If you were to tell me that a film that explores the principles behind things like the Milgram experiment would be skillfully represented in a Batman film, I would have called you nuts. It can't work. What does one have to do with the other?
Quite a bit. The Dark Knight was a relentless, DISTURBING, bleak and very adult look into the underbelly of human behavior.
Would you kill someone to prevent a hospital caring for a critically ill loved one from getting blown up?
2 people you care about are about to die. Who do you save?
Would you reveal a dark secret that could ruin your life to prevent others from getting killed? What if this secret could help more people in the long run? Do you sacrifice those few?
How far can a good man be pushed before he can't tell right from wrong? How far can ordinary people be pushed when faced with impossible choices?
You have your car chases, explosions and fist fights. In a summer blockbuster, that's usually where the money is. But not here. The money is in these types of issues I laid out for you above. They are handled with intelligence, a rare thing to see in a film like this. You can even have a debate on ethics if you see it with a group of friends. Take this element away and the film STILL stands on it's own merits as a superbly crafted crime drama about city politicians, mobsters and cops succumbing to greed, fame and self advancement. The film loves to play in the gray areas and never leaves.
This is NOT a family film or a film for younger kids. This is almost like an R Rated film that slipped in under the radar as a PG-13 film because they kept the swearing to a minimum. This is a good thing. The film treats it's viewers like adults and the emotional tax paid by some viewers in the theater was palpable. This will leave many drained, haunted and rattled.
As for Heath Ledger as the Joker, creepy, real, logical yet insane. He nails it. Does he deserve an Oscar? Yes! Even if he were alive today, I'd say the same. It's not a sympathy thing, he gets it on merit.
Heath, thank you for this performance.
Here's the first 6 minutes of the film to give you a feel for it. Nothing is given away so enjoy.
