BATMAN-THE DARK KNIGHT

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CAST: CHRISTIAN BALE, MICHEAL CAINE, HEATH LEDGER, GARY OLDMAN, AARON ECKHART, MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, MORGAN FREEMAN

It’s a war between good and evil, the battle is complex because good is dressed as evil. The fight is for the soul of Gotham City, the soldiers are, Batman (Christian Bale), the Joker (Heath Ledger), the District Attorney (Aaron Eckhart), and GCPD, headed by LT James Gordon (Gary Oldman). The streets of Gotham are the battle field and it’s inhabitants the props.

Much emphasis is put on faces and masks. It would seem, even the unmasked are hidding behind their faces. The ultimate issue is that Gotham has a faceless vigilante as a hero. The Joker is out to prove that Batman is not such a stainless hero, that he too derives pleasure from killing. Batman however, seeks to give Gotham it’s ‘White Knight’, the DA, Harvey Dent, with a face and a zeal for justice.

Backstage, away from the battlefields, a love triange is insuing between Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) – an attorney & Batman’s ex – the DA and Batman. The Joker plays on this information which inevitably leads to Rachel’s death, leaving both men believing her heart belonged to each of them exclusively.

On the streets there is an allience between GCPD and Batman, and later the DA, all are fighting to capture the Joker and restore peace to Gotham. However the Joker is of a deranged mindset, forward thinking, disturbed, witty and seldom out-smarted. He says, “Upset the established order and everything becomes chaos, I am an agent of chaos”. In his pursuit to unmask the hero, he turns the city over on its head – and for what? Pleasure?

The intricate detail in faces, masks, make-up, costume, scars and wounds plays like a golden thread throughout the movie. First the Joker, scars enlarging his smile are enhanced by the white powder he wears, a mask, make-up, that he puts on daily, but it is never too clear what he is hidding from, but except for the permanent smile on his face and the habitual laughter, he never seems to smile.
Batman, an ordinary man, put aside his great wealth as Bruce Wayne, no special powers like regular super heroes, is never seen out of costume. His costume is a symbol, the Dark Knight, a bat, it is a signature that allows an ordinary man to do extra-ordinary things, however it does not protect the flesh from wounds extracted from the battles.
Then there is the DA, as decent a man as Gotham could hope for. He starts off as an ordinary unmasked protagonist, but with loss, he looses half his face, wounds, a mask, they call him ‘Two Face’, and he lives up to the name when he is fueled by revenge for a lost love. He says to Batman, “You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time”. The loss of hope, good becomes evil.

The conflict plays out, good dies, though not entirely, evil is captured, yet not killed, and only towo men are left standing. Batman and Gordon. Gordon, after all has played out, says to Batman, “The Joker took the best of us and tore them down, people will loose hope”. At this point the hero evolves, Batman lays himself down, the sacrificial lamb, to restore hope to Gotham, he decides to become whatever the City needs him to be – right now, the bad guy. He goes on a run, carrying the sins of the city on his mask and costume, the GCPD chases after him. It is the City that defines the hero, and a true hero adopts.

Brilliant casting, Heath Ledger’s last work – I think it is safe to say that this was his masterpiece. Riveting talent!

Would you watch it again? Over and over! Brilliantly told!