2008: The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008) 9/10

"Some men just want to watch the world burn" (Alfred Pennyworth)

In The Dark Knight, the latest addition to English director Christopher's Nolan's revisionist take on the Batman series, there is a brief, but important conversation in a Gotham restaurant between Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) on the subject of security and history.

Underneath the glowing chandeliers and golden textured walls, Dent the crusading newly appointed district-attorney pontificates on Gotham's criminal underbelly, seizing the opportunity to express his solaced call for a return to an era when threats to democratic republicanism were thwarted through the instillation of power into the hands of a trusted and respected leader.

Before the brash public official can finalize his thesis on the matter, he is reminded by his girlfriend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) that in Roman times, this protection of the republic resulted in its ultimate disintegration through the dictatorship of Julius Caesar. The balance between liberty and security echoes freely through the post-9/11 prism of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. More than a simple action film, Nolan imbues his project with a sense of social and philosophical debate rarely evident in the genre.

With The Dark Knight Nolan puts forth questions designed to mirror our modern societies and the ethical and existential implications faced by contemporary governments in an unstable age. It is a tale of not simply the external competition between good and evil forces, but also the internalized struggle of heroes and villains. It is a story of personal and public corruption, tragedy and crisis; a story demonstrating the tempting lust of power and its dissolute attributes. The result is at times an incredibly dark, vengeful and bleak film scurrying through the depths of the human soul.

Although the plot primarily focuses on the emergence of the Joker (the late Heath Ledger) and his stated claim to destroy Batman, its undercurrent is one deeply rooted in the Joker's appropriation of Nietzschean and Machiavellian philosophies. Whilst, the Joker openly states to an assortment of Gotham gangsters his willingness to kill Batman for a price, the Joker himself needs Batman to satisfy his own psyche; at one point informing Batman: "You complete me."

Unlike, Gotham's other criminals, the Joker is not motivated by material goods. A self-proclaimed "agent of chaos", the Joker's incentive is through the promotion and adoption of his anarchic and nihilist ideology of terror. Performed in a darkly humorous, yet philosophically intrusive and psychologically violent manner by Heath Ledger, the Joker is no longer the twisted campy trickster of Romero or Nicholson. Rather, he is an earnest observer of humanity: a figure whose terrorist actions are partially designed almost as scientific tests or sociological experiments to hypothesize on the moral fabric of the human race.

The ethical dilemmas posed by the Joker's actions also affect Batman, exposing the hero's flaws and limitations. The result is at times an almost quasi-religious contest between the forces of good and evil. Their relationship mirrors a scene from the New Testament between Jesus and the Devil in the desert. In the film, the satanic Joker taunts and plays with the flawed messianic Batman's soul in a push for him to break his vows, rules, oaths and commandments. This biblical thread can also be adopted in the Joker's attempt to convert Harvey Dent from a beacon of hope into a vindictive force of evil. In a rare move for a Hollywood action film, almost every principal character in The Dark Knight has their faith in humanity tested.

As a noted admirer of Film Noir [1], Christopher Nolan adopts the genre's tropes and insights into moral conflict with visual skill and aplomb. The decay of morality and the corruptibility of individuals through power, materialism and hate filters into almost every aspect of The Dark Knight. Even the film's protagonist is not spared, after all he too is human. The ramifications run deep in this dynamic inspection of the darkest capsulizations of individuals and societies. In Nolan's film, the price of success comes at the cost of loved ones, friendships and external perceptions.

In doing so, The Dark Knight also questions the role of the Caped Crusader himself. As Batman's mere presence appears to increase the proclivity of his criminal foes, his corresponding actions repeatedly and simultaneously undermine the democratically elected officials and the necessary legal and judicial forces designed to protect ordinary citizens. Batman's presumptuous subversion of this system espouses doubts into not only the legality of his vigilante role, but also his increasingly individualistic usage of extra-legal procedures.

Subsequently, Christopher Nolan's film along with Heath Ledger's stunning performance raises the bar for Hollywood action films. The Dark Knight is not merely a source of entertainment, but also a fountain of social debate spraying forth images and concepts resonating ideas topical and fresh to its contemporary audience. The Dark Knight is a contemplative gesture in an era of insensate big-budget filmmaking, which certainly will be remembered for generations to come.

[1] See Nolan's appearance in Film Noir: Bringing Darkness Into Light found as a bonus disc featured in Warner Brothers' Film Noir Classic Collection Vol. 3

* The Dark Knight is released by Warner Brothers

Copyright 2008 8½ Cinematheque