Respect for the source material.
This is a term that gets passed around a lot when people are talking about the alarming amount of comic book movies these days (well, more so comics than other adaptations). A term with a lot of merit that I think has been passed around so many times that the meaning has become a bit muddled, as will happen with current buzzwords. But I’m not here to talk about that. Not yet, anyway. I’m here to talk about The Dark Knight, which I was lucky enough to see at a special trade screening on Thursday. It has come to pass that every friend I have now hates the shit out of me.
“Now where do we begin?” I suppose the best place to start is with the simple statement that this film is a force of nature. And most importantly of all: this work is something that I can call a great film without a single reservation or excuse. Every single aspect of this movie was firing on all cylinders for each of the 152 minutes of the screening, and this is owed in three parts to 1) the relationship between director Chris Nolan and cinematographer Wally Pfister 2) the vise-tight scripting of Jonah and Chris Nolan, and 3) the joining of both one and two with one of the most solid ensemble casts in recent years. No one is under used, and everyone has something to do here. Every single person in this movie is there for a reason, and nails every beat they are given. With this script and the freedom to own their parts in the story, it becomes apparent that these are not actors in roles. These are people, living their lives, making difficult choices, enjoying victories, and facing the repercussions of their mistakes in a city that is as much a character as Wayne or Dent or Joker. Despite the very personal nature of the plot, the story takes place on several different scales, embracing at many points the entire citizenry of Gotham. This is a living, breathing organism of a city, and the internal debate within each of the characters serves as a microcosm of the way that the city itself can change, for good or bad, possibly on the flip of a coin (Oh yes, it’s there, and by God they made it work). What works so well is that Christopher Nolan had the vision to take not only the source material and characters seriously, but the audience seriously as well. This IS an epic crime drama, and the reason I compare Nolan to people like Sydney Lumet is because I see this kind of 70s sensibility about the way he creates his films and populates them with characters that I get to know, who refuse to let me take my eyes off them.
By choosing the cast that he did and letting them run with it, Nolan and Pfister are free to sit back and capture the pure electricity that occurs between these characters, in fully realized, beautiful frames. There are shots in this movie that took my breath away. Bale, crouching on the corner of a Hong Kong skyscraper at dusk with the sunset over the city backlighting him in this purple and orange glow, with background and foreground in perfect frame. It lasts all of a second. I know that some have griped in the past about the fight editing and camera work during the action scenes of Batman Begins, and though I disagree with them and very much like the effect they were going for, I will say that Nolan took a different approach this time. While still incorporating that premise that sometimes Batman can move faster than you can see (there is a part where he takes 4 or 5 guys out at the same time, a rope is involved, and they never see it coming), I loved how you get that premise while seeing nearly every brutal attack the Batman makes (and he takes on rooms full of people). It perfectly illustrates just how effective and confident Wayne has become since the first film. This simply IS Batman, detective work and all. And it’s not just Bale that has completely vanished into the character…
Joker. My God in heaven what Heath Ledger unleashed in that character is one of the most terrifying and complete pieces of acting work I have ever seen. When you’ve read that “he’s the shark in Jaws” comment from Nolan, I guess Spielberg must have forgotten to film the part in Jaws where when the shark chases you back onto land, he has another set of teeth in the sand under your ass ready to devour you from what you assumed was safety… You dumbass. Ledger does not exist on this screen. Somehow, he tapped into the elemental lifeblood of decades of continuities and distilled the essence of the Batman’s most dangerous adversary. And while the Joker will tell you that he’s not the sort of man to have a plan, make no mistake: He is in competition for the soul of Gotham. A competition that relies heavily upon… No. I refuse to spoil even a tiny bit of Ledger’s work, because no one should do themselves the disservice of not seeing this fresh. I will say that if an audience full of professionals reacts vocally during a magic trick, or one of the many little stories Joker tells, it’s going to be an atom bomb in an audience who isn’t trying to write objectively in notepads.
Michael Caine is brilliant as always, but has more to do and has his own wonderful story. Morgan Freeman is not just waiting for the check this time out, and has a great arc in his relationship with Wayne (as well as one of my favorite lines in the film, with a S.O.B. accountant). And Gary Oldman is given a big fat steak of a part to sink his teeth into, as it’s correctly stated in interviews that the movie hinges on the relationship between Batman, Gordon, and Dent. And let me tell you that Aaron Eckhart has done some of his very best work to date here. Two-Face is my favorite Bat-Villain, as I always loved the personal nature of the origin put forth in the story The Long Halloween. He is heartbreakingly brought to life in this story, and chillingly portrayed. There is a moment from the trailers where Eckhart screams “no!” while facedown in an expanding puddle. When you see who he is actually talking to, and the way that his face just falls in realization, and what that “no” means… Well, this is why it all works so well. Having essentially spoiled myself with all of the random script pages and trailers and TV spots released up to this point, I thought I had a pretty good handle on how this was all going to play out, and thought that I would probably miss some of the magic of the surprises of the film, thinking it would be great as expected, but not amazing. No. There is no way to be prepared for the lengths to which the film goes. It feels good to be respected as an audience member again. It feels good to have a director deliver a poignant, powerful character drama that doesn’t pull punches, and refuses to talk down to you. As much as I loved Batman Begins, when I left this theater that film felt more like the prologue to the story that this entire team always felt had to be told. It doesn’t feel like the original is less of a film or anything, just that it is a smaller piece of this story, which while stunningly, but tastefully leaving a door open for a new story that I am ravenous for, satisfies to the point that if I never get another one, I can rest knowing that I saw the great Batman story realized for the screen. So complete is this vision. True to the source material? If by that you mean is it true to the letter to the characters I have loved for years, then I say yes. Many people simply couldn’t get on board with the fact that Batman doesn’t wear grey spandex, and Joker doesn’t look like Jude Law bleached albino. Well that would be true to the source material too. In the same way that Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was. If that’s all you care about, your cup of tea awaits you in that horrible movie. When I say this is the best film I have seen all year, know that I am not cracking a smile or making excuses because the excitement my super-duper-secret-early-studio-decoder-ring-screening experience has clouded my judgment. When I tell you that Joker is better executed in 152 minutes of terror, joy, and guilty/dirty laughs than he has been for years in the comics, I’m telling you the truth. Clean slate is what I demanded of myself walking in. Do not miss this.
So, after months of being extremely lackluster, the official (as in “not viral”) site for the upcoming religious experience from Warner Brothers, The Dark Knight, has been updated. And they did a rather excellent job. Now, all 3 of the excellent trailers can be found in one spot, with a pretty nifty little intro. It’s nice to see something so well done outside of the viral marketing campaign.