What I first noticed as "The Dark Knight" opens is how different the city looks than it did in "Batman Begins." If for no other reason than the fact that it is daytime, where much of "Batman Begins" existed at night. The cinematography of the first film used muted tones; browns and greys and blacks. We saw the seediest parts of Gotham City enveloped in a shroud of steam from vents that provided an overall sense of menace and fear. This was a Gotham in desperate need of a hero. Some early scenes of "The Dark Knight" show a city that has its hero, two of them in fact, with the addition of the gung-ho District Attorney, Harvey Dent; and Gung-Ho he certainly is. I can't remember a courtroom scene in any film where a District Attorney gets away with physically assaulting a hostile witness, but here it is.
As for the Batman, he has been cleaning up the streets for the last six months, and when we first see him, he is tying off one of the final loose ends of the last movie by putting a stop to the Scarecrow (reprised by Cillian Murphy) and his illegal drug pedaling. Some have complained of his brief appearance but he made more than a formidable villain the last time around, so why is it necessary for him to be on screen any longer than to be taken down? Especially when the Joker has come onto the scene. Obviously the most anticipated performance of the year by the late Heath Ledger, the Joker is without a doubt the most dominant force in this movie. He creates something far beyond a character and his ferocity even determines several other key players' motivations. Anyone who thinks the oscar win for his performance was "sympathy" is seriously mistaken. No greater performance was delivered that year.
The Joker is a force to be reckoned with indeed; after stealing a healthy chunk of the mob's money to finance his terrorism (and that's not an overstatement) he barges in on the mob and turns them against their money manager, Lau (Chin Han). With all the money launderers behind bars thanks to Dent, Lau is the last best hope for the mob keeping their money safe. The Joker knows that Dent and Batman will come after Lau, and uses this information to gain a volitile reputation. This reputation brings a new fear to Gotham as the Joker calls for the Batman to reveal himself or else! The 'or else' I will leave for you to discover, but needless to say, it sets the stage for several sequences of breathtaking action. This film has made history by being the first feature film to have entire scenes shot using an IMAX camera, and those sequences are nothing short of jaw-dropping on the IMAX screen.
Action aside, this film is largely character driven, which is what contributes to the series "realism." Harvey Dent's character arc is easily the most tragic of the film, thanks mostly to the performance of Eckhart using the writing of the Nolan brothers, so by the time he meets his inevitable fate, the audience has seen his point of view and shared his frustration. The grotesque details of his face are perhaps a touch too implausible but either way, it looks painful and adds to his menace. Returning are Gary Oldman as James Gordon, Michael Caine as Bruce Wayne's counterpart Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox and of course the man of the hour, or in this case, two and a half, Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Rachel Dawes is back as well, only this time portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal; and her storyline provides a pivotal turning point.
In fact, each of the supporting characters is vital to the narrative of the entire series, but perhaps none more than Jim Gordon, whose private alliance with Batman undermines the Corruption of the Gotham Police and also ends the film with a strange sense of hopeful forboding. The way Oldman plays Jim with experience and instinct makes him almost unrecognizable in a performance that is extremely focused and underrated. Especially this time around, it'd be nice to see him recieve an oscar nod. Of course we know how important Alfred and Lucius are; Alfred provides Bruce and Batman's inner conscience and solace in desperate times and without Fox, Bruce Wayne would not have access to the materials that allow him to be Batman. The question of whether anybody ever notices or recognizes this equipment from Wayne Enterprises recieves an answer in this film that is handled humorously by Fox only to later re-surface and jump start the last act of the movie.
In its two and a half hour length, it is impressive how many characters are juggled and handled rather effectively, each given an appropriate amount of time to arc and fall. "The Dark Knight" in many ways succeeds where "Spider-Man 3" failed. The latter film had too little time to accomplish far too much. "The Dark Knight" sets out to accomplish just as much or more, but succeeds. If at times it all feels a little chaotic, it's because it is meant to, as highlighted by Heath Ledger's Joker. The plot drives forward, connecting each strand with a series of large, often tragic events. The title is piercingly appropriate given how the audience watches a hopeful city descend through chaos into a broken city. In one of the film's late scenes, Dent says 'the night is darkest just before the dawn.' By the film's conclusion, we haven't yet seen the dawn. I am certain though, that by the time the third film hits theatres in July, no matter what Gotham city looks like, I'll want to be there.