Good Morning
And welcome to Film 2008 with DiT.

Today - The Dark Knight, seen at the IMAX.

It was with a mixture of trepidation and excitement that I went to see The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's second film of the new Batman Franchise. Excitement as I am a self-confessed Batman geek, and trepidation as I am a self-confessed Batman geek.

The evening began with champagne and canapes, and an introduction to the film from Christopher Nolan. Just to be in the same room as Michale Caine and Christian Bale was a treat in itself. Nolan explained why he feels that IMAX is the future of Cinema, and then the film began.

The Dark Knight is epic, in the best sense of the word. Coming in at 153 minutes, it's not short, but every minute is packed with outstanding acting (I could only count two throwaway lines, and they were from one incidental character) and breathtaking cinematography. The action set-pieces are beautifully choreographed and, given the scale of the screen, really give the viewer a sense of actually being in the action.

Christian Bale, as the eponymous Dark Knight, does not disappoint. Suave and sophisticated as the billionaire Bruce Wayne, but relentless and unforgiving as Batman, he represents just exactly what Batman should be. You can forget West, Keaton, Kilmer and Clooney - Bale has absolutely nailed Batman. Aaron Eckhart turns in a very subtly nuanced turn as Harvey Dent, and Gary Oldman actually gets to make something of the Jim Gordon character in this outing. Morgan Freeman, as Lucius Fox, is solid as ever, and Michael Caine adds an excellent mentor in his role as Alfred.

Which brings us to Heath Ledger. There has been so much hype around his performance as the Joker that I feared I would be let down. I was not. Ledger's Joker truly is up there with the greatest Screen villains of all time. Comparing this wioth Jack Nicholson's more pantomimic Joker of 1990, we see a performance that is not only absolutely electrifying, but wholly believeable. The audience is presented with a character who, in his own words, is "like a dog chasing a car... I wouldn't know what to do if I caught it." He blends the psychotic with the cold, calculating saneness that only the truly mad possess. When you see this film, as surely you must, keep an eye out for the scene between Batman and the Joker in the Police station. Heath Ledger, in this scene, is about as perfect as an acting performance can get.

I left the cinema with an overwhelming sense that all was right in the world. There will clearly be a third film in this franchise - maybe even a fourth - and this gives rise to wondering just who the next villain will be. We know it won't be the Penguin (Christopher Nolan hates the character), so could it be the Riddler? Or Catwoman? Or will they, hope upon hope, make a film version of Superman vs Batman? (No, they won't, Ed.)

In conclusion then, The Dark Knight is not only the best action film I've seen in a while, it's the best film I've seen in a while, period. There's a lot of talk about Heath Ledger receiving a posthumous Oscar. In some senses, I hope he doesn't, as it's recognising just how good he was all too late. In others, I hope he does, because this performance is simply too good (flawless, even) not to be recognised.

10/10
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Tue 22 Jul 2008, 10:05, Reply)