I was never that into superheroes as a kid–even then, Superman’s pretty-boy spitcurl and Captain America’s ultra-patriotism were as dumb and fake as their Spandex suits. Batman, though–he was different. He led every maladjusted kid’s dream life–Alfred the butler’s deferential good humor during the day, a parade of different women each evening, and then expensive, fantastical toys which (almost incidentally) stopped a crime or two at night. He existed on his own terms and answered to no one, living outside the laws of God and man, only part of polite society when it suited him.
The adolescent male superhero fantasy doesn’t survive long into The Dark Knight. Batman’s no longer the hardest, scariest son of a bitch in Gotham. Though the story’s a little heavy-handed (especially the end), it handles post-9/11 topics and themes better than most Serious Movies like Lions for Lambs, without as much preachiness. The allegories are still there, and despite his questionable methods, high-tech, high-flying Batman can’t stop the Joker’s threats, many carried out by his army of faceless fanatics, before the body count climbs. That said, the movie isn’t the standard Hollywood anti-terrorism flick or an indictment of extreme tactics; Batman’s greatest weapon is fear, and both he and director Chris Nolan revel in the darkness (apparently Gotham can’t afford street lights). Unfortunately, the Joker has no fear to exploit, and his hyperviolent, darkly comic reign of terror leads an increasingly desperate Wayne into territory familiar to headline watchers: some harsh interrogation, illegal eavesdropping, and an extradition that puts the “bag over the head and a white van” tropes to shame.
It’s too bad that Christian Bale doesn’t get to do much in this movie, reduced to impotent, growling pursuer. Bale has been legitimately outstanding in other movies, but here he takes a backseat to both Heath Ledger’s unhinged Joker and Aaron Eckhart’s crusading Harvey Dent. Ledger is terrifying and sublime, and I will be shocked if he doesn’t win an Emmy. His performance alone is worth the ridiculous price of admission, and the rest of the movie makes it worth a second trip.
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