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RATING: 
SINGAPORE : Dynamic plot - check.
Impeccable casting - check.
Thunderbolt Action - check.
2008 surely saw a slew of superhero movies hitting the big screens, with the likes of Incredible Hulk, Hellboy, Ironman and Hancock. But believe me, Christopher Nolan’s "The Dark Knight", a sequel of 2005’s "Batman Begins", though yet another comic-book adaptation, stands in a league of its own and has definitely raised the bar for movies of such a genre.
More than a film about an oh-so-sexy guardian of Gotham City in his even sexier batsuit trying to save the innocent and get rid of the bad guys, the story doesn’t fall short of an ongoing psychological dilemma one faces in his pursuit of good versus evil.
Batman's (Christian Bale) nocturnal activities are flushing out Gotham's organised crime syndicates. Things are made worse when the newly-elected DA, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) who plays the love interest of Bruce’s childhood sweetheart, Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal) decides to challenge the felons instead of accepting a bribe. Joining the axis of good is incorruptible police lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and the trio is all set to straighten things out in Gotham.
But their mission isn’t a piece of cake with the emergence of a sadistic lunatic, The Joker (Heath Ledger) who offers to become the mob's enforcer, without any personal agenda but with just one aim – to create havoc in the city. So this means paths are crossed with Batman. And his only demand to Gotham’s guardian aka vigilante: Remove the mask and turn himself in or the people will pay the price with their lives.
Undeniable is Ledger’s stellar performance, so much so, you might find yourself secretly rooting for him to win. An instant icon, his spluttering one-liners and idiosyncrasies will either make you laugh at the wrong moments or have you cringing at others.
While one might say that Ledger’s performance is only glorified because of his recent demise, it does not take a rocket scientist to know that the Oscar buzz was not premature and is only deserved with his whirlwind performance.
In Ledger’s words, The Joker is a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero sympathy”. With his face smeared with greased paint, a grungy hairdo, terrifying eyes and yellow-stained teeth like a damned monster from hell, he never fails to inject anxiety and fear in his scenes. He is a ruthless villain who cares for nothing and works for nobody. His sole function is to be the devil of all mind-games – that is to push everyone to extremes causing mayhem in the city just to show Batman there are no rules to this game. All of these, Ledger produced an excellent delivery in his own twisted way.
But it is not Batman’s cape that prevents Ledger from overshadowing Bale’s performance and I dare say he gave a better one than that of "Batman Begins". Steering away from the brooding that can make DC’s darkest hero feel like a melancholic teen, Bruce’s character is more complex as he faces more serious conflicts – how to save a city on the brink of destruction by an insane criminal mastermind, how to make the new DA (soon-to-be ‘two-face’) relief him off his duties without blowing his cover, how to gain the trust of the people with Batman look-alikes coming forth and causing a wreck in the city.
What’s interesting to note is that it doesn’t really matter if Batman captures The Joker or vice versa. But who emerges winner in getting Gotham’s soul was what really mattered. And it is this relentless pursuit of both men trying to control the minds of the populace that brings about a psychology of the things that happen – and this, along with the gripping action sequences adds punch and substance to the 152-minute movie. With so much going on and no minute wasted, Nolan has gotten noticeably better compared to "Batman Begins", judging from the orchestrated action.
While others may deem unimportant, I cannot help but mention that the superb technical credits only propelled the movie to reach its finest quality of excellence. Hans Zimmer’s and James Newton’s score for the film trades in moods and rhythms. The most striking and fear-inducing is that for The Joker – a processed string arrangement which leaves viewers in nail-biting moments of guessing the impending dread.
"The Dark Knight" is among the most intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking comic-hero adaptations to date. A true loss to Hollywood, the promising Ledger left behind a monumental performance and has definitely raised the standards exponentially for future comic-hero antagonists.
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