- Location: Silver Spring Majestic 20
- The Joker is right when he says that Batman has changed things in Gotham City. Whether conditions have improved or deteriorated since the last film is a matter of some debate, but the influence of the Dark Knight is suddenly and dramatically felt citywide. Now Batman (Christian Bale) finds himself having to cope with copycat caped crusaders, extortionists trying to exploit his identity, mob bosses seeking revenge, and of course the escalation Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman) warned him about at the end of the last film. One can imagine that he pines for the simple days of fighting the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), who reappears just long enough to be easily dispatched.
- The most serious threat to this new Gotham is of course the Joker, a mysterious scarred anarchist played in an absolutely unique and terrifying manner by the late Heath Ledger. As Alfred (Michael Caine) astutely observes, the Joker is a man who "just wants to watch the world burn." He's cynical to the extreme and constantly creates "social experiments" designed to reinforce his own pessimism about humanity while destroying any hope Gothamites might still have. In this new interpretation of the Joker, whoopee cushions and hand buzzers have been replaced by knives that, as the villain explains, help him to savor his victim's death. Needless to say, his jokes typically fall on the dark, unfunny side of macabre. Rather than attempt to provide a traditional backstory for such an insane figure, director Christopher Nolan and writer David Goyer have boldly chosen instead to let the character tell his own story through unreliable and contradictory accounts of his formative years.
- Despite the horrors unleashed upon Gotham by the Joker, the city is not left entirely without hope. By forcefully and somewhat theatrically prosecuting Gotham's desperate mobsters, new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhardt) quickly becomes a legal analogue to the officially disavowed heroism of Batman. His efforts make him an early target for the Joker, and several of the most impressive action sequences in this film involve the Clown Prince of Crime's attempts to snuff out this new "White Knight" of Gotham. The Joker even targets Dent's girlfriend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), which he soon realizes is a way to get at both Dent and Batman. Unfortunately, Dent's optimism and faith in the rule of law fail to survive the most effective and tragic of the Joker's deathtrap scenarios, and Dent surrenders his once-indomitable willpower and determination to the flip of a scarred coin. His evolution into the villain Two-Face is surprisingly convincing and serves as an impressive coda to the Joker's reign of terror.
- This film is in every respect a worthy sequel to the excellent Batman Begins and in some respects even outshines its predecessor. Every aspect of the production evinces forethought, attention to detail, and realism that elevate it far above the level of standard superhero summer fare. Replacing the traditional good vs. evil comic book plotting are nuanced examinations of the origins of crime, the ethics of surveillance, and the psychology of terrorism. I think the thing that impressed me the most about The Dark Knight, however, was how often I incorrectly predicted what would happen next. Nolan, like many of the characters in his films, has a special knack for misdirection that can constantly keep the audience guessing. My only real complaint is that this installment shifted the focus a bit too far away from Batman himself, but then I guess the Joker has never been one to share the spotlight.
- The opening bank heist was obviously in part a homage to Heat.
- Senator Pat Leahy has a cameo as a party guest. He also cameoed in Batman: The Animated Series, the unquestionable pinnacle of American animated drama.
- The cast is so extensive that I didn't bother to mention all talented cast members (i.e. Morgan Freeman and Eric Roberts slipped through the cracks), but it is worth noting that Maggie Gyllenhaal steps in for Katie Holmes in what everyone agrees was a great substitution.
