A Movie Review - The Dark Night

For our anniversary on July 26th, Dave and I took in our first movie since Walk the Line was in theatres. We enjoyed the first installment of the series, Batman Begins, so we decided to see the latest installment, The Dark Night. The only word that comes to mind is, brilliant.

As we all know, this movie marks the last completed role for actor, Heath Ledger. This movie, while brilliant, is also incredibly sobering, as it brings to light just how much we lost with Heath Ledger's passing. Heath's Oscar-worthy portrayal of the maniacal Joker was awe inspiring, and showcased his true potential. With each role, an actor gains screen credibility; desperately searching for that one role that will break the mold, that one memorable role that will catapult them into infamy. This role was all that and more for Heath Ledger.

If you are familiar with Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the joker, you will be more than a little surprised with Heath's version. He took the character into the darkest of shadows, so dark that even the slightest hint of a joke was light years from humorous. From his sinister carved smile, and smudged clown makeup, to his deep gravelly voice and yellow teeth, he made this character uniquely his, yet remarkably different at the same time. Combine his stellar performance with the dark somber backgrounds and seemingly endless violence, and you have a Batman movie unlike any other.

Although Heath's performance was incredible, I can not forget to mention Christian Bale as well. I have been a longtime fan of Batman movies, and Christian's portrayal of "the Bat Man" is by far my favorite. I have enjoyed Christian Bale as an actor for some time now (Batman Begins, American Psycho, Little Women, Empire of the Sun), and let's face it, he fits into the Bat suit quite nicely.

The dance that good and evil share in this movie is gripping. The joker's sole purpose in life is to strip mankind of every last shred of humanity and decency that may be left. "I choose chaos", says the joker, and he pulls out all the stops to convince "the Bat Man" that he should choose chaos as well.

The Dark Night is definitely one movie that should be viewed in the theatre. If you are looking for an action packed movie, that will be well worth your money, this is the one for you. Don't miss it!