Welcome To Darkness. Review on The Dark Knight Movie

I’m not sure how to put this across! Psyche your self up to brace with Director Chris Nolan’s Batman in his latest avatar, because this batman takes us into realms where no Batman has gone before: Horrid reality & the dark innards of the social cauldron.

The abysmal journey is laden with foreboding. The moral pillars of the civil world are at question,  Interested? A note of caution though. This Caped Crusader’s tale is far too serious for kids. It probes dark philosophical aspects to the point of questioning the delicate demarcation of right and wrong- Good and evil. In modern day Gotham City, the crime syndicate is growing in leaps and bounds as its tentacles spread across the globe. Batman (Christian Bale) relentlessly is bringing the hoodlums to book. But there’s no end to it & even the Bat now feels the onus heavily on his lone shoulders.

Worse, he suffers an identity crisis. All seems fine with his alter ego Bruce Wayne- the billionaire industrialist & mega hot socialite playboy- But when Wayne turns into Batman to become the Savior of his brethren- he is a faceless hero, hiding behind a mask.  Spite of counseling from his inner circle of trusted friend cum aides- Alfred (Michael Caine) & Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Batman suffers pangs of despair.

While butler Albert looks after his master’s well being, Scientist & Chief Director Mr. Lucius Fox manages the business interests of Wayne Enterprise & makes sure Batman’s inventory is up to the mark for newer challenges. The gems of advice, concern, chiding & sarcasm that flow from these two father figures of Batman are the only lighter moments of the story. We might add to this the attitude of overburdened & ever caring Police Chief Gordon very touchingly played by Gary Oldman. Though he does not know Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same.The ego Dilemma soon veers Batman to appreciate Harvey Dent-- the maverick swashbuckling District Attorney (Aaron Eckhart), who constitutes the legal backbone of Gotham- the man who has vowed to bring every criminal to justice & is willing to put everything at stake for the wellbeing of others. The crowd loves him. His face is a symbol—the open identity Batman has earned for- A face that doesn’t need to wear a mask to fight crime. Under the circumstance and after some prodding from Attorney Harvey, Police Chief Gordon & Batman form a nexus with Harvey to break the crime syndicate. While the Cops and Batman mop them up from the streets, Harvey will ensure they don’t slip through the legal system. Things seem to be work out for a while. Until The emergence of a scenery chewing new nemesis- the joker. A walking terror who throws Batman & his partners’ efforts and psyche along with Gotham into chaos.

Survivor of a tragic & brutal childhood, & his  scarred face smeared with cracked party make-up, The Joker (Heath Ledger) is  cunning & a psychotic villain who personifies anything but ‘funny’. Behind that façade lies the darkest, smartest & most spine-chilling criminal mastermind of them all..Joker plans strategically & lethally, with enough clinical precision to put even ‘Carlos the Jackal’ to shame as he plunges the city into chaos & un-abiding terror. Wealth holds no value for him. He’s impervious to pain & never looses focus. His logic & acts have a sole propose- To unmask the Bat.  Eventually it’s the Joker who rules the underworld, & breaks the morale of the citizens with one salvo when he ensures people would be dying until Batman reveals himself. The body count increases & now the people, their endurance tested brutally, seem ready to sacrifice their  savior!  In a cunning move the Joker takes psychological warfare with Batman to testing heights. The Bat feels responsible for Gotham’s sufferings. The war between the two  gain epic proportions as neither side caves in.  The storyline plunges & twists unpredictably from one catastrophic event to another.  The first noted victim is the death of Rachel- the common love interest of Batman and Dent. Then in another tragic event the joker breaks the Charismatic and committed Harvey Dent, and the people’s man sadly detoriates into a loathsome killer with a very basic logic- Why be decent in an indecent unforgiving world?It takes more than Batman would have ever expected to get the house in order. The ultimate blow comes in the very end as Batman willingly owns up Harvey Dent’s crimes to save the reputation of the so called people’s hero. Even the  pledges of the police chief can not alter Batman from this decision & he is forced to announce Batman as a wanted murderer. The Character assassination of Batman by Batman himself comes as the ultimate sacrifice of the Dark Knight for greater good. This is the hammer in the story, and it falls heavily on us—the viewers.

There are two, yes only two winners of this movie. One is the intriguing and twisting storyline that tests us to the hilt. The other is the mesmerizing act by Heath Ledger. The handsome actor with a trademark voice takes The Joker’s character beyond caricature and portrays him as a terrifying psychotic criminal in an unnervingly convincing manner. His speech & intonation is amazing, punctuated by a flicking tongue & brooding eyes and delivered with sickening perfection. Ledger is purely fascinating and the undisputed leader of the acting pack.

Morgan Freeman, though appearing on occasions, is as charismatic & dominating as ever & demands instant respect. Following him closely is veteran Michael Caine. Bale is as good as he always is in intense roles & carries Batman’s alter egos nicely. So does good old Gary Oldman who always is a very versatile and convincing actor- be it as the bad guy in air force one, or Dracula.

What starts off as a rudimentary Batman movie actually keeps getting hotter and dangerous as it proceeds. The twists hit you in the gut when they turn. The action is a bit limited. But when it comes, it comes with brute force and there’s no abundance of death defying stunts & gadgets that would even have 007 queuing up for some. Even the cinematic score hands down. Over all, an absolutely fantastic, dark and rather unexpectedly negative movie theme- And that is precisely where “The Dark Knight” Scores. Be prepared for the mental burden as you realize the underlying trauma. Go for it!