Many of Gotham City's citizens see Batman (Christopher Bale) as a a figure of hope. He has been able to strike at the heart of organized crime in the City. But while Batman's actions have taken a toll on Gotham City's most powerful criminals, things turn from bad to worse when the new district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) decides to take on organized crime rather than roll over.
Bruce Wayne lead his double life throughout the film, conflicted by the pleasures that his wealthy lifestyle provides and the nocturnal crime fighter that is compelled to fight crime in the streets. To compound Wayne's confliction, Dent is dating the love of his life, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who left him because he couldn't stop being Batman.
Just as Batman and Gotham City's finest are making real progress, the Joker (Heath Ledger) offers to be the mob's enforcer. He isn't motivated by money or power, only the creation of chaos. Alfred (Michael Caine) explains it best when he says that “some men just want to see the world burn.”
The Joker makes one demand on Batman; remove the mask and turn himself in to police for his crimes against Gotham. Otherwise, the streets will run red with blood. When Bruce Wayne's identity as Batman remains a secret, the Joker delivers on his promise and orchestrates chaos like Gotham City has never seen.
The film takes us on a dark ride into the inner depths of Batman's and the Joker's soul. Their values are polar opposite, but yet they have a strange connection. It seems one can not live without the other. The Joker tells Batman they are both freaks.
The Joker is ultimately defeated, but Batman must take the fall to preserve Gotham City's faith in the police and justice. He will now be hunted by the police. As Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) explains to his son, he is our silent protector, our Dark Knight.
The Dark Knight was an enjoyable film for so many reasons. The cinematography was dark but appealing. The plot was interesting and not as predictable as one might expect in watching a well-known story. While some of the scenarios of the film were not realistic (how could anyone plant bombs throughout an entire hospital and on two harbor ships without being noticed), the action kept our attention away from such trivial details. But the acting of Heath Ledger as the Joker really stands out.
The goal of any actor, whether on stage or screen, is to make an audience believe completely in the reality of the character he or she is playing. In the case of films, an actor will attempt to obscure his or her own personality and to become another person on the screen. Heath Ledger accomplishes this with great but eery skill in his role as the Joker in the Dark Knight.
Ledger reported that he locked himself in a motel room in London for a month to create his vision of the Joker. He formed a diary and experimented with voices. The character he created was a psychopath with no empathy. Regardless of how Ledger create the Joker, he presented a character viewers despised yet couldn't get enough of.
Ledger played the role of chameleon with perfection. He truly disappeared into the character. Viewers truly could not recognize the handsome, mainstream actor that had played many likeable roles in the past. Ledger's odd-paced dialog, random flipping of his tongue, nasally voice, and steady yet out of control demeanor were brought together with perfection on screen.
Not only did Ledger meticulously prepare for his role as the Joker, he actually became the intense figure we see on the screen. In an interview, Ledger mentions that he had to take quite a bit of time off between scenes because his intense port rail of his character was exhausting. He goes on to say that at the end of the day, he couldn't move or talk.
The irony in Ledgers declaration in the early part of the film, “what ever doesn’t kill you, makes you stranger”, is hard to overlook. Ledger died very shortly after filming The Dark Knight from an overdose of drugs. There is speculation that Ledger disappeared so much into the character of the Joker, he became just as dark and demented in reality leading to his misuse of drugs. Of course we will never know. But one thing we do know, Ledger gave one of the most memorial performances in his portrait of the Joker. It is too bad that he can not enjoy the many accolades he received after the film was released.
No comments:
Post a Comment