The Dark Knight

http://www.merryweatherjones.com/content/the_dark_knight Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:16:11 GMT The Dark Knight SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS I loved the Burton/Keaton Batman (1989). Still do. But let's face it, Tim Burton makes "Tim Burton" films. They're art films. And the problem with the Joel Schumacher-directed sequels, Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), is that Schumacher (in adition to being a talentless studio shill) tried to recreate Burton's Burtoness. And failed. You can't copy another director's style, especially someone like Burton. It'd be like trying to do a sequel to Coppola's Dracula, (1992) or Rod Stewart covering Downtown Train. To be fair, I know at the time people were still thinking Dick Tracey (1990) when they thought about comic book films, and that had a lot to do with the cartoonishness of both the Burton and Schumacher Batmans. Nolan changed things up because he has a style all his own, and the brains to know he couldn't make a "Tim Burton" Batman. And why would he want to? Audiences are crying out for something gritty and realistic. (See the success of The Shield on FX, and The Wire on HBO.) Batman Begins (2005) had a few bumps, but turned out to be a pretty good film. And apparently it was a learning experience for Nolan, because The Dark Knight is a masterpiece that lives up to the hype. DON'T talk to me about the Tiny "Zeus" Lister ferry scene. Which I'll admit, was sadly reminiscent of the "weak" cable car showdown from the first Spiderman, where the "Joker Lite" Green Goblin forces Spiderman to choose between his girlfriend and a cable car full of kids. Yes, I was abrubtly taken out of the film, and--yes, I believe Nolan should have been using that time to build more tension around the Joker character. But I can see what he was trying to do there, and I'm cool with it now. I don't know why Christian Bale went apeshit on his family in a hotel suite, and I don't want to know; we're talking about Batman, here, not Cops. That said, Bale's a great actor, but I find his Batman a little forced at times. The gruff voice, the impassive expression behind the mask, were something that Keaton absolutely nailed. And in the past, when I've found myself in the position of defending the Burton/Keaton mash up, I've always said that Keaton, while a fantastic actor, who I believe could tackle just about anything (other than snowmen), makes an excellent Bruce Wayne because he is Bruce Wayne. He was perfect for the role because his own personality IS the personality of the character: dark, edgy, and depressive. Together, Burton and Keaton took us to the heart of who Bruce Wayne really is: a deeply troubled guy. The scene in Batman Returns (1992), where Keaton rips off his mask, and (the much underrated) Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman says (in a trembling, then scathing voice): "Bruce... I would.. I would love to live with you in your castle... forever, just like in a fairy tale... I just couldn't live with MYSELF, so don't pretend this is a happy ending!" (Talk about 'Fatal Attraction'...) That's Batman. Fucked up, murderous psychopaths, for which there is no happy ending. In my mind, that aspect of the story has not been advanced any further by Nolan and Bale. And Bale, although, as I've already stated, a superior actor, does not yet nail Bruce Wayne for me in the way that Michael Keaton did. But maybe I'm being slightly unfair on Bales' performance. Captain Crunch! Look at what he was up against: the Ledger/Oldman/Eckhart triple threat! 1) Heath Ledger. I saw him in that Tod Haynes shitfest (which also featured Bale) I'm Not There, and nearly wept at his performance. All at once it was clear that Brokeback hadn't been the extent of his talent, not by a long shot, and I knew in that moment his Joker was going to be something really special. He did not disappoint. If he doesn't win the Oscar, I'll have lost all faith in the Academy. This is the Joker we've been waiting for--the Joker we deserve. I loved that they didn't give him any kind of back story (bold!): "Nothing. No DNA, no fingerprints. Clothing is custom, no tags or brand labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. No name, no other alias." He's chaos, descending on Gotham City; more a nameless force of nature than a human being. What the Coens sort of tried to do with Javier Bardem (don't get me wrong, Bardem's a wonderful actor, BUT) in No Country for Old Men (2007), Nolan more than accomplished with Ledger's Joker. He's a symbol, pit against another symbol (Dent/Batman, take your pick), and there's no reason for his violence, no point to it, other than to murder and destroy for the sake of both. And if they even try to recast him, Nolan can promptly eat a bag of dicks. No one can top this performance. 2) Gary Oldman. Theses days, we have to take Oldman where we can get him (Batman, Harry Potter, The Backwoods) even if he has morped into the live-action version of Ned Flanders from The Simpsons. I was in a hospital room when I answered my phone and D. Marshall Hertford blasted in my ear: "DON'T say you can't talk--Gary Oldman fans of the world must unite!" He'd just seen the film and couldn't wait to talk about it. I don't blame him. Oldman's acting is so good, I feel spoiled after every one of his scenes. When he's talking to Dent in the beginning if the film, he says, "Everyone knows you're Gotham's White Knight" and his face looks troubled, bothered, but without ego. Gordon doesn't want to be the hero; just a good cop, doing the right thing. Oldman knows this, and shows it in every subtle nuance. His character is the heart of the film, the straight man, the moral compass. He's teamed up with Batman, hammering the mob, cleaning up the city, making a big noise in the underworld. It's an edgier, darker Lt. Gordon, and we see a whole lot more of him in this film than we did in the last. 3) Aaron Eckhart. From The Core (2003) to Thank you for Smoking (2006) (speaking of wonderful, lesser-known actors--when are we gonna' see a spotlight on Maria Bello?) this has been a long time coming. He's great in this film, I love his Harvey Dent/Two Face. However... I still feel he's holding back. Good performance, but he just doesn't outshine Ledger. I'm sorry, but he doesn't. And all the fan boys feverishly trying to hoist his performance to the top of the pile of great performances are doing so because they've been waiting so long to see him get this kind of break. Cool it, neckbeards. Eckhart's not going anywhere. He's just agreed, as of July 23rd, to reprise his role in a third Batman film with Bale and Nolan. Finally, the supporting cast is so amazing. So many great actors popping out of the wood work. Notably: Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy (how long is Hollywood gonna' sit on that guy? and how cool is it that he's back in this film?), Nestor Carbonell, Eric Roberts (over. the. top. but he had one of the best lines in the film), Anthony Michael Hall, William Fichtner (can't get a break), Edison Chen (what the FUCK?! I can't believe he's so forgetable that the person best qualified to recognize him in North America didn't even notice him in this film!), and Keith Szarabajka (a personal favorite, from Nightlife with Ben Cross, to the classic 80's action-adventure television series The Equalizer). The only person I didn't feel hot about was Maggie Gyllenhaal, who plays Rachael Dawes (Bruces' sort of ex, who's moved onto Harvey Dent). Nice idea when I first heard about the casting, but she didn't live up to expectations. No chemistry with Bale what. so. ever. I'll agree, she's an upgrade from Holmes (though I'll also say that Holmes gets a bad wrap, not to mention, she has her own real life Joker to contend with) and she and Eckhart made a cute pair, but all her scenes with Bruce Wayne were flat, flat, flat. Her struggle to choose between the two was a key component of the film, and Gyllenhaal dropped the ball. My only real beef with Nolan is that he has difficulty climaxing. He's like a sailor that can't come, pounding away on top of some poor girl, then just giving up. He builds all this great excitement, like a dam about to blow, but then the water proves to be a slow trickle into a calm ocean, rather than the EXPLOSION of Peter North proportions we're expecting. But the writing--THE WRITING. I kept thinking about that failed crime drama Jade (1995), which was meant to launch David Carusos' film career after leaving NYPD Blue. That in itself is funny, because Caruso disappeared for about ten years after Jade, resurfacing again on NYPD Blue, except that this time it was called CSI: Miami. I don't remember who directed Jade, 'cause I'm not the "Jade Guy"; and if there is a "Jade Guy" out there, he should shoot himself. Although, I guess it's better than being the "Twister Guy", who looks like Chris Coopers' character in Adaptation (2002), and says things like, "I'm the Twister Magic Eight Ball, ya' shake me up an' ya' get another factoid about Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt." And unless you're Carey Elwes, it's not that interesting. Anyway, Jade was a really confused, cracker-barrel crime drama, where I guess Caruso had hoped to play against type, but just ended up looking like someone'd let a coked up leporchaun onto the set of Kingpin (1996). [end Tiny "Zeus" Lister moment] The Dark Knight is perfect in terms of story telling. Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan, with the help of David Goyer, who said in a recent interview, "My hope is that people will come away this summer saying, 'Wow, that was a great movie.' Not, 'that was a great comic book movie,'" juggled a lot of elements with great sophistication. The progression of events, the timing, is flawless. You're appropriately surprised, but at the same time properly prepared, for the dramatic twists. Everything feels natural, but still unexpected. Just an amazing film. I'd like to see it several more times while it's still in theaters, but I know I probably won't get another shot at leaving the house. Batman, The Dark Knight, Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, David Caruso http://www.merryweatherjones.com/content/the_dark_knight http://www.merryweatherjones.com/viewcomments.php?articleid=164