Strong Characters: The Dark Knight – Absolute Fiction – Movie reviews by a passionate fan just like you

July 5th, 2010  |   By Rono   |   5 Comments »

One of the most crucial ingredients of a great story is characters. the more carefully crafted/chosen, multi-dimensional the characters are, the better their impact on the quality of the narration, the plot, the levels of conflicts, and the longevity of the final piece. Ordinary characters are never remembered. In this regard, The dark Knight's creators put together quite a remarkable masterpiece that no one will ever forget.

This version of the Joker (not to mention the spectacular performance by the late Heath Ledger, sanctioned by an Academy Award) will remain a feat that will inspire writers for generations to come. he steals the show every time he shares the screen. Batman is surrounded by a bunch of tough-as-nails elements that elevate the severity of the situations he finds himself in. They keep tightening the screws. Relentlessly. and because of that, the heroes shine like very few did in the history of modern literature.

The clowns

The movie starts with a demonstration. not the hero's demonstration, but a sinister group of masked robbers let by the mesmerizing Joker. the fact that they wear clown-looking masks representing dwarfs from Snow White makes them look even creepier.

The robbers attack a "mob bank" of all places. They face the anger of the shotgun-armed bank manager, determined not to let things slide. In the (space) of 5 minutes, the clowns kill each other one by one until only grumpy is left standing.

Grumpy (the Joker) is ruthless. he organized the heist making sure to stand his men one against the other, his job: "kill the bus driver", the last one.

Jim Gordon

Clean cop Gordon a great counter to Batman in the force. In the comic, my favorite version of Gordon comes from the spectacular The dark Knight Returns graphic novel by Frank Miller. Gordon and Batman balance each other, just as the Joker balances Batman.

Gordon's character shines on his own around the midpoint where he stages an elaborate plan to catch the Joker by faking his own death (so he could be free to go undercover among his own men); even to Batman and his own family. his poor wife is devastated when Officers Ramirez and Wuertz come to her door with the bad news. Extreme and harsh. he earns a (well-deserved?) slap when he finally comes home. Harsh as it may be, we never see it coming, and such a daring plan is in line with Gordon's character.

Good twist, the Joker's capture was a trick; the villain wanted to get caught so he could break Lau out of prison and kill a few more cops in the process. see A Million plot Twists: the dark Knight for a detailed review of the movie's plot and numerous reversals (soon).

Gordon's plan works. On the way to county lock-up, the convoy is attacked; long, suspenseful action scene. Gordon catches the Joker just as he was about to knife Batman. the stunt earns him a promotion to Commissioner.

This character's sense of duty is acute.  the joker threatens to bomb a hospital if no one kills Coleman Reese, to prevent the lawyer from revealing Batman's true identity. So trying to protect Reese, Gordon must face one of his own men whose wife was admitted to the hospital. Berg desperately tries to kill Reese. Gordon is the only one in the car that can successfully stop him.

Alfred

As a mentor character he is better utilized in this movie than he was in the first one. his experience in Burma, while not really relevant in Bruce's current case, inspires and demonstrates the man's invaluable skill set, right next to his seemingly extensive medical knowledge.

Alfred offers a welcome surprise. a butler with military experience is not something we see every day.

Right beside Lucius Fox, Alfred is Batman's most invaluable logistics help. Generous and selfless, he gives much more because the butler willingly puts himself in possible danger by being so indispensable to Batman. Alfred and Fox help keep Batman alive.

He is the conscience, the motivator, the coach (remember the "bloody log" bit in the burning mansion), the wise sidekick, "some men just want to watch the world burn."

Stoically calm when he knows that, the moment Bruce turns himself in, he will be arrested too as an accomplice.

Around the darkest point in the story, Alfred keeps Rachel's letter from Bruce, when he realizes it will not help Batman's state of mind to know that she was choosing Dent. Nice touch.

Harvey Dent

Gotham's white knight. Smart and flamboyant, Harvey Dent is as much a hero in the entire first half as Batman is. Dent represents the civilian image of the voice of the people. Bruce Wayne defines his character the best when he says, "Gotham needs a hero with a face."

His first scenes show Dent handling himself with style, in the face of danger, with Maroni and one of his lieutenants. the mobster tries to take Dent's life and fails when the gun misfires. the judge orders the man removed; Harvey objects, "But your honor, I'm not done." the man is without fear. Let's face it, Harvey Dent does not hide behind a mask, Kevlar armor, huge, trained muscles, cool gadgets and money.

Harvey is impressed by Bruce Wayne's money and he impresses him in return. his understanding of Batman's motives goes beyond just fan boy enthusiasm; Harvey displays unconventional common sense and creativity. When law enforcement is overwhelmed and/or corrupt, every helping hand is welcome, especially when it is so effective. Harvey wants to be introduced to the Batman at his first meeting with Gordon. funny little scene. Both men dance around the subject of the masked vigilante with tasteful humor.

And then later when judges and commissioners are being killed Dent is still at his post, trying to bring the mob down. he is still decided about taking Lau to testify in court, in spite of everyone's expectations.

His sacrifice in the midpoint is one of the best reversals we have seen. It surprises everyone and bumps the character's credit up a notch or two. When we all think "game over", Bruce is out, the writers throw in a surprise. Dent makes the extremely surprising choice of turning himself in, pretending to be Batman. his plan is to serve as bait to attract the Joker so that Batman can catch him. Now, that takes balls.

His signature coin is revealed in a scene with Rachel before the convoy to county lock-up moves: both sides are heads. Meaning, he always made the choices; nothing was ever actually left to chance. At least, until later.

The convoy sequence is a magnificent action piece. Harvey Dent put himself in very real danger: he survives an assault with submachine gun and bazooka, but it could have turned gone horribly wrong. the joker was seriously trying to kill him.

Unfortunately, the success of the capture is short-lived. On the way home, Dent goes missing, while the Joker is in police custody. this is the midpoint, the point of no return, and things will get serious. (Continued…)

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Tags: Academy Award, Batman, creators, generations, tough as nails

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