Dahnahnahnah Danhnahnahnah DARK KNIGHT!
I finally caught up with that there Batman movie that so many folks are going on and on about lately, my thoughts to follow (some possible spoilers, sorry if I blow something out of the water for you, but let's face it, you've probably heard it on a thousand blogs before mine)

So, this film; first off, I have to say that it deserves all the accolades it's received, it's a deeply nuanced, highly atmospheric film rife with great performances and a story fraught with moral quandaries. Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne addresses on every level the question about how a man can be true to himself when conflicted by both his own innate drives and the pressures of an increasingly amoral or even immoral external world.

As you may've heard me mention before, I much preferred the "Begins" parts of Batman Begins to the "Batman" parts, so I was gratified that Bruce Wayne ended up getting some screen time to pursue, at the very least, the dangling plot threads of the romantic entanglements established for his character in the previous movie. I'm usually cold on the idea of addressing the Bruce Wayne/Batman dichotomy through romantic or even physical attachment, but here Bale portrays with great complexity the internal struggle between the practically promethean self-sacrifice of his mission and the impulsive urgency demanded by the dictates of his heart. I have to say, too, that not being a fan of Maggie Gyllenhaal, I thought that she did a superb job in her role - to be honest, it wasn't until after the film that I realized she was playing a dual role as both love interest and villain, so she even fooled me a little bit.

Heath Ledger does not fail to satisfy in his performance as the Joker, which I found to be hauntingly eccentric and enticing. The shrill, threepenny opera cackle, the wringing together of his purple-gloved hands - I think he handily overcomes the possible dangers of having multiple villains in the same film, even as previous films could not. The scenes aboard the submarine where he alternatively bickers and cajoles with Aaron Eckhart and Cilian Murphy was stunning, profound, utterly engrossing.

Gary Oldman turns in a performance I think ought to be considered award-winning, although I'm not sure I saw the reason for including this Chief O'Hara character, who only served to ask the Commissioner seemingly rhetorical questions - "But who's behind it? Not a clue!" and "Take over what, Gotham City?" and "It all adds up to a sinister riddle ... r! Riddler!" Michael Caine was also a delight, whether acting as Batman's guiding conscience or wearing a domino mask and driving the Batmobile around.

The violence, I think, was over-teased, particularly for a film which features fire and explosions in the movie posters and trailers - it was probably stretching the tension a little too far to have Bale as Batman carrying an enormous bomb all over the waterfront for what seemed like a good ten minutes of film. There's also the matter of the so-called "Bat Voice" which other folks have commented on - it is a little over the top, all stilted and stressing unusual syllables, I can certainly see why it's so distracting. I, myself, thought it was stretching the issue for Bale to punctuate his sentences with "chum" whenever he was addressing Robin.

Honestly though, if they just lost the scene with Batman on the rope ladder and the can of Shark Repellent, I think it'd be perfect.

Oh yeah, I haven't really seen The Dark Knight yet.