Breaking the code: On The Dark Knight (film and soundtrack)
(The following review is by Tyson Stewart - warning: may contain spoilers!)
It used to be that first shot of a film that had the camera slowly creep toward a skyscraper window in the middle of town meant we were about to delve into the secret and shady dealings of well-off folks. This time, however, the window explodes and a group of thugs in clown masks fling a wire to the building next over, exit, and proceed to rob a bank in downtown Gotham. Seems to me, the new Batman movie is all about that very 80s type of conflict between the well-groomed and the social rejects (those who act and look a bit different): that is, it’s a conservative movie at heart that reinstates the Other as Foe. Heath Ledger’s Joker is an embodiment of the later. Director Christopher Nolan, speaking with Elvis Mitchell, insists The Joker must stink, as he is part of punk youth culture and, thus, mustn’t be too concerned with personal hygiene. The Dark Knight makes it clear from the outset that its main dilemma will be between the individual and the social. The social, here, comes out looking much gentler, much more naive than all the strong-willed individual characters. Why else the Machiavellian turn of giving the dumb public their hero at the end?
Unfortunately, the simple duality of all comic book films remains. The characters are truly less cartoonish, but as much as the filmmakers try to grapple with ethics and philosophical issues, the simple duality always remains. It is the same of most comic book films, with a few exceptions (i.e., Ghost World, American Splendor). The “love scenes” are tepid and one-note. Harvey Dent’s character development is poorly executed and unconvincing. Besides some extremely well-crafted action set pieces, it is safe to say that the two most spectacular things about the film are Ledger’s performance and Zimmer and Howard’s music. These are the forces of nature that would propel me to a second viewing.
Those moments of angst-ridden minimalism when, just before something is about to go down, Zimmer and Howard’s motor or razor or some sort of machine-weapon (the point is it’s constant and unnerving) starts to get louder and more intense - offer something different and estranging. Is it diegetic? Maybe. But the mystery noise surely does introduce just enough experimentalism in the mix to do the trick. When it slides into the aerial shot of the dark streets as the police try to move Dent, right before another round of The Joker’s shenanigans, I thought to myself: This must be like what Beethoven meant to Alex DeLarge—on the tip of such chaos, how could anything sound more beautiful, fitting? Kubrick, of course, also used a similar technique by utilizing white-hot stings from Ligeti and Penderecki in 2001 and The Shining. But it works really well here.
Ledger is devastating at moments. It really is a tour de force. His repetitions, stutter, and all-round spontaneity help to deconstruct the extremely square quality of most Hollywood fare. There are no “big” moments in his performance. It’s just all there, often captured in hand-held realism. It’s like Nietzsche’s Knightly-Aristocratic but without claims to private property. Nolan and Ledger’s The Joker has the advantage of just being. It’s like being so close to death makes him at ease with everything, including shoving a pencil into a man’s head in front of a bunch of people that don’t like you to start with. Any grand theories of the character will surely put him into a box, which would miss the point. So I’ll stop. Nolan attempts to guide us, creating contemporary parallels with terrorism and Bushisms, specifically. But, I argue, Ledger’s performance is too strong as to be able to box the character in. No heady philosophizing or drawing modern parallels needed. Sure, the Nolans want you to be scared of him, but that’s as far as they get. Ledger just exists as pure youthful rebellious energy. It’s not that complicated.
November 6th, 2008 at 6:46 am
The Dark Knight is the best adult superhero film of all time. Powerful acting, powerful action, huge IMAX sequences give this Batman a great big commanding feel. However, story is held hostage to action, especially in the second half.