The Dark Knight (2008) (1 Viewer)

[Michael:M]

Umm, dressing up like a bat and beating people to a pulp are the biggest clues I can see.

 

[Calvin_Su]

NO!!!!

Nolan's Batman universe is supposed to be realistic.

Flashy Kung Fu/Karate/Tae Kwon Do is NOT realistic. Watch Jet Li and Jackie Chan is you want to see that garbage.

I'd much rather see some brutal Muay Thai technique...elbows, knees, etc.

 

[Marianne]

From a BBC report:

"The actor, who denies the allegation, has been released on bail until September pending further inquiries."

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I have same question. He seemed pretty morally sound in the film. Very even-keeled.

 

[Michael:M]

Except for the parts where he goes apeshit in the interrogation room, as well as breaking Maroni's ankles.

Wayne has deep, abiding rage issues, and he comes across as "even keeled" because he's channeling that rage into the Batman persona. Take away that outlet and he's a powder keg.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Both of those were done for specific effect, not out of simple-minded rage. And Wayne is a channeler. He'd channel it into something else if not Batman. If he had that rage, without control, he wouldn't be able to do a SINGLE night of what he does.

His anger is counter-balanced by his control.

 

[DavidJ]

I tend to agree with this, but his control is not always perfect. Still he would've killed the Joker if he wasn't able to maintain control.

 

[Ken Chan]

I missed the explanation for why all those prisoners were put on a ferry.

Also, Gordon's wife is named (and credited as) Barbara, which is confusing since mothers and daughter don't share names like fathers and sons sometimes do.

I enjoyed the appearance of several actors in the smaller roles, like Ron Dean, who also played an annoying Chicago detective in The Fugitive. If I didn't watch the TV series Dead Zone, I probably wouldn't have recognized Anthony Michael Hall. And doesn't Nestor Carbonell wear eyeliner when he's on Lost as well?

As long as they acknowledge this character flaw, that doesn't automatically make them bad people

 

[Shaun]

Batman used kicks in Batman Begins. It was hard to tell with the editing style used for the fight scenes, but they were there.

 

[Patrick H.]

Saw the film again last night, and it played even better the second time. Nothing felt extraneous...the shifting of gears between the various story threads felt fine. And I can see why Gary Oldman's been so enthusiastic in interviews...as others have mentioned, he's the real anchor of this film. People cheer for him as much as Batman. Gyllenhaal really worked for me the second time through, as well. She gives a much more mature, believable peformance than her predecessor, while still maintaining enough continuity in presence and demeanor to carry off that it's the same character. A lot of the criticism I've seen shouldn't really be directed at her...it should go back to whoever cast Holmes in the previous one.

Caught one small oddity this time through, though. At the end of the film, after Dent is dead, Gordon says he "killed five people, two of them cops." a) How does Gordon know that, and b) who were all those people?! We see Dent kill ONE cop, and presumably take out Maroni and his driver. He doesn't kill Ramirez, though, and she has the cops watching over the Gordon family called off. So who are those other two people? Is Gordon just assuming Ramirez is dead, or is he counting the two cops who were guarding Dent in the hospital (actually taken out by Joker)? I'm just curious exactly who exactly Batman's supposed to be responsible for killing...

 

[Ray H]

Saw this again earlier and it's even better! Not much more to add.

 

[Holadem]

--
H

 

[Pete-D]

Yeah I thought the Joker always telling a different story about the scars on his face was a nice nod to the Killing Joke when the Joker says "some times I remember it one way, other times I remember it another way" (or to that extent) when talking about his back story.

 

[Paul_Scott]

I was very skeptical all along about The Joker being an antagonist that could facilitate a lot of pyrotechnic, big budget bombast.
To do that believably, he needs a substantial support system, or goon squad, and the nature of the character seems to be better suited to him being a rouge, rather than a titan of managment. But I give Nolan tremendous props here for finding the angle to make this work. The Joker here is a rational monster, and extremely intimidating, as well as being charismatic enough to draw in followers.
It was also brilliant that he laid the ground work in the first film by the escape of so many Arkham inmates, and with Gordon explicitly telling Batman they were having trouble rounding them up. I took that to be the inital pool from which he culled his support.

Also it was amazing how all the clips out there really didn't give any idea of how this was all going to play out. I expected the street showdown to be near the climax, and the money buring scene to be close to the inital heist. And I think seeing the scene in the mayors office prior and being familar with that, led to my feeling of being lulled at that point which made the body hitting the glass so much more startling.
All the clips and the viral campaign were exceptionally executed. I wouldn't be suprised to see them win major awards in the advertising industry over this.
I also hope that all the viral material is ported to the dvd/Bd releases. It will be a huge disappointment if they aren't included.

 

[MikeRS]

I don't like exasperating the sensationalism, but in reading about the "Bale incident", it seems he was closer to Ledger than we might have thought.


EXCLUSIVE: Arrested Batman star 'deeply depressed' over Ledger's death and personal stress | Mail Online

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[Chuck Mayer]

Thanks for the picture, Mike.

In all the hoopla, it's easy to forget that Ledger is gone. It's actually quite depressing, and not because it would be cool to see the character again, but because he was an extremely talented actor with a bright future. The usual platitudes about people after they are gone have been bandied about for Ledger, but with unusual fervor. He seemed a genuinely decent fellow, a great actor, on the cusp of stardom. And he was. Even alive, this movie would have been a huge hit, and he'd be overwhelmed with top shelf scripts right now, the kind even his Oscar nom didn't bring. We've lost some greats this year, but we lost Ledger very young.

Anyways, thanks for the picture. It's easy to forget what a warm smile and how much charisma the guy had (he made 10 Things I Hate About You tolerable), especially when his last major role was caked under makeup and using very noticeable affectations. I look forward to his (abbreviated) role in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.

 

[Britton]

Yeah, I am also wondering how Gordon came up with that tally of 5.

 

[Kachi Khatri]

The more I think about how the Joker's role played out is precisely what you say and he does not come off as a psychotic character in that having delusional thoughts. He is a clear thinker, articulate, calculating and very menacing.

I am glad Noan didn't play out the Joker that was a manic on a verge of insanity. I think at times it seemed he was 'acting' insane but wasn't really insane.

 

[CarlosL]

Hey folks!

Just wanted to ask a question of everyone who's seen Dark Knight presented in IMAX. When I watched it opening day in IMAX, I immediately noticed that the dialogue often seemed to be overwhelmed by the score. Especially during the last few minutes, it became rather difficult to understand what Gary Oldman was saying because the score was overpowering the dialogue.

Could this be because the projectionist improperly adjusted the sound equalizations? Or could it be poor theater acoustics? I thought IMAX was supposed to certify all its theaters, much as LucasFilm certifies their THX theaters?

I'm curious, because I feel our presentation really suffered at times...

Thanks!

 

[Kachi Khatri]

I think Gordon said that 5 were dead - he doesn't say that Harvey killed 5 people.

1. Cop in the bar
2. Maroni's driver
3. The guy who was going to be sitting in Maroni's car
4. Maroni
5. Harvey