Movie and Television Reviews

This isn't the review you deserve, but it's the one you need:

As the people from the previous showing were leaving, one bat-shirted patron said, "Dude, that was the best two hours of my life" (His youth and the fact that he wears Batman t-shirts inclined me to believe him.). I wouldn't go quite as far, but I will say that Dark Knight is certainly the smartest, and probably the best, two and a half hours of superhero cinema ever projected on a screen.

In the second of the non-silly Batmans, Gotham is experiencing a crime wave, an anachronistic problem more appropriate to the late seventies than the late 0s (But I went with it.). The Joker (Heath Ledger R.I.P.) bursts onto the scene and offers the multi-ethnic Gotham crime hierarchy the opportunity to rid themselves of Batman (Christian Bale), whose red tape-free vigilante-ness makes him particularly effective.

While Batman specializes in difficult, unofficial stuff like super-legally extraditing Chinese corporate outlaws from Hong Kong skyscrapers, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), a clean, district attorney-boy scout, handles the mundane task of prosecuting criminals. It's a nice little partnership until the Joker masterfully drives a wedge between them, pushing Gotham, Batman, and Dent to the limit.

Holy movie of the year, Batman:

1. The odious, non-humorous Joker successfully pushes all of my buttons: He's a cruel bully, tempter of the good, and enemy of good order- more of a serial killer-terrorist hybrid than criminal mastermind. Indeed, the public videos of his torture technique remind me of Al-Qaeda. Heath Ledger has a lot to do with this, obviously, but even the best actors have to have something to do, so props to the writers and director.

2. This is the smartest superhero movie ever made in the creative execution of plot elements. The combination of technological genius and spectacular physical bravery that Batman uses to kidnap the Chinese criminal would be appropriate in a spy thriller (James Bond can only dream of such cleverness. There is, however, a very Bondish scene in which Lucius Fox [Morgan Freeman] shows Bruce Wayne his latest gadgets and Wayne accidentally triggers one.). and leaves one both breathless and intellectually satisfied. The Joker's burning of a pile of money reinforces his anarchic goals.

3. The plot successfully adds emotional and moral depth without taking away from the movie's comic book essence.

4. Like the best action movies, we have a false resolution, where we think the plot is resolved only to ramp back up for an even bigger ending.

4. Because Batman is just a man, the directors spare us the CGI and, instead, fill Batman with brilliant stunts and a couple of wonderful chases. Good fighting too. Batman enters a strip club and moves towards his goal like John McCain upon sighting Osama bin Laden, dispatching flunkies all the way.

Holy imperfection, Batman:

1. The plot, while a solid-enough skeleton upon which to hang the above meat, doesn't justify some of the characters' motivations. Joker demands that Batman remove his mask before he [Joker] stops terrorizing Gotham. Even setting aside no-negotiation policies and pretending that Dennis Kucinich were mayor, who would fall for this? Would the people of Gotham cower so quickly? I still don't know whether commissioner Gordon was crooked or not. And the "you can only save one" dilemma is from Superman I.

2. Audience reaction shots, where average street people are minding there own business and then gape at a display of superhero prowess or collateral damage, aren't funny and cheapen the mature Dark Knight.

Message/Politics:

Very interesting and ambiguous. No one side can claim Dark Knight for its own. We have great gobs of "ends justify means- even noble crusades can corrupt- don't lose the moral high ground" tension summarized in the conceit that the hero eventually becomes the villain if he sticks around too much. One character goes off the rails completely while Batman takes the middle ground- he'll listen to people's cell phone calls (FISA allusion), but "only this once;" He prefers the legal system to his own personal justice. Batman's not above lying to the public for a good effect. All in all, neither too preachy nor nihilistic.

Dark Knight both gives the public too much credit and too little. I described how they cave into the Joker too easily, but they also make a somewhat unrealistically noble mass choice (I can see one, but a whole boat?). One Army captain should be relieved of duty.

I couldn't help but think of Gotham in relation to other cities on the brink like fifth and tenth century Rome, 14th century Constantinople, 2005 New Orleans, and 2006 Baghdad.

Expert review.

Cast and credits below:

Follow up:

Directed by
Christopher Nolan

Writing credits
(WGA)
Jonathan Nolan (screenplay) and
Christopher Nolan (screenplay)

Christopher Nolan (story) &
David S. Goyer (story)

Bob Kane (characters)

Cast (in credits order)

Christian Bale ... Bruce Wayne / Batman

Heath Ledger ... The Joker

Aaron Eckhart ... Harvey Dent / Two-Face

Michael Caine ... Alfred Pennyworth

Maggie Gyllenhaal ... Rachel Dawes

Gary Oldman ... Lt. James Gordon

Morgan Freeman ... Lucius Fox

Monique Curnen ... Det. Ramirez
Ron Dean ... Detective Wuertz

Cillian Murphy ... Dr. Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow

Chin Han ... Lau

Nestor Carbonell ... Mayor

Eric Roberts ... Salvatore Maroni

Ritchie Coster ... The Chechen

Anthony Michael Hall ... Mike Engel

Keith Szarabajka ... Detective Stephens

Colin McFarlane ... Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb

Joshua Harto ... Reese

Melinda McGraw ... Barbara Gordon

Nathan Gamble ... James Gordon Jr.

Michael Vieau ... Al Rossi
Michael Stoyanov ... Dopey
William Smiley ... Happy
Danny Goldring ... Grumpy

Michael Jai White ... Gambol
Matthew O'Neill ... Chuckles

William Fichtner ... Bank Manager
Lumiji Olawumi ... Drug Dealer

Gregory Beam ... Drug Buyer
Erik Hellman ... Junkie

Beatrice Rosen ... Natascha
Vincenzo Nicoli ... Crime Boss

Edison Chen ... LSI VP
Nydia Rodriguez Terracina ... Judge Surrillo

Andy Luther ... Brian
James Farruggio ... Man No. 1

Tom McElroy ... Man No. 2
Will Zahrn ... Assistant DA

James Fierro ... Thug at Party
Patrick Leahy ... Gentleman at Party

Sam Derence ... Male Guest
Jennifer Knox ... Female Guest
Patrick Clear ... Judge Freel

Sarah Jayne Dunn ... Maroni's Mistress

Chucky Venice ... Gambol's Bodyguard #1 (as Chucky Venn)

Winston Ellis ... Gambol's Bodyguard #2

David Dastmalchian ... Joker's Thug
Sophia Hinshelwood ... Reporter
Keith Kupferer ... Heckler

Joseph Luis Caballero ... Cop Heckler
Richard Dillane ... Acting Commissioner

Daryl Satcher ... Officer at Intersection

Chris Petschler ... Convoy Leader
Aidan Feore ... Fat Thug
Philip Bulcock ... Detective Murphy
Paul Birchard ... Cop with Fat Thug

Walter Lewis ... Medic
Vincent Riotta ... Cop at 250 52nd St.
Nancy Crane ... Nurse
K. Todd Freeman ... Polk

Matt Shallenberger ... Berg
Michael Andrew Gorman ... Cop at Hospital
Lanny Lutz ... Bartender
Peter Defaria ... Civilian

Matt Rippy ... First Mate
Andrew Bicknell ... Prison Ferry Pilot
Ariyon Bakare ... Guard Commander

Doug Ballard ... Businessman
Helene Wilson ... Mother

Tommy Campbell ... Passenger #1
Craig Heaney ... Passenger #2
Lorna Gayle ... Passenger #3
Lisa McAllister ... Passenger #4
Peter Brooke ... Passenger #5

Joshua Rollins ... SWAT Sniper

Dale Rivera ... SWAT Leader

Matthew Leitch ... Prisoner on Ferry

Tommy 'Tiny' Lister ... Tattooed Prisoner
Thomas Gaitsch ... Reporter #3
William Armstrong ... Evans

Adam Kalesperis ... Honor Guard Man
Tristan Tait ... Uniform Cop

Bronson Webb ... Bounty Hunter #1
David Ajala ... Bounty Hunter #2
Gertrude Kyles ... Fox's Secretary

Jonathan Ryland ... Passenger Ferry Pilot
James Scales ... Guardsman
Nigel Carrington ... Warden
Ian Pirie ... Corrections Officer
Lateef Lovejoy ... Prisoner #1
Grahame Edwards ... Prisoner #2
Roger Monk ... Prisoner #3
Ronan Summers ... Prisoner #4
Wai Wong ... Hong Kong Detective
Michael Corey Foster ... Honor Guard Leader
Hannah Gunn ... Gordon's Daughter
Brandon Lambdin ... Armored Car SWAT
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Jeff Albertson ... Gotham Police Officer

Stephen Armourae ... Kirk Stedden

Tommy Bartlett ... Salvatore Maroni's Defense Attorney

Nadia Cameron-Blakey ... Cressida Spink
Jamie Cho ... Lau's Bodyguard

Kelli Clevenger ... Paramedic
Martyn Cooper ... Prisoner
Jay Fuller ... Prisoner

Steven H. Hansen ... Maroni Henchman
Julie Hilgendorf ... Russian Ballerina (as Julie Theresa)

Don Kress ... Maroni Henchman
Dan Latham ... Police Sgt. Spellman - Gotham Bomb Squad

Angelina Lyubomirova ... Ballerina

Sanjay Madhav ... Senator
Teresa Mahoney-Bostridge ... Refugee
Dean Mitchell ... Firefighter
Kerri Parker ... Maroni's Mistress
John Snowden ... Detective

Robert Stone ... Prisoner

Chris Wilson ... Gotham MCU Detective

Martin Ballantyne ... Jokers Henchman (uncredited)
Jazz Dhiman ... Prisoner (uncredited)

Gene Fojtik ... Pedestrian (uncredited)

Darren Elliot Fulsher ... Police (uncredited)

Scott Ganyo ... EMT (uncredited)

Jor'don Hodges ... Gotham City Police (uncredited)

Ramses Jimenez ... National Guard (uncredited)

Nicky Katt ... Shotgun SWAT (uncredited)
Mark Keiser ... Business Man / Crime Scene Witness (uncredited)

Charles Kierscht ... Guest at Bruce Wayne's Penthouse (uncredited)

Thomas Kosik ... Parade police officer (uncredited)

Joseph Mazurk ... Court Bailiff / Parade Policeman (uncredited)

Stephen Modell ... Prisoner (uncredited)

Rory Plante ... Evacuating Hospital Patient (uncredited)

Jan Seybold ... Secretary to D.A. Harvey Dent (uncredited)

Sofiya Smirnova ... Evacuee (uncredited)
Willie Stevens ... Prisoner (uncredited)

Richard Strobel ... Detective (uncredited)

John Turk ... Chechen bodyguard (uncredited)

Erik A. Williams ... Wayne Manor Party Guest (uncredited)

Kevin Zaideman ... Party Staff (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Produced by
Kevin De La Noy .... executive producer
Jordan Goldberg .... associate producer
Karl McMillan .... production associate producer
Benjamin Melniker .... executive producer
Christopher Nolan .... producer
Charles Roven .... producer
Emma Thomas .... producer
Thomas Tull .... executive producer
Michael E. Uslan .... executive producer

Original Music by
James Newton Howard
Hans Zimmer