The Dark Knight (2008)

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writers (WGA):

Jonathan Nolan (screenplay) and
Christopher Nolan (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Why So Serious?

Plot:

Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent are forced to deal with the chaos unleashed by an anarchist mastermind known only as the Joker, as it drives each of them to their limits.

Plot Keywords:

Batman | Joker | Gotham | Criminal | District Attorney

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 76 wins & 58 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 9	3:00 PM	HBO
Tue. Nov. 10	3:35 AM	HBO

Cast

Christian Bale	...	Bruce Wayne / Batman
Heath Ledger	...	The Joker
Aaron Eckhart	...	Harvey Dent / Two-Face
Michael Caine	...	Alfred Pennyworth
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman	...	James Gordon
Morgan Freeman	...	Lucius Fox
Monique Gabriela Curnen	...	Det. Anna Ramirez
Ron Dean	...	Det. Michael Wuertz
Cillian Murphy	...	Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow
Chin Han	...	Lau
Nestor Carbonell	...	Mayor Anthony Garcia
Eric Roberts	...	Salvatore Maroni
Ritchie Coster	...	The Chechen
Anthony Michael Hall	...	Mike Engel

Also Known As:

Batman Begins 2 (USA) (working title)
Batman: The Dark Knight (USA) (informal title)
Rory's First Kiss (USA) (fake working title)
The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
Untitled Batman Begins Sequel (USA) (working title)
Winter Green (USA) (fake working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.

Runtime:

152 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.44 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Certification:

Ireland:15A | UK:12A | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Brazil:12 | Netherlands:16 | Malaysia:U | Argentina:13 | Iceland:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Peru:14 | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Sweden:15 | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44427) | Portugal:M/12 | South Africa:13V | Denmark:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Finland:K-13 | India:UA | Mexico:B | France:U | Italy:T | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Germany:16 | Greece:K-13 | Austria:14 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Spain:13 | Australia:MA (original DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Atwood Cafe - 1 W Washington St, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

While filming both the bank and police department scenes at the post office, an unrelated fire broke out in a top floor mechanical room and many onlookers believed that the smoke and fire was related to the filming.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the big-rig chase scene the length of the trailer attached to the truck changes. In one shot the truck is making a right hand turn and has a 14' trailer attached to it but when it blows up and flips over it is clearly a 48' or 53' trailer.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Grumpy: [before a bank heist] Three of a kind, let's do this.
Chuckles: That's it, three guys?
Grumpy: Two guys on the roof. Every guy gets a share. Five shares is plenty.
Chuckles: Six shares, don't forget the guy who planned the job.
Grumpy: He thinks he can sit it out and still take a slice? I know why they call him "The Joker."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Soundtrack:

Andante from String Quartet in a minor D. 804, 'Rosamunde'

Film surpasses the hype

We've been subjected to enormous amounts of hype and marketing for the Dark Knight. We've seen Joker scavenger hunts and one of the largest viral campaigns in advertising history and it culminates with the actual release of the movie.

Everything that's been said is pretty much spot on. This is the first time I can remember where a summer blockbuster film far surpasses the hype.

For as much action as there is in this movie, it's the acting that makes it a great piece of work. Between all the punches, explosions and stunt-work is some great dialog work. All the actors have their moments.

Bale's Batman is the definitive Batman because we see everything in this character finally on film. Martial arts skills, cunning, great tactical thinking, forensic application, technological genius to advance or improve Luscious Fox's inventions/technological breakthroughs, intimidating personality, and even a little swashbuckling.

As for Heath, yes he gets credit for his performance as the Joker. But you have to also recognize Jonathan and Chris Nolan for the writing and treatment of the character. It's not just the fact that Ledger makes the Joker so menacing, but the Nolans have given the character this great manifesto that drives its actions. The Joker's stance on chaos, order, anarchy, the morality of the average modern human being make the character so interesting psychologically. The Nolans drafted a complex character and only a perfect performance could've pulled something like this off. That's how difficult of a role this was, and that's why Ledger's performance is so great.

This isn't an action movie. It's a film that explores literary themes of the hero and villain, as well as order and anarchy. Yes, listen to the dialog because it's all in there.