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Batman, played by Christian Bale (standing), takes a back seat to the Joker, played by Heath Ledger (sitting), in "The Dark Knight."

Movie Review: "The Dark Knight"

The latest Batman is a gem with just a few smudges

By: David Zugnoni

Posted: 7/25/08

"The Dark Knight" transcends a genre, is filled with plenty of thrilling action scenes, includes one absolutely chilling performance by the late Heath Ledger, and is undoubtedly entertaining, but it's not the flawless instant classic that you may have heard it is.

But even with its flaws, the latest in the series is arguably the best Batman movie ever, with the possible exception of Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman."

First, the good:

It's mature. If you strip away the Joker's face paint and Batman's bat suit, you would forget you're watching a movie based on a comic book. It poses ethical and philosophical questions left and right, such as "Would one rather let himself be killed or kill 500 others to survive?" - one of several questions the Joker (played by Heath Ledger) creates through his attempts to terrorize Gotham City.

The relative simplicity of past Batman characters is trumped by this incarnation of Bruce Wayne's masked alter-ego (played by Christian Bale), who struggles to win over the trust of Gotham's government and civilians - a far more realistic situation than past assumptions that a guy dressed as a bat is the city's most reliable crime-fighter.

Adding more realism, a slew of gangsters make Gotham's crime problems more believable, and tougher for Batman to overcome, than in past movies.

Director Christopher Nolan did an exponentially better job with action scenes in "The Dark Knight" than he did with 2005's "Batman Begins," in which rapidly changing camera shots and an overuse of close-ups made much of the action incomprehensible.

Remaining true to Tim Burton's Batman films, every set effectively carries a dark atmosphere, from Batman's lair to the police department to the streets of Gotham, with the wardrobe design keeping up.

And, in a performance worthy of Oscar consideration, Heath Ledger pulls off the Joker character flawlessly. While some may prefer Jack Nicholson's Joker from "Batman," one can't deny Ledger's maniacal laugh, threatening looks, disturbing facial ticks and perfectly delivered dialogue. Strong writing didn't hurt, including some innovative ways for the Joker to do his evil deeds.

Now, the bad:

The movie suffers from its own ambition. Viewers are taken on a ride through the most elaborate Batman plot ever, and as a result, some subplots aren't fully resolved.

Early in the movie, for instance, members of the Chinese mafia are introduced and Bruce Wayne takes a trip to Hong Kong for battle. But, as the movie approaches its end without the Chinese gangsters appearing much, the sequence in China reveals itself as an excuse to include more action and not a valid addition to the plot.

The love interest of both Bruce Wayne and Gotham's district attorney (played by Aaron Eckhart in a performance second only to Ledger) is Rachel Dawes (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal). The love triangle is an extremely important part of the story, but the Rachel character gets lost in the shuffle of everything else going on. Viewers are left to assume that there's something to Rachel without ever receiving any substantial evidence.

Lastly, a minor but annoying issue, Batman's voice sounds extremely unnatural. Historically, Bruce Wayne puts on a mean voice whenever he puts on the bat suit, but it's simply too distorted, occasionally to the point where viewers can't make out his words.

Despite these complaints, "The Dark Knight" is more than worthy of the price of admission. The good definitely outweighs the bad, and even viewers not familiar with the Batman legend will stay interested through the film's two-and-a-half hours.