Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" is by far the best and most suspenseful Batman adaptation made to date. Throughout the movie I constantly forgot I was watching a comic book movie and felt more like i was watching a mixture of Clockwork orange(1971) and Heat (1995). This is an intense thriller which offers a stellar cast with the exception of Maggie "toadfish" Gyllenhaal who is more suited to a dry comedy under the direction of maybe Wes Anderson. She does however do the role well, but I am used to hot leading women in Bat flicks, it feels like watching a James Bond movie with Julliette Lewis or Christina Ricci acting alongside Sean Connery or Daniel Craig, the thought just frightens me frankly. The performance of an all star lineup including Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon is A grade as is Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, however my hat goes off to Aaron Eckhart (Thank you for Smoking) as the white knight District Attorney who plays the role brilliantly especially his transformation into Two Face, which is played out so well both in acting and in script writing. There are so many twists and turns throughout the film which keep you constantly engaged that I didn't even realise it went for 2.5 hrs, but it could have gone for 4 and I would have soaked up every minute just as much. Bale's acting as Batman is always amazing as is expected but Heath Ledger as the murderous and anarchy laced Joker is the backbone of the entire film. His performance makes Jack Nicholson look like a gay sailor period! The story which revolves around the Gotham Mafia hiring the Joker to seek and destroy the Bat by causing chaos by threatening to kill public officials very day unless Batman reveals his true identity which pans out with so many twists I felt like I was watching Nolan's Memento (2000) and makes the film cinematic genius. This ladies and gentlemen, Jews and Gentiles....is how a comic book should be made on the big screen and the public would agree as the movie broke records for biggest opening weekend EVER ($155.34 Million) clearing Tobey Magiures Spider-Fag 3 off the top listing. I recommend all to see this feature as it is truly an epic film. Lastly, on a darker and more touchy note, Heath Ledger should not win an Oscar for this role. Knowing Hollywood's sentimentalities the award will probably be given to Ledger for reasons beyond his acting performance. Whether he is dead or alive should have nothing to do with it . But hey remember that Denzel did win an Oscar for Training Day (2001) when Sean Penn had to bite his tounge after his superb acting in I am Sam (2001). Overall this is an instant classic and is in my top 20!
The Tagline for this movie titled "Shoot now Sightsee later" sums up the entire blend of dark comedy and melodramatic drama this movie so elegantly delivers. The lineup of Colin Farrell (Miami Vice), Brendan Gleeson (Braveheart) and Ralph Fiennes (Red Dragon) is just brilliant and the chemistry between all actors is the reason this film plays out so well. The story which revolves around two hitmen who are sent to Bruges in Belgium after a hit goes horribly wrong. The hideout in Bruges is not as simple as both men may think and the chaos which they get caught up is truly hilarious whether it be doing cocaine with midgets or being caught up in a case of mistaken identity. The Boss who has sent them there (Fiennes) is a truly evil asshole yet his character is somehow funny which is why this is a perfect blend of dark comedy and intense drama which director Martin McDonagh (Six Shooter) seems to be better and better at creating. The performance of Colin Farrell is the backbone of this film and is great to see after a string of very average performances. I really enjoyed this film however I must warn that it is not for everyone.
