The Agent of Chaos : A Revisit

THE DARK KNIGHT. It's been the biggest movie event since The Return of the King. And deservedly so. This movie changed the way we look at superhero films. It changed the way we tell stories

I was a big fan of Batman Begins. So I followed this movie very closely. Which also meant that, unfortunately, I already knew all that was going to happen. I've always like Batman above other superheroes because of his vulnerability, and the noir factor surrounding him. 'Begins' was the first film to truly expliot that factor (not including the excellent animated TV series which was aired after Burton's Batman proved to be a hit). The Dark Knight took the Batman universe places where no one had taken it before.



TDK is not exactly a masterpiece. It has it's flaws and discrepencies. But it comes close to being one. Jonathan and Chritopher Nolan's screenplay is near flawless. From the bank raid to the 'social experiment', the plot moves logically and fluidly unlike so many superhero films. To be honest, one feels very unsure while calling it a 'superhero' film because it really isnt one in the traditional sense. It's a meticulouslycrafted thriller which becomes a tragedy. And the centerpiece of the whole act is the Joker.

One of the biggest things that the Joker has going from him is the fact that the filmmakers refuse to rationalize him. They refuse to give him a motivation for his acts. You wont find a failed mistreated stand-up comedian taking a turn for the worse. You wont find a thug disfigured by some kind of freak accident. In fact you have no idea who he is. He is just the Joker from hell, who wants to have a bit of fun. He's the mad dog chasing cars. He's the guy slashing his face from ear to ear, wearing war paint, and loving every moment of it. And that chills you to your spine. The other big thing going for the Joker is Heath Ledger. Watch him in a spell binding performance as the Clown Prince of Crime. He inhabits the character. And it helps that it's near impossible to recognize him. Two scenes were he delivers truly extraordinary performances are the fun raiser scene and the interrogation scene. No one has, and in all probability no one will for a long time, given a performance as intense as this.



Christian Bale gives a highly effective performance as Batman, and more interestingly, as Bruce Wayne. His character is a far more developed one in this as opposed to 'Begins' and he slips into it with restrained brilliance. Aaron Ekhart shines as Harvey Dent, the 'white knight' of Gotham. He and Gary Oldman as Lituenant, and later Commissioner, Gordon, give the film's best performances after Ledger. Oldman slips into the role with such ease that you can barely recognize him. Maggie Gyllenhall is quite effective too in a mature role.



The star which shines most brightly however is Christopher Nolan. The movie bears his stamp on every scene. The meticulousness and perfection that is so characteristic of every movie of his more than ever present here. From the heart pounding action scenes (which are a vast improvement over Begins) to the rather lengthy dialogue, every scene is infused with brilliance under his able direction. Batman fans probably owe him a lot. One of my personal favourites directorial aspects is the Jokers macabre sense of humour. Notice how he sets fire to a fire truck to create a blockade, and his dont try this at home magic trick.





Despite the brilliance, I did have a quirps with the film. For one, though less than in other Nolan films, this film too relies overtly on intellectualism. It plays out like a mindgame with twists and turns. But the emotion seems to be lacking sometimes. If it wasnt for the actors' dazzling performances and the warmth infused by Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, the movie would almost come across as cold. Another minor thing I had with the movie was that some parts of it somewhat cliched. Like the scene where the joker takes out a bazooka to shoot the SWAT van. You may agree with me or not, but watch it and you'll understand what I mean. The films too neatly and conviniently scripted in a few places, the chaos seems to be missing sometimes. A rather more notceable factor was that the 'fun' was missing. When you walk into a superhero film, somehow you are a bit tuned to expect a more or less light film with. This one's just disturbing. Not that it's a bad thing. It's jaw dropping stuff certainly, but not exactly mood elevating. It decieves you by the very nature of it's genre. You go in expecting a popcorn flick, and you come out having witnessed a tragedy. A bit more elegance and humour, done well, could have taken the film to really dizzying heights. The film could have done well by following it's own advice - 'Why so serious?'



Then again, maybe not.