The Dark Knight (2008)

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writers (WGA):

Jonathan Nolan (screenplay) and
Christopher Nolan (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Why So Serious?

Plot:

Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent are forced to deal with the chaos unleashed by an anarchist mastermind known only as the Joker, as it drives each of them to their limits.

Plot Keywords:

Sonar | Concept Car | School Bus | Comic Hero | Heavy Rubber

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

US Showtimes:

(register to personalize)

Cast

Christian Bale	...	Bruce Wayne / Batman
Heath Ledger	...	The Joker
Aaron Eckhart	...	Harvey Dent / Two-Face
Michael Caine	...	Alfred
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman	...	Det. Lt. James Gordon
Morgan Freeman	...	Lucius Fox
Monique Curnen	...	Det. Anna Ramirez (as Monique Gabriela Curnen)
Ron Dean	...	Detective Wuertz
Cillian Murphy	...	Scarecrow
Chin Han	...	Lau
Nestor Carbonell	...	Mayor Anthony Garcia
Eric Roberts	...	Salvatore Maroni
Ritchie Coster	...	The Chechen
Anthony Michael Hall	...	Mike Engel

Also Known As:

Batman Begins 2 (USA) (working title)
Batman: The Dark Knight (USA) (informal title)
Rory's First Kiss (USA) (fake working title)
The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
Untitled Batman Begins Sequel (USA) (working title)
Winter Green (USA) (fake working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.

Runtime:

152 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | Iceland:12 | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba) | Germany:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Finland:K-13 | India:UA | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44427) | Italy:T | Brazil:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | France:U | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Netherlands:16 | Mexico:B | New Zealand:M | Singapore:PG | Peru:14 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | South Africa:13V (13V) | Denmark:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Ireland:15A | UK:12A | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Atwood Cafe - 1 W Washington St, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

When asked, "Why Heath Ledger as the Joker?" Christopher Nolan said, "Because he's fearless."

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening bank heist sequence, it can be observed through Joker's mask that he does not wear any makeup on the eyelids (during the "I kill the bus-driver" line). However, in the following sequence, when he removes the mask, he can be seen wearing black makeup over his eyelids.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Grumpy: [before a bank heist] Three of a kind, let's do this.
Chuckles: That's it, three guys?
Grumpy: And two guys on the roof. Everybody gets a share. Five shares is plenty.
Chuckles: Six shares, don't forget the guy who planned the job.
Grumpy: He thinks he can sit out and still take a slice? I know why they call him the "Joker."

Movie Connections:

References Jerry Maguire (1996)

The dark and sinister mood of the film really sets the theme of the movie

(Synopsis) Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) continues to eliminate crime in Gotham City with the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and the new District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). The Dark Knight wants to finally get rid of organized crime for good and be free of their corruption. Batman soon finds that a new psychopathic mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) has taken over organized crime. The Joker's plan is to terrify the citizens and throw the city into chaos, and kill Batman. Batman takes the fight with the Joker personal, which makes him confront his own beliefs. The Joker is the most dangerous criminal that Batman has encountered, and he will need all his strength and vigilance to defeat him.

(My Comment) This film just blew me away. Christian Bale is a natural as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Michael Caine fits the part of Alfred, the trusted butler. Heath Ledger's performance as the sadistic Joker was absolutely disturbing and scary yet simply amazing. I would not want to meet the Joker in a dark alley, and whatever you do, don't ask him how he got his smile, especially, when he has a knife in his hand. Ledger's performance has turned the Joker into a new iconic movie villain image. Between all the punches, mayhem, and explosions, there is some good sinister dialog. The movie not only has a lot of action, it also tells the story of the internal struggle that Bruce Wayne is having with being the Batman hero. Bruce Wayne wants to be himself and maintain the difference between himself and Batman. Bruce must decide to follow the code or do what has to be done without affecting his own morals. The movie explores the literary themes of Hero verses Villain, as well as Order verses Anarchy, and the Joker explains to Batman that to have one you must have the other, and because of that, they will always be connected. The movie is long, but it went by so fast. You will love the last 45 minutes, because of the non-stop action with Batman in his new sonic suit and his BatPod. With all the explosions, body count, and the dark mood of the movie, I don't think parents should take young children. (Warner Bros. Pictures, Run Time 2:32, Rated PG-13)(10/10)