fight in you. I like that.

Then you’re gonna love me. I’m gonna give you a spoiler filled critique of the movie. So if you’ve not seen the film then stop reading now and come back after you have.

So here we are Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus The Dark Knight. I’ll admit it right now this is an awesome movie that has resided in my top 5 movies of all time since it’s release. It is a dense, well structured, well acted and thematically interesting movie which showcases Nolan and his team at their very best.

We open with a bank heist which neatly sets up this movie and intrigues the audience from the start. The gradual bumping off of all the criminals in this section of the film is indicative of the character that Heath Ledgeruses for his portrayal as the Joker. When he is revealed at the end of the sequence it is obvious that he has a callous disregard for human life and is marching to the beat of his own drum.

Heath Ledger as The Joker

We are reintroduced to Christian Bale‘s Batman as he breaks up a meeting between a mobster, the Scarecrow and an army of amateur Batmen armed with guns. Bruce complains to Alfred that when he said that he wanted to inspire people that he didn’t want his extreme example taken literally. But the people of Gotham have a new hero to belive in, Gotham’s White Knight Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckheart. Who incedently is dating Bruce’s true love Rachel Dawes who this time is played by the always excellent Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Batman and Jim Gordon, who has a greatly expanded role in this film, team up with Harvey to take out the mobs remaining cash flow but are beaten to it by Lau. Lau has moved all the mobsters combined money to Hong Kong and as he is informing the mobsters including  bosses Sal Maroni, Gambol, and The Chechen  The Joker interrupts  warning that Batman is the real problem and is unhindered by jurisdiction. They laughingly refuse when Joker offers to kill Batman for half the money and Gambol puts a bounty on him. Ledger‘s brilliant performance here, in all it’s slurping and lip smacking delivery, is a joy to behold!

The Joker was right. Batman follows Lau to Hong Kong and in an awesome Bond pastiche takes Lau back to Gotham where Lau agrees to testify against the mob.

Bruce decides to hold Harvey a fundraiser. In all these films what is sometimes overshadowed is Christian Bale‘s performance he really sells to us in these sequences that he is revealed that there is someone to take over from him and his wish to inspire the good people of Gotham has come to fruition.

However The Joker gatecrashes the fundraiser as part of his plan to destabilise the city. He has issued an ultimatum that people will die each day unless Batman reveals his identity; this results in the killings of Commissioner Loeb and the judge of the mob trials, and at the fundraiser he plans to take out Harvey Dent. Bruce hides him and changes into Batman where the two face off. The Joker throws Rachel off a balcony and Batman follows. The Joker tries to assassinate Mayor Garcia during Loeb’s memorial service but Gordon takes the bullet and seemingly dies. As a result and realising that his persona has created a madman, Bruce decides to come out as the Batman and a press conference is called. As in the last film Michael Caine steals the show at this point being in turn protective, funny and willing to take the fall with his surrogate son. Harvey instead names himself as Batman to protect the truth.

Dent is taken into protective custody and pursued by the Joker across the city in an awesome show stopping action sequence as Batman rushes to aid. Gordon, who faked his death, helps apprehend the Joker and is promoted to Commissioner. This is where most films would end, this chase has the feel of a climactic sequence, the Joker is captured and taken into custody, roll end credits…… not in Nolan’s world. Harvey and Rachel disappear. Batman confronts the Joker and learns each are in separate buildings filled with explosives. Although he chooses to go and rescue his true love, Rachel, Batman actually finds Dent moments before the buildings explode, killing Rachel and scarring half of Dent’s face. It is important to note that Maggie Gyllenhaal performance is what gives this scene its strength, her abilities as an actress are far beyond those of Katie Holmes and it is testament that we are genuinely upset when she dies.The Joker then uses a bomb to escape from the police department with Lau which had been his plan all along.

Reese, an accountant at Wayne Enterprises, who earlier in the film, had realized that Bruce is Batman and plans to announce his identity on a tv chat show. The Joker kills Lau and The Chechen, and threatens to bomb a hospital unless Reese is killed. Gordon, with the aid of a Lamborghini driving Bruce Wayne, rescues Reese, while the Joker visits Dent in the hospital, convincing him to get revenge. The Joker blows up the hospital in another scene stealing scene, dressed in drag and playing it for black comedy laughs. Dent uses his burned lucky coin to decide the fates of those responsible for Rachel’s death, killing some of the corrupt officials and mobsters involved. After blowing up the hospital and escaping with hostages, the Joker gives two explosive rigged ferries, one of citizens and the other of prison inmates, the choice to blow the other up until midnight—otherwise, both will explode!

Batman asks a reluctant Lucius Fox to use a city-wide tracking device, the prototype of which Fox had shown to Bruce in Hong Kong, to find the Joker; Fox agrees, but says he will resign immediately afterward. Batman rescues the hostages, who are disguised as Joker’s gang, by fighting off the Joker’s real men and Gordon’s SWAT team. The ferry passengers refuse to kill each other and are saved as Batman apprehends the Joker. Nevertheless, the Joker gloats he has won, as the citizens of Gotham will lose their hope once Dent’s rampage goes public. Batman leaves to find Dent as the Joker is taken into custody.
Dent lures Gordon to the building where Rachel died and holds his family hostage, as Batman confronts him. Dent judges the fates of Batman, himself, and Gordon’s son with three coin flips. As a result, he shoots Batman, spares himself and flips to determine the boy’s fate. Batman tackles Dent off the building before Dent can kill the boy, resulting in Dent’s death. Batman convinces Gordon to hold him publicly responsible for the murders so that Dent will remain a symbol of hope for the city.

” You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I can do those things. Because I’m not a hero, not like Dent. I killed those people. That’s what I can be. I’m whatever Gotham needs me to be. You’ll hunt me. You’ll condemn me. Set the dogs on me. Because that’s what needs to happen. Because sometimes the truth isn’t good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.”

A manhunt for Batman ensues, as he escapes. Alfred burns a letter written by Rachel to Bruce announcing her engagement to Dent, Fox watches the signal tracker self-destruct and Gordon destroys the Bat-Signal.

This film gets the strongest of recommends from me, not only is it filled with great acting performances, not only is it expertly directed and shot with many standout sequences but it is thematically complex and powerful dwelling on loss, love, madness and the nature of humanity. Big ideas for a superhero movie. This is also a true ensemble piece, we are not just watching the story of Batman but we are engaged in this tale of Gotham City and its key inhabitants. Truly brilliant!!!!

I will see you next time same bat time, same bat place.

Belive the hype.

Steve