If the excitement of a new Batman movie wasn’t enough to propel fan intrigue, the untimely death of Heath Ledger who plays the joker in The Dark Knight set the internet blogs and TV talk shows on fire. Speculation is no longer a viable commodity with The Dark Knight, as fans have stood in line for days to be the first to see the film, and their wait is not in vain. Christopher Nolan’s newest film may be the best Batman film ever. It will certainly top this year’s box office and may, as many theorize, result in a posthumous Oscar nod for Ledger.
Gary Oldman
Taking place in Gotham City approximately a year after the adventures in Batman Begins, the plot opens with an astounding edge-of-your-seat bank robbery. District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) wants to erase mob crime in the City. He’s less
impressed with Bruce Wayne’s (AKA Batman) attempt to squash evil than police Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), who believes wholeheartedly in the masked man. That’s because Batman copycats are popping up everywhere, and their misdeeds or deaths are often blamed on Batman (Christian Bale).
Christopher Nolan & Aaron Eckhart
Screenwriting brothers Jonathan and Christopher Nolan, who also directs, waste no time in getting the idiosyncratic villain, the joker, into the story. Nolan developed the story with David S. Goyer, with whom he had collaborated on Batman Begins. In full face make-up, a tongue-fidgeting tick and an eerie laugh reminiscent of early touring circus performers, Ledger embodies the Joker in every facet.
Michael Caine Christopher Bale & Morgan Freeman
As crime escalates and body counts rise, Wayne becomes frustrated about what to do. He’s always had his own code – not to cross the fine line between hero and vigilante. The more he’s blamed for crimes he didn’t commit, the more that goal seems out of reach. Bale handles his second role behind the mask exceptionally well. In the film, Batman must battle his enemies, deal with advice from his faithful servant and mentor Alfred (Michael Caine,) and ponder a warning from his business advisor Lucius (Morgan Freeman). Wayne’s romantic feelings for Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal) are also in jeopardy as she’s calling her bluff for him to give up the mask and is now seeing Harvey Dent. So what is a moral man to do in this situation?
Maggie Gyllenhaal & Aaron Eckhart
“I believe Bruce thought it would be a finite thing, that Batman would serve as an inspiration to Gotham City, and that he would eventually be able to leave this character he conceived behind,” Bale said. “But he is coming to understand, more and more, that this is not something he can easily walk away from now…or possibly ever.”
Anyone who familiar with the D. C. comic book series of Batman, knows that several characters usually fight for villain status, and that’s no different here. Eckhart handles the complex role of Dent with surprising authenticity. His need/not need relationship with Batman is fully explored. Gordon, Oldman’s soft-voiced police lieutenant, finds his career facing changes and his own insight brought into question many times.
Heath Ledger as The Joker
With all its action, solid story, good performances and incredible CGI effects, this movie 
belongs to Heath Ledger. There isn’t an inflection in the voice, a glimmer of the actor’s persona or anything about The Joker that hints its Ledger behind that horrific make-up except an incredible actor (RIP).
In casting the role, Nolan said he was looking for, “fearlessness. I needed a phenomenal actor, but he also had to be someone unafraid of taking on such an iconic role. We (Nolan & Ledger) talked about how we saw this character and we both had exactly the same concept—that The Joker was about the threat of anarchy and revels in creating chaos and fear on a grand scale. Heath seemed to instinctively understand how to make this character different from anything that had ever been done before. Heath created something entirely original. It’s stunning, it’s captivating…it’s going to blow people away.”
The Dark Knight, an awesome movie, will entertain most moviegoers (remember-over 13) beyond their expectations. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to see it in the IMAX format. It’s impressive beyond imagination. And for fans who wonder about a Batman sequel, Bale may have said it best in this comment: “There are new enemies to protect the city from.”
Interview with Christain Bale
Photo credits: Warner Bros. Pictures/ Stephen Vaughan/TM & © DC Comics
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