Oldman's already had his shot at that sort of thing....
Posted on 08/11/2008 9:26:32 AM PDT by ventanax5
I wasn’t going to comment on Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which I saw over the weekend, but the level of cooing and gushing among reviewers has been so extraordinary a note of dissent seems in order. Having been led to expect a work of profound genius and “one of the year’s most haunting cinematic experiences,” I was puzzled to find a serviceable popcorn movie, albeit one with pretensions and a serious lack of focus. There are, of course, some great set pieces, most notably one involving cables, improbable physics and a somersaulting truck. And the scene with Heath Ledger’s Joker dressed as a nurse is, for several seconds, positively surreal. In fact, taken individually, there are plenty of fine components. But the overall impression is of Nolan shovelling in as many plots and themes as possible in the hope that some of them would resonate, by chance, apparently.
(Excerpt) Read more at davidthompson.typepad.com ...
There’s the rise of Gotham’s shining prosecutor, Harvey Dent, whose subsequent moral corruption and reinvention as Two-Face is erratic and unbelievable even on its own terms, based as it is on the demise of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s underwritten love interest (about whom we scarcely care) and the implausible misplacing of blame. There are several subplots involving the mob’s money, ferryboats and bombs, high-tech surveillance, copycat vigilantes and the attempted blackmail of Bruce Wayne, though none of these asides amounts to very much. A third deranged villain, the Scarecrow, makes a brief appearance for no discernible reason, and then inexplicably vanishes from the plot. There are some nods to contemporary terrorism, rendition and torture, and the age-old question of how to fight evil without becoming a monster. But a refusal to follow through with most of these ideas leads to a glib ambiguity. Nolan seems determined to have it all ways, while committing to none in particular. Batman is supposedly a creature of great purpose, but his moral logic is often unclear and confused, as when he’s repeatedly told that by “provoking” terrorists he’s responsible for the deaths of innocents – a lie which he apparently believes. Thus, for much of the film, we have something close to a Guardian-reading Batman, which is hardly the stuff of heroism, or indeed gripping cinema.
That said, The Dark Knight is nothing if not busy, though it’s not always clear why. Even the repetitive fight scenes are framed so tightly and cut so quickly it’s difficult to tell who’s doing what to whom. There’s just lots of stuff… happening. And, after the first ninety minutes or so, the whole thing begins to lose focus badly and buckle under the weight of undeveloped ideas. With so much to plough through, there’s little room to establish the assumed poignancy on which the final act depends, which leaves the closing scenes oddly flat and undramatic. At the screening I attended, the last hour took its toll and glancing furtively at watches became an audience pastime. In an attempt to overwhelm the audience with sheer volume of characters and material (and a two-and-a-half-hour running time), Nolan fumbles the final payoff. Several reviewers have hailed the film as “primeval and exhilarating,” “the most intelligent blockbuster movie ever made,” and a dark epic that “leaves you wanting more.” But, for me, great films are the ones I want to see again. And I don’t want to see The Dark Knight again.
I thought the film was OK, but it left me “tired.”
I used to laugh when my mother in law would say she didnt like this TV show or that one, because they were always running. She would say that all that running, going nowhere, would just make her tired.
30 years later, I know what she meant.
It was OK. But then again, I was one of a few that thought Titanic sucked too.
I guess I just don’t get it anymore.
In other news, what I consider to be Mel Gibson’s greatest movie, “The Patriot” is now out on BluRay in full 1080P (1920x1080) resolution. Now THAT is something to celebrate.
Haven’t seen Dark Knight yet.
I’m with you on the Titanic...so to speak.
The expectations for those of us who haven’t seen The Dark Knight are so high it is impossible to meet them.
Human nature.
Just like building up a restaurant or something to a friend for weeks and when they go it has to be paved in gold to meet them.
I think most of the thrill for this movie is to see Heath Ledger play his last role before he over dosed on drugs. There’s something goulish about that.
We don’t plan on seeing it.
We’re tired of supporting liberals.
A two week old movie review is somehow “Breaking News”.
Fascinating.
Buble gum plots don’t do it for us either.
This one and Begins are the best of the series. Bale is a fine actor and plays the role well. I don't think Ledger eclipsed Nicholson, but he made it his own and lifts the movie to another level above Begins.
If you don't like action summer movies, go to an indie theatre and see what the intelligentsia are watching. Better yet, do both and stop whining because Batman is not the Godfather or Citizen Cane.
Sam, play it. Play it again.
Dark Knight was OK. I’d say 8 out of 10.
Heath Ledger was great.
I guess a candle does burn the brightest just before it goes out.
I must need something from my doctor to deal with all of my anxiety. Maybe I need to see several different doctors so they all give me different drugs for my insomnia,my anxiety and my recent bad break-up.
You know I can see how Ledger was feeling seriously "dark" about my life since his "cowboy" movie romance rode off into the sunset. Alas, young love!
good review.
I agree entirely. Thanks for taking the time to write this, so I don’t have to.
The further I get from Dark Knight, the less I like it.
Just what exactly was that sonar-machine-thingy that Morgan Freeman was tinkering with there at the end??!
By the way, Senator Leahy made a cameo at the cocktail reception for the DA. Did you catch that?
Too bad Joker didn’t do that “hide the pencil” trick on Leahy, rather than the mobster at the beginning!
Most of my thrill for this movie comes from being a long Batman fan who was very pleased with Nolan’s reboot of the movie series. I looked forward to Ledger’s turn as the Joker the minute it got announced, he had a lot of talent. It’s sad that he’s gone but that’s how things go, doesn’t change the fact that this was his best performance among a long list of some top shelf stuff.
It’s sad, but with The Dark Knight being THE movie event of 2008, there’s an “anti” movement forming now. A small collection of critics and moviegoers trying to tear it down for some reason. This happens with every great major film that comes out and almost seems to be a natural process...it happened with both “Titanic” and “Forrest Gump.” It won’t affect the box office gross, clearly, but it’s a shame that there has to be any kind of critical backlash against such a great film.
Moreover, Ledger was not all that unique in the role....he spent the entire movie talking like Jack Nicholson’s Joker! I mean, couldn’t he come up with his own voice?!
Gary Oldman is a very over the top actor and his Commissioner Gordon is so dry, staid and straight forward. You wonder if he hankers for something more along Ledger's role... to let’er rip!
I agree with the minor criticisms but overall I enjoyed the film a lot. Yes the scarecrow had no place in the movie. It was weird and didn’t need to be there. Yes, Harvey Dent’s conversion to the dark side was totally unbelievable. And yes some fight scenes were so quick you couldn’t tell what was going on. It would have been a much better movie at 2 hours without Dent and scarecrow but Ledger’s performance was brilliant. Nicholson’s joker was too comical never believable in my eyes. The chaos the Joker rains down on Gotham this time is totally un-nerving. A true psychopath. Well worth seeing a second time.
The weren't even close CDude! Ledger was totally unique while Nicholson was a bad copy of Ceasar Romero.
Oldman's already had his shot at that sort of thing....
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