07.19.08
“The Dark Knight”, a Review
Well, I saw it; and, I must say that I was quite disappointed.
The script was hackneyed, the actors wooden, the action scenes canned, and someone should have told the editor that he needed to leave another twenty minutes, or more, on the cutting room floor.
Here are some specific criticisms without giving away anything of the plot-line.
1. Harvey Dent’s descent into madness and criminality took too long and did not allow us to experience the shock we should have felt when he finally turned into Two-Face.
2. The chemistry between Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), or Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), was not convincing. I think this had more to do with Gyllenhaal’s performance than either Bale or Eckhart’s. She was miscast.
3. The menacing air of the Joker (Heath Ledger), which should have permeated the film, never developed because the film moved too slowly. The carnage should have made us feel like running for our lives; instead it proceeded at such a plodding pace that it felt more like Chinese water tortue–extremely uncomfortable but not heart-pounding. A better pace for carnage was achieved in “Live Free or Die Hard.”
4. Christian Bale did not quite equal his performance in the first movie. He seemed less tortured by this movie’s moral dilemma than he did his fear of bats and the death of his parents in the first movie.
I really don’t think we can blame the actors for the final product. The only weak link was Gyllenhaal, and she was not in too many scenes. The writers, directors and editors of this film are to blame for this less than stellar movie.
Under the direction of Ridley Scott or John Woo we would have had a better action film, under the direction of Curtis Hanson we would have gotten a better psychological thriller, and with the writing of Michael Chabon we would have gotten better dialogue. Maybe the final product is best explained by the fact that the director, Christopher Nolan, wrote the screenplay with two other members of his clan. Apparently only the Coen brothers can make nepotism work consistently.
Let’s hope that if Mr. Nolan continues to oversee the Batman franchise that he brings in some fresh blood to help him write his next screenplay; or, better yet, let someone else write the script alone. It might also help if Mr. Nolan suppressed his urge to create an epic rather than a nice action-packed thriller.
In closing let me comment on the now deceased Heath Ledger’s performance. It was not bad, but any talk of an Oscar nomination is pure sentimentality. Again, with better direction, and maybe better writing, Ledger’s performance would have appeared as good as it actually was but it was not Oscar worthy.
If you have a nice big screen at home, wait for the DVD, folks.
