Critical analysis of Batman and Joker in The Dark Knight

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Movie Critical Review: The Dark Knight The movie I watched, and hence my subject of review is The Dark Knight (2008). This particular movie, which I watched at home, remains one of the best films I have seen in recent times. The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is a crime-action film. In essence, this particular movie revolves around the efforts of Batman and other law enforcement officers to rein in crime in the city of Gotham, especially after a sadistic and violent crime mastermind by the name Joker unleashes terror upon the entire city. In addition to being a high-action and drama film, The Dark Knight also delves deep into the personal and ideological circumstances of the actors and exposes both human weaknesses and intense acts of brevity and sacrifice. In the end, good defeats evil as the Joker is apprehended and the entire criminal enterprise crippled. It is important to note that the performance of the characters in the film is laudable and gripping, effectively enabling the film to captivate its audience with its well-developed plot. Some of the actors whose performance greatly helped towards the further enhancement of the film’s flow include, but they are not limited to, Heath Ledger (who plays the role of the Joker), Gary Oldman (who plays the role of Lieutenant Jim Gordon), Christian Bale (who plays the role of Batman), and Aaron Eckhart (who plays the role of Dent). In this case, I will concern myself with the two main characters, i.e. Batman and Joker. The Joker puts forth a personality is truly sadistic. He is a criminal who has no remorse at all and his acts leave the viewer truly terror-stricken. His indiscriminate murderous streak leaves numerous people dead, including innocent bystanders, his fellow outlaws and criminals (like Gambol), goodhearted people like Rachel, and even prominent persons such as the Police Commissioner. Some of his most depraved acts include blowing up a hospital, rigging two ferries full of people with explosives with an intention to blow them up, and wickedly playing around with his victims’ psychology (such as the ferry incident). This is a persona that Heath Ledger plays perfectly in his portrayal of a perverted criminal who also is also truly an agent of disorder and chaos. Batman’s performance is also captivating. Here is a person who desires to live a simple life out of the limelight, but who is nonetheless pushed into the same limelight by circumstances. Christian Bale brings forth a character who is truly committed to the maintenance and restoration of law and order, and who does not mind paying a personal price to achieve this endeavor. Some of the incidences that bring forward Batman’s temperament include, but they are not limited to, heroic acts of apprehending criminals (such as Lau and Joker in the end), offer to give up his identity (when the Joker unleashes a murderous campaign aimed at forcing Batman to reveal himself), and taking a fall for the sake of law and order (accepting to be held responsible for Dent’s killing spree). The cinematography of The Dark Knight is simply amazing and spectacular. The movie makes use of this artistic approach as a great enhancement to the storyline. For instance, in an attempt to makes scenes more potent and intense, the movie routinely makes use of camera movement. A good example of this would be the scene where we have an argument at the rooftop. To further raise the excitement, we have the camera moving around persons of interest who are largely immobile/stationary. It is also important to note that in quite a number of instances, the film assigns relevance to issues by making use of close-up shots. For instance, the camera zooms-in in quite a number of instances, i.e. like when a character like Batman or Joker utters a phrase deemed crucial to the film’s flow. It is also important to note that when it comes to the design elements, the relevance of the costumes and makeup used in the film cannot be overstated. As a matter of fact, they were critical to the film’s storyline. To begin with, Joker’s costumes and makeup are largely representative of his deprived character. He has a rugged look that presents an uncaring and unstable personality. The clownish mask the Joker wears throughout the movie comes in handy in bringing out this particular character’s dark sense of humor. The costume worn by Batman is legendary – it is a hero costume that comes in handy in bringing out the heroic side and nature of an otherwise ordinary man known to friends and family as Bruce Wayne. It helps in creating the persona of a character with exceptional and extraordinary abilities. It should also be noted that music is in this case used to great extent in an attempt to not only create emotion, but to also enhance viewer attention to scenes considered important to the plot. In the final analysis, I consider The Dark Knight to be an amazing film that grips the viewer from the beginning to the very end. The personas of the characters presented are intense and the plot sound. The most interesting character, in my opinion, is Joker which is played by Heath Ledger. This particular character brings ‘life’ to the movie by way of his outrageous acts, weird nature, quotes and in general, an overall griping performance. I could not find a major flaw that would have otherwise dented the film’s superior plot. Towards this end, this is a movie I would definitely watch again and/or recommend to a friend.