How far are you willing to go to protect what you love? Will you cast aside your own morals and ethics if it makes the world a better place? Are you willing to live as an outcast, if it means others could walk the streets without fear. Would you turn your back on peace and love if you could provide it for millions? Could you live with yourself if those you swore to protect saw you as the villain? If they blamed you for all the chaos in this world? Christopher Nolan and the rest of the cast in The Dark Knight ask these soul-rending questions with each gloriously beautiful frame that flickers across the screen.
How far will our hero go to bring order from chaos?
We return to the streets of Gotham City not long after Ra’s Al Ghul attempted to burn the city to the ground in a cleansing blaze. The crime families that for so long maintained an evil order over Gotham are in a shambles. They are the wounded elite, reeling from a police force and citizenry that is quickly losing their fear and summoning the courage to stand up. Batman and his crusade against evil is working. Yes, there are still dirty cops in Gotham. Yes, the crime lords still funnel drugs, guns, and death into the streets; but, something is different. When the symbol of the Bat graces Gotham’s night sky, evil slinks back into the shadows. They know something far greater than they is stalking them. A relentless figure without fear. The old ways do not work against such a new force. This force of nature that stalks the night. And so, in fear and desperation, they turn to their only chance at survival against such stalwart opposition.
They summon chaos.
The Joker is death and hate and rage and chaos in its most elemental form. He is the storm that comes without warning. He is the random car accident that takes your loved ones from you forever and without reason. He is the beast that laughs as others suffer. He is everything we civilized humans attempt to keep bottled within our souls. From the very first moment the Joker appears on the screen, we know nothing in Gotham City will ever be the same. There is no turning back from the Pandora’s Box flowing into the veins of this world. Evil walks the Earth and he wears the Death’s Head visage of ages past. I didn’t see Heath Ledger on the screen. All I saw was an uncontrollable tempest given flesh and blood. Ledger’s performance as the Joker has raised the bar so high for screen villains, I am not sure anyone can ever attain it again. I fear I will receive nasty comments as I write this, but I can’t shake the feeling that the Joker took something from Heath Ledger. The character is that pure in his horror. Every time his musical cue oozed from the speakers, I knew I was once again going to gaze into the abyss of madness and terror. It was as if Ledger looked too deeply into that darkness and what came out was this beast of chaos. This Joker is the creature even Batman fears
Although the Joker and Batman are polar opposites, they share the same obsession. They want a world that they envision as their own.
Christian Bale is Batman, of this there is no doubt. He has also embraced his persona of Bruce Wayne, but liked the Caped Crusader, he has no love for the billionaire playboy. Indeed, it is easy to believe that Batman would just assume see Bruce Wayne fall aside. This reminder of his human past gets in the way of his mission. His desire to bring order and peace to the city that birthed him years ago. Unlike the Joker, Batman has rules. Rules he swore to never break, no matter what it cost him. To break those rules, Batman is no worse than the evil that chokes the city he loves so much. Christian Bale brings true life to the man behind the mantle of the Dark Knight. You feel his pain and torment when his obsession threatens those around him. You feel his own self doubt as he begins to question his own actions. For all his desire to inspire hope and courage in the people of Gotham, he has also set the stage for a reality no one is ready to accept. The world is spinning faster and faster out of control. How much will the people take before they turn on one another? How many dead loved ones, pulled from the rubble of destruction before the people take up arms and lash out at any perceived threat? Batman fired the first salvo in this new war and it is Bale’s wonderful performance that allows the audience to feel that burden.
These are real people springing from a 2D medium.
Aaron Eckhart’s performance as Harvey Dent is inspiring and frightening. Everything I would expect from a character that becomes the agent of violence that is Two-Face. He is the reminder that we must stand by those that risk all for our benefit. Sadly, he is also the reminder that we must never pin all our hopes and desires on one man. No one is perfect. No one is infallible. Harvey Dent is all too human in a city that is on the verge of death. Aaron’s passion as Harvey Dent makes his fall all the more painful. In fact, with every victory I found myself growing sad. I knew his fall was coming, as we all do, but that didn’t stop the pain when it happened. Not many actors can make you feel sympathy for their horrendous acts, Aaron Eckhart does so.
If Batman Begins had one glaring weak point, it was the character of Rachel Dawes. She simply didn’t seem necessary. (In fact, the love story angle aside, I then felt she should have been Harvey Dent). While Katie Holmes’ performance as Ms. Dawes still feels lacking, I can’t imagine either film without her character any longer. In no small part to Maggie Gyllenhaal's wonderful performance. She added a sense of depth and realism that Holmes couldn’t achieve. Rachel Dawes is so much more than a arm candy for the male actors in The Dark Knight. She is the moral fiber that binds all these mad men together. She is the living proof that Gotham City is worth fighting for, but that fight must stay within the morals and ethics of civilized man. Maggie’s Rachel Dawes is a smart and sympathetic character and helps ground the film.
As does Gary Oldman as Lt. Jim Gordon. He is the noble solider in the war for Gotham’s soul. As was the case in Batman Begins, it is extremely refreshing to see Jim Gordon act like the hero cop Batman fans have known for over 50 years. This isn’t some desk jockey content with sending his men and women in uniform to take on crime. He stands there with them, gun drawn and taking aim at the evils that threaten his city. Yet, he is also painfully naive. So great is his love for Gotham and for the badge he wears upon his chest, corruption within his own team cuts him deeper than any knife or gun. Oldman makes sure you feel Gordon’s bitter remorse when he needs to rise (or sink) to Batman’s level in order to make the streets just a little safer for the good people of Gotham.
Lucius Fox and Alfred Pennyworth are the moral and emotional pillars upon which Batman and Bruce Wayne stand upon. Both Morgan Freeman and Sir Michael Caine are so very perfect in their roles, I can’t even imagine a time when another actor played those parts. (With all due respect to the wonderfully charming Michael Gough). Freeman’s Lucius Fox is the character Batman fans have wanted to see on screen for years. The man that is the true heart of Wayne Enterprises and allows Bruce to carry one his crusade all while maintaining the honor and dignity of the company. Caine’s portrayal of Alfred is paternal and wonderful. This is the gentlemen’s gentleman that raised young Bruce into the man he is today. You see with every choice Alfred makes, he is still trying to fulfill his promise to Thomas and Martha Wayne all those years ago, protecting all they held dear.
In fact, there isn’t a weak performance in this entire film. Even the smallest of roles, such as the minor part from Cillian Murphy as the mad Scarecrow fits perfectly into a film that seems overloaded with villains. Every mob boss is vulgar and disgusting in their smugness, you almost find yourself cheering when one of them gets it from their multiple enemies...masked and other wise. Strange as this sounds, even the two-bit henchmen that serve these crime families and the Joker has a sense of realism to them. Forgot all notions of no-necked wise guys and heckling goons in purple leather jackets. Even these no-name characters has a sense of back story all their own.
Christopher Nolan has shattered any doubt about his ability to shoot an painfully tense and taunt crime thriller. Yes, these characters and settings are based on a 70 year-old comic book. However, you would be sadly mistaken if you believed this was just another comic book film. No. The Dark Knight is a perfectly written and directed crime thriller on par with Heat, or Goodfellas... But it happens to have men in bat costumes and maniacal killers in clown make-up. The action is intense and will, as the cliché goes, have you are the very edge of your seat. The violence is quick, brutal, and wholly surprising at times. Indeed, there where many occasions where I found myself saying out load “did they really just do that” or, “Good Lord, did Nolan really go there”?
The performances are perfection. (And, if Heath Ledger doesn’t get at least a Best Supporting Actor Nomination from his portrayal as the Joker, there is something seriously wrong with the Academy). Nolan’s direction is flawless. He lets the scene play when it needs and makes the scene move when it is time. The music is a beautiful companion to a beautiful film.
The Dark Knight is, without a doubt, the greatest “Superhero or Comic Book” film ever made. The Dark Knight just might be the best film I’ll see all year. Yes, I am an unabashed Batman fan, but you know what... The Dark Knight might be one of the best crime / drama films ever made.
See this film. Then ask yourself. How far are you willing to go?
Batman Begins isn't a perfect film by a long shot. Sure, it resurrected the character on film from its consignment to a heap of guano and rubber nipples, but it over-reached a little here and there. Christian Bale's Batman voice was like scuffed baseball hitting the dirt in front of home plate. The last third of the movie had a surprise superhero, Exposition Man, narrating the climax. The climax was the perfect combination of plot and tone: A train going off the rails. And of course, the fight scenes consisted of 3 millisecond shots of Batman's elbows. The public excuse was that this was a stylistic choice, to make the audience feel like they were right in the middle of it. Most of the audience just wanted the camera to stay still so they could maybe actually SEE Batman.
The film was a stylistic, substantial success in spite of itself at times...
Some of those mistakes get fixed in The Dark Knight: Bale doesn't lose the
sandpaper hacksaw tone, but he learns how to modulate it and make it work. The movie wraps up almost every single plot point and thematic element introduced without having some old guy explain what's going down every 3 seconds. And Nolan locks that camera down, and in doing so, manages to make the audience feel the punches his film is throwing in a way that not only Batman Begins couldn't do, but most films this year haven't been able to.
It doesn't hurt that he's got most of his previous cast returning, down to Cillian
Murphy chipping in two cents as the Scarecrow, as well as Aaron Eckhart's heroic Harvey Dent, Maggie Gyllenhaal's assured Rachel Dawes, and of course, Heath Ledger's Joker. It doesn't hurt that Nolan, in admittedly patterning his film after Michael Mann's crime classic Heat, has let those actors dig deep in a way no superhero film has even attempted before. If there is a case that needs to be made regarding whether superhero films can be counted as "serious" films, as films that can transcend and affect audiences the way art is supposed to, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is making that case, and making it effectively.
Starting with the flashy centerpiece of the film, Ledger's performance of Joker:
Many reams of ink are going spill and run down newsprint like the raccoon circles smearing his face in the film. He's gonna get a best supporting actor nomination. It's going to happen. Whether he wins or not doesn't really matter, of course. The real question is whether this portrayal of Joker ends up being regarded as a malevolent force of nature alongside Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter. Because you have to go back that far at least, to witness a highly respected actor go to that proverbial "next level" the way Ledger does here.
But the soul of this movie is split in two. Obviously, one half of that soul belongs
to Eckhart's portrayal of Harvey "Two-Face" Dent. Batman refers to Harvey more than once as Gotham's real hero. The public face they need to believe in themselves, and Eckhart makes that believable. He delivers a performance assured and strong-shouldered enough to carry the weight of those words, and when he breaks and falls, the combination of rage and sadness would be palpable and disturbing even without the horror hanging off half his face.
But the other half is in Gary Oldman's hands as Jim Gordon. Ledger gives a speech referencing gravity during the final fight between Joker and Batman, but Oldman's every man is this film's center of gravity. He's given a lot more to work with, and if, as rumored, he wasn't looking forward to reprising his role in a major studio tentpole circus show, not a hint of that shows in the portrayal of a plainspoken man trying to hold it together as insanity relentlessly presses in from all angles. Nothing feels phoned in like it did last film.
That goes for most of the actors. Nolan needed Maggie Gyllenhaal's for Bale and
Eckhart to play off of, because Holmes' portrayal of Rachel Dawes wasn't going to be the fuel that ignites the entire last third of this movie in the way Gyllenhall's is. Michael Caine is just as solid as Alfred as he was last go-round, and while Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox is still sort of a stock "Morgan Freeman as wise old man" character, he has more to do, and does it solidly.
I haven't mentioned Bale yet, because the man gets lost in his own movie a little. His Bruce Wayne is much improved, and one of the most fun performances in the film, but his Batman is still sometimes unintelligible and forced. No matter how dour and focused Batman appears, the façade cracks when he speaks. Oldman's Gordon personifies Nolan's approach to these Batman films, the grounding force that makes all this outlandishness seem real, but Bale's Batman strains against that. It's only when Batman stops yelling, quiets down, and emotes a little, that the Batman half of Bale's portrayal works.
That's not the only misstep. There's a 20 minute sequence involving Hong Kong that seems necessary as it unfolds, and is pretty to look at. Only as the movie crosses the 2 hour mark does that sequence start to feel like it's dragging anchor, as you realize nothing in that 20 minutes really has anything to do with what's going on in the climax, and the film could have gotten to it's climax just that much faster without losing any of its formidable punch. It's essentially a beautifully shot and edited DVD extra that managed to sneak its way into the film.
The tone of Heat isn't the only thing Nolan managed to approximate. The film shares Mann's cold, clinical look. The muddiness of Begins is replaced with a cool blue shine. The camerawork, including the groundbreaking IMAX work, shares none of the shakiness that obscured bits of Begins. The sound and the score blend together to highlight the violence, which like in the best of Mann's films, is sudden and visceral. Hardly a drop of blood is spilled onscreen, but the jolts and winces come early and often, from Batman being mauled by dogs, to Eric Roberts' Sal Maroni landing hard on his heels after a meeting with Batman, to Joker's disappearing pencil trick. And the plotting is appropriately twisty as well, forcing Batman to do some legitimate detective work that not only recalls Pacino's cop in Heat, but James Bond as well.
This sorta sounds like "Heat II starring an insane clown and his leather-fetish
friend" but that's not it at all. This is most definitely a Batman movie, probably
the Batman movie that most closely hews to the tone of the most successful Batman stories in the comics. There's gadgets, There's a hell of a chase sequence through Gotham putting those gadgets to amazing work, there's knowing winks and nods (Fox makes reference to Wayne wanting a new suit that he can move his neck in) there's even a speech delivered near the end that reinforces the need for superheroes in society as music swells and rises and capes go a flapping in the whipping wind. But it's distilled Batman, 101 proof. It somehow burns and goes down smooth at the same time. Worth savoring and sipping on for most of its 150 minute length, but with just enough bite to make you careful about taking big swigs with no chaser.
In the age of cute Disney pixies and cookie-baking Elves, it is easy to forget that old school fairy tales were friggen creepy and meant to teach us common folk a lesson. Well, Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola sure as hell didn’t forget, and they’ve got a good ‘ol fairy tale for us. Hellboy II: The Golden Army has it all: plotting Elves, ghastly Trolls, unstoppable Tin-Men, voracious Fairies, and the son of a fallen angel that is our only hope.
The plot, as shown in the trailer, is relatively simple. Human and Elves used to live in an uneasy peace. The Elves thinks humans have overstretched their bounds. Humans are clueless. Elves want to resurrect the Golden Army (a nigh unstoppable force of killing machines, like Tik-Tok of Oz on HGH). Hellboy and the gang at the B.R.P.D. have to stop them before, forgive the pun, all hell breaks loose. Okay, so maybe that isn’t the whole plot, along the way we have interpersonal problems with teammates, moral questions of what is right and what is wrong, and a life-lesson about looking beneath the surface that would make the sweetest After School Special go into Insulin shock. You know what? I don’t care. In fact, I again wouldn’t want it any other way. Hellboy II is everything I’ve come to expect from Mika Mignola and Guillermo del Toro, a modern-day Greek myth with larger than life, but still flawed, heroes and the a villain that would make William Shakespeare clap with glee!
Everyone “gets” their character this time out.
That isn’t to say the first Hellboy had character missteps, it just feels like everyone is far more comfortable in their roles in Hellboy II. Can anyone think of another character Ron Perlman was born to play besides the Big Red Monkey? No, you can’t, because Perlman is Hellboy, he morphs into the character with such flawless perfection; I expect to see a Samaritan-packing demon leaping from building tops. Selma Blair returns as the Liz Sherman, the pyrokinetic that melted Hellboy’s heart. She is no longer the shy and cautious character we saw in the first film. No, this is a battle-hardened member of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Sure, Hellboy might pack the big guns and go toe-to-toe with mythical beasts, but petite Liz is the big gun. When she tells you to run, you better listen cause she’s bringing the pain and the heat and the fire and the boom!
Doug Jones returns as the body (and now voice) of my personal favorite member of the B.R.P.D., the gentile Abe Sapien. For such a long-lived character, Jones inserts a wonderful hint of innocence and childlike curiosity. Sure, Abe knows some monsters need to be put down for the greater good, but he’s rather talk it out and find the root cause before pulling the trigger. Seth MacFarlane voices the newest team member, Johann Krauss. German. Genius. Ghost. From the first moment Johann walks into the screen, you know he’s gonna’ be a blast to watch. While little is explained from his past, you get the feeling he’s seen everything before, but still has lessons to learn from these bullish Americans. John Hurt returns in a small role as Professor Bloom and is his usual self. Soft-spoken while stern and loving to his adopted son. Finally, Jeffery Tamborne returns as the rather wormy but wholly fantastic Agent Tom Manning. An average everyday Joe that so desperately wants respect from his fellow government suits, but alas, has to watch over “the freaks”. You can’t help but love the guy.
Then the others.
Luke Goss is the “evil” Prince Nuada and does so with scene chewing gusto. I put “evil” in quotes because, like all classical villains, Prince Nuada truly believes he is doing what is right by his people and kin. In a way, he is. We humans have been encroaching on the “Fairy Lands” for a long damn time, treaty or no, the Prince feels it is time to encroach back. True, his plans will kill pretty much every human on Earth, but you can’t completely hate the guy. Anna Walton turns in a powerfully quiet performance as Prince Nuada’s twin sister, Princess Nuala. Her voice carries the weight of time and you can’t help but be enthralled whenever she speaks. Then there are all the other characters living within the world of Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The characters that look like they sprung from the mind of a demented Muppeteer. (Indeed, one can only wonder with sad longing what a Guillermo del Toro / Jim Henson production would look like).
In fact, most of the creatures you seen in Hellboy II appear to be practical suits and puppets. Something I hope we see more of. Yes, CGI technology is a near perfected tool (see Wall*E), but there is something to a person in a suit interacting with another actor or person in suit that just feels…well…magical. Mike and Guillermo opened their collective imaginations and simply cut loose. (Or, let their art department cut loose. Either way, well done). The otherworldly lands in Hellboy II are beautiful, dark, dreadful, and whimsical. Just like the fairy tales of old.
The film isn’t perfect. Some of the fight scenes drag on a tad too long for my taste. (I will admit that I could watch the B.R.P.D. folks hang out with Trolls and Goblins, and just drink beers for 2 hours and I’d be happy). Guillermo del Toro has improved as an action director and the fights scenes are much tighter than the first Hellboy and Blade II. A few times the CGI aspect is glaringly obvious, but far more forgivable than Wanted or the last Indiana Jones films. There are a few plot jumps in the story and you can see the ending coming from damn near miles away. But, when you are in the moment, none of that seems to matter. The characters in Hellboy II are like friends you haven’t seen in a while and it is fun to catch up with their lives.
Some critics and audience members complained about the undercurrent of light-heartiness in this film. I don’t think they got the point. Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola set out to create modern fairy tales. Sure, these tales are filled with monsters and demons, but they are also filled with people. People that hope, dream, love, laugh, and cry. Just because his name is Hellboy and he’s the son of the Lord of Darkness doesn’t mean everyone needs to brood while saving the world from vengeful Elves and zombie'esque machines of destruction. I love the fact that Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and Johann can make jokes with each other while saving the world.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a grand adventure of the highest order. Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola have created a damn fun world filled with damn interesting characters.
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