Note: This article will discuss the ending and some plot points of "The Dark Knight", so read no further if you do not wish to be spoiled.
Every superlative known to man (and then some) have been tossed about when describing "The Dark Knight" from critics and fans alike. It has been one of the most anticipated, buzzed and hyped films of the decade (due in no small part to the tragic death of Heath Ledger) - the roar was almost deafening. By the time I sat down in the theater I had heard from all corners that this film is a masterwork - that Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker is brilliant, raw, disturbing; that all the other supporting performances are excellent, especially Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent. I heard all of this but still didn't get my hopes up.
I consider myself somewhat jaded when it comes to films - I escape the world for a couple of hours, then maybe go to Ben & Jerry's for a Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey cone. If I think about a film at all after I've seen it, it's only in that "hey, that was a cool scene" kind of way. Films don't normally get to me - even the grimmest fare like "No Country for Old Men" or "There Will Be Blood". This was different, however. It's several hours later and I'm still thinking about, analyzing the film, going "I can't believe that happened" over and over in my head - and not in a fun way.
After a lot of thought about it, I've come to a conclusion that may not be directly obvious and that I've not seen mentioned a whole lot. The most disturbing thing about TDK is that when you get right down to it, when you truly consider the larger implications of the final 5 minutes in relation to the rest of the picture, there is only one, inescapable conclusion. The Joker won. There's some exposition by Gordon about Batman's heroic qualities, but the scenes showing during that ending monologue give the lie to the words he speaks. The fact of the matter is that this superhero movie breaks the number one convention of superhero movies, that the hero must win in the end.
Sure, by the end of the film Batman saves hundreds of lives and the main villans are all either dead or captured, but Batman still lost the larger, more important war - the war for Gotham's soul. At the beginning of the film you see people trying to fight back, emboldened by the activities of Batman. They're amateurs and get themselves injured or killed, but the idea that risking one's life to help give life back to the city is more important than their personal well-being is embodied by Harvey Dent and Batman. By the end of the film, Dent is dead and Batman's on the run, a "cop-killer", and people are living in fear again, with any hope of salvation rapidly dwindling away. Destroying the city's hope was the entire goal of The Joker and he understood that the minute he put the gun in Harvey's hand and let him loose from the hospital, he won. The outcome of the final showdown between Dent, Gordon and Batman did not matter; whether or not Two-Face killed Gordon or his family, the die was cast. The Joker took down the best, brightest star of Gotham and with it Gotham's hope. It also does not matter whether or not "the outside world" knows what truly happened to Dent or not - all the public will know is that Dent is dead and Batman is responsible. Both "knights" removed from the board in one fell swoop, and a city's tenuous hope crumbles. If that is not losing, I'm not sure what is.
Even though this movie is dark (and The Joker even darker), it is still one of the greatest films I have seen and needs to be seen by anyone with a love of the movies. Go see this movie.
Every superlative known to man (and then some) have been tossed about when describing "The Dark Knight" from critics and fans alike. It has been one of the most anticipated, buzzed and hyped films of the decade (due in no small part to the tragic death of Heath Ledger) - the roar was almost deafening. By the time I sat down in the theater I had heard from all corners that this film is a masterwork - that Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker is brilliant, raw, disturbing; that all the other supporting performances are excellent, especially Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent. I heard all of this but still didn't get my hopes up.
I consider myself somewhat jaded when it comes to films - I escape the world for a couple of hours, then maybe go to Ben & Jerry's for a Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey cone. If I think about a film at all after I've seen it, it's only in that "hey, that was a cool scene" kind of way. Films don't normally get to me - even the grimmest fare like "No Country for Old Men" or "There Will Be Blood". This was different, however. It's several hours later and I'm still thinking about, analyzing the film, going "I can't believe that happened" over and over in my head - and not in a fun way.
After a lot of thought about it, I've come to a conclusion that may not be directly obvious and that I've not seen mentioned a whole lot. The most disturbing thing about TDK is that when you get right down to it, when you truly consider the larger implications of the final 5 minutes in relation to the rest of the picture, there is only one, inescapable conclusion. The Joker won. There's some exposition by Gordon about Batman's heroic qualities, but the scenes showing during that ending monologue give the lie to the words he speaks. The fact of the matter is that this superhero movie breaks the number one convention of superhero movies, that the hero must win in the end.
Sure, by the end of the film Batman saves hundreds of lives and the main villans are all either dead or captured, but Batman still lost the larger, more important war - the war for Gotham's soul. At the beginning of the film you see people trying to fight back, emboldened by the activities of Batman. They're amateurs and get themselves injured or killed, but the idea that risking one's life to help give life back to the city is more important than their personal well-being is embodied by Harvey Dent and Batman. By the end of the film, Dent is dead and Batman's on the run, a "cop-killer", and people are living in fear again, with any hope of salvation rapidly dwindling away. Destroying the city's hope was the entire goal of The Joker and he understood that the minute he put the gun in Harvey's hand and let him loose from the hospital, he won. The outcome of the final showdown between Dent, Gordon and Batman did not matter; whether or not Two-Face killed Gordon or his family, the die was cast. The Joker took down the best, brightest star of Gotham and with it Gotham's hope. It also does not matter whether or not "the outside world" knows what truly happened to Dent or not - all the public will know is that Dent is dead and Batman is responsible. Both "knights" removed from the board in one fell swoop, and a city's tenuous hope crumbles. If that is not losing, I'm not sure what is.
Even though this movie is dark (and The Joker even darker), it is still one of the greatest films I have seen and needs to be seen by anyone with a love of the movies. Go see this movie.
