Christopher Nolan

(Syndicated from In the Wake of Poseidon)

It takes the right team to make an action film. Action movies are churned out left and right every Friday. Movies like Crank or Transformers come along and they are fine as slices of entertainment. Then every once in a rare while an "Action Film" comes along. The kind of movie that goes beyond the explosions and digs deep into the heart of the psyche. Christopher Nolan, the director of The Dark Knight, gets this. He has made a truly fantastic Action Film. While The Dark Knight doesn't dig ultra-deep philosophically or morally, it offers enough social commentary to raise its intense action scenes well above that of a standard summer blockbuster. It gives meaning to the chaos, as much as anarchy can have meaning. I'm not going to go into storyline here. It's nothing new story wise. The true genius behind this movie is the combination of the acting and the directing that made it a dance of visual brilliance and subtlety. The way Nolan was able to get the performances he did from a stellar cast of leads and supporting is a true triumph. The four major leads--Bale, Ledger, Eckhart & Oldman--take talent to the next level.

Christian Bale's triumph of playing a "freak...like me!" is wholly invigorating. He is a hero who knows his limits and his flaws and realizes exactly what he has brought upon Gotham. Heath Ledger is so outstandingly creepy that when people laughed in the cinema at his part, I almost cringed. There wasn't a single thing funny about his joker. Yes he had some genius one-liners, but even those were calculated and malicious enough to make your skin crawl in fear and horror. A scene where the Joker is being interrogated is such filthy brilliance on Ledger's part that you can't help but wonder how taxing it must have been to emerse yourself into that psychopathic mind. Aaron Eckhart plays Harvey Dent, the white knight of Gotham City, and although his part is understated at first, you see the mind of a man on the edge brewing behind his eyes. He may have been the shining light in Gotham's most tumoltuos time, but as in many of Nolan's films, even the good have a touch of evil somewhere tucked away that can come forth if pushed to the limits. Lastly, Gary Oldman, an actor who can never go wrong, also understates and slow plays his Detective turned Commisioner role. He's a true police officer, not entirely liked by all, but he wants one thing and that's the peace that Gotham City deserves.

The reason I still call this an "Action Film" is because beyond all the psychology is a truly riveting stunt filled spectacle. Unlike past Batman films, The Dark Knight is almost 100% location filming. A scene where a policemen's parade for slain officers erupts into chaos thanks to the Joker is utterly breathtaking. The main chase sequence through Gotham's underground, ending in the most glorious truck stunt you will ever see on film, just explodes with brilliance. And the reason why? Very minimal CGI and real stunts. When you see the Joker's Truck do a front flip, that's not a computer altered truck. That's an 18-wheeler hurtling through the air. It's something you don't see very often anymore. Another mind boggling thing of chaotic beauty is when the Joker walks non-chalantly out of a hospital as it slowly explodes. This wasn't shot in Chicago like most of the film, but it was a set piece built for the sole purpose of succumbing to the Joker's crazy rampage.

The film may be a tad bit long in the tooth, but it's a tooth that sinks right into your neck and feels good. It's the kind of two and a half hours that you never want to end. A lot of it is intense and in your face; it gets your adreneline pumping and your suspense sensors flairing on overdrive. It offers commentary on terrorism and "heroes vs. villains" as a topic so rich in grey area that you'll question both sides of the arguement for Homeland Security. It doesn't shove anything down you're throat, but it's all there and really works. This is a must see film on the big screen and probably will be one of the best films you will see all year.

by Paul Tsikitas