The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight (2008)
by Eric Maus

(this review contains spoilers)

"Introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos."

   A lot of Christians have a difficult time endorsing The Dark Knight. It's too dark, it's evil, they say. Well, these sentiments are wrong. It may be dark, but it's far from evil. No, the problem we're dealing with is a lack of understanding when it comes to this masterpiece. This movie is as deep and philosophical as it is suspenseful and action-packed; you just have to allow yourself to look beyond the body count. This review is directed not at those who have not yet seen this film, but those of who have, and came away with the sentiments above.

  Gotham is still flooded with crime, corruption, and supervillains. Police commissioner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) struggles to control the growing power of the different mobs, but with the rise of the new district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and under the constant protection of the masked vigilante Batman (Christian Bale), hope begins to seep through the darkness. Until the Joker (Heath Ledger) rolls into town, that is. This demented, knife wielding criminal, wearing clown makeup, a purple suit, and bearing scars on his mouth that make him appear to be permanently grinning, seems to be just a "two bit wackjob", a small timer, no big threat. But as his crafty plans begin to unfold, Gotham begins to realize that they severely underestimated him. The Joker is undaunted by the plans of Dent and Gordon to stop him, and he views Batman's rivalry as nothing more than a game. As more and more people die, fear once more begins to take control of Gotham.

   The same guy who gave us Inception, Batman Begins, and The Prestige, we all know that Christopher Nolan is the master. Nothing happens in any of his films without him deliberately planning for it, and we see the same with The Dark Knight (rated PG13 for violence and language). This movie is not only a superhero flick, but an action, drama, suspense, and crime film rolled into one giant morality play. The plot is intense, but brilliant and engaging, keeping us watching for two and a half hours. Nolan takes the basic two dimensional comic book characters of Batman, the Joker, Alfred Pennyworth, and the rest, and brings them to life, giving us the deep, relatable, and well-developed characters we see in this film. But this wouldn't be possible without a pitch-perfect cast, and Nolan doesn't disappoint. Returning from Batman Begins, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman continue in their roles as Batman, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, and Lucius Fox, while Aaron Eckhart plays the part of Harvey Dent, and Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over the role of Rachel. But the late Heath Ledger is the star of the show; his portrayal of the Joker is excellent and uncanny. Nolan brings the city of Gotham to life with the use of stunning visual effects and masterful cinematography, but one of the things I love the most about Christopher Nolan’s films is the sound. It's crisp, explosive, and powerful, making the experience all the more realistic. But the technical details aren't what make The Dark Knight the great film that it is, although they definitely contribute. No, the reason this movie is so excellent is because of what it’s saying.

   As Harvey Dent is being transported through Gotham city via a police transport, the entire group of squad cars and armored trucks are forced to take a diversion, due to a massive burning fire truck that is blocking the freeway. Now, stop, and think about that for a minute: a burning fire truck. The very thing that is supposed to keep us safe from fire, is itself ablaze. This is no coincidence. The Joker takes the things that people rely on for comfort and safety and turns them upside down. He desires to bring the best of men down to his level, to prove that all men are just as twisted and evil as he is; it just takes the right situation, the right amount of pressure to bring that dark side out. The Joker is a post-modernist. To him, it's all about adjusting to the times; changing with every curve ball that life throws at you. "Wanna know how I got these scars?" he always asks, and he tells a different tale every time, a tale that better fits the situation. He begins wanting to kill Batman, then wanting Batman to turn himself in, and eventually just desiring Batman's rivalry as a challenge, a game. He says to Batman, "What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, NO! No. You...You. Complete. Me". The Joker is brilliant, and he knows it. His theatrical side, the makeup, the hysterics, the scars, they're just part of an image he's developed to better suit his purposes. "I'm no monster," he says. "I'm just ahead of the curve." Many Christians today complain that the Joker is too likeable, and they use this as a reason to dissuade others from seeing this film. Is it true that the Joker is a likeable figure? Of course. But that's the thing; evil is likeable. If it weren’t, we wouldn't be so tempted by sin. By making the Joker a likeable figure, Christopher Nolan is giving us a very realistic and accurate depiction of true evil. And as likeable as the Joker may be, he's twice as intimidating, and one of the most truly intimidating figures portrayed on a movie screen. The reason for this is because the Joker has nothing to lose; he's seemingly unstoppable. Mob dealers are afraid to lose their money, authorities are fearful of losing their social position, and criminals are afraid of being caught and arrested. Nothing scares the Joker; there is nothing Batman and the rest can use against him. He giggles at pain, burns stacks of hundred dollar bills, and isn't afraid to show his face on the local News channel. Batman has one staple rule that he abides by, and that rule is that he will protect Gotham without killing anyone. He tells the Joker this, and the Joker responds, "Then that's the rule you'll have to break. To know the truth. The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules." He wants Batman to believe that he can't win unless he stoops to the Joker's level, thus proving that he is no better than Joker. He thinks Batman can't stop him without killing him, without breaking his one rule. As stated previously, the Joker wants everyone to know that they are not superior to him; in fact, they are exactly like him, "All it takes is a little push." As many members of the city attempt to flee on ferries, with "upright" citizens on one boat and criminals on another, the Joker lets them know over the intercom that he has rigged their boats to blow, and that he's going to destroy both boats at midnight. But here's the catch: He's given each boat the detonator to the other ship's bomb, and if one ship decides to murder the passengers on the other ferry, he will let them go unharmed, to prove what he believes, that they are no better than he. But he is disappointed, to say the least, when the passengers of both ships decide to spare each other, to remain decent people. As Batman puts it, "This city just showed you it's full of people ready to believe in good." The Joker was wrong. People may be depraved, but there is still good inside us.

Towards the end of the film, after Harvey Dent, with the assistance of the Joker, has made his transformation into the vengeful Two-Face, he kidnaps Jim Gordon's family, and calls Gordon to the scene. He blames Gordon for the murder of his fiancée, since two corrupt cops working for Gordon assisted the Joker in her demise. He wants Gordon to know how it feels to lose a loved one, so he drags Gordon's son James from his weeping mother, and puts a gun to the boy's head. Batman arrives, and tries to persuade Dent to stop and reconsider. Dent won't listen, saying, "The boy's got the same chance she had. Fifty-fifty." Batman responds with, "What happened to Rachel wasn't chance. We decided to act, we three. We knew the risks and we acted as one. You're fooling yourself if you think you're letting chance decide. You're the one pointing the gun, Harvey. So point it at the people who were responsible." Dent agrees, and flips his coin for Batman. It lands charred side up, so he puts one in Batman's side. He flips for himself, but is disappointed to see the pristine side up. Then he again places the gun at the head of Gordon's son. "No," says Gordon. "Don't punish the boy. Punish me.” I’m about to," responds Harvey. He flips the coin, but Batman tackles him, and they both fall off the building. Dent is killed, but Batman has survived. Both Gordon and Batman know that if Gotham discovers the fall of Harvey Dent, their white knight, all hope will be lost, and the Joker will have won. But Batman won't allow that. So he takes the blame for what Harvey has done, so that hope will remain intact. As he runs off with police dogs chasing him, little James Gordon asks his dad why Batman should be chased if he did nothing wrong. Gordon answers, "Because...he's not the hero Gotham needs right now...he's the one it deserves. So we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not out hero...he's a silent guardian, a watchful protector...a dark knight." The Joker loses, because of Batman's Christ like sacrifice, the taking on the sins of Harvey Dent, to keep hope alive.

   The Dark Knight definitely portrays a Christian worldview, while cutting down many other popular, but wrong, worldviews of our day. Am I recommending this film for all audiences? Of course not; The Dark Knight is a mature film for mature people. But I am still recommending as one of the best movies of our time. You gotta love Christopher Nolan. A guy who can take a concept as simple as Batman and the Joker and give us a movie as powerful and magnificent as The Dark Knight definitely deserves our respect.