The Dark Knight: Waiting for the DVD review

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Heath ledger was considered the upcoming Brando of this generation and if you have watched The Dark Knight you would know why. If you have not yet watched it, you must be from another planet !

Directed by Christopher Nolan who also directed the first one (Batman Begins), The Dark Knight is a brilliant piece of modern cinema. The movie has been in the news for various reasons right from the death of Heath Ledger to its box office success (it made 155 .1 million USD in its first week opening which is considered a record). Heath Ledger truly gave one of his best performances ever. There will be no other joker ever. I deeply regret the passing away of one of the better actors of the generation. Who knows what heights he would have reached. His performance as the 'Joker' is just a sign of what he was capable of. Born April 4th, 1979, Heath Andrew Ledger an Australian breathed his last on 22nd January 2008.

The Dark Knight, watched by me 4 times in the cinemas is like the most delicious meal I ever had. The thought of it still gets me all excited. The movie starts off where part one ended with a lot of attention on the Joker and the mob in Gotham City. The Batman and Jim Gordon try and work together to bring down the mob and eventually want to take on the Joker. But then, things are not as they seem and the mob hires the Joker to kill the Batman. The Joker has no past and no associations and nothing to lose. How will you take down a man like that ? Then there is Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) the District Attorney who is also the romantic interest of Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhall replacing Katie Holmes). Rachel if you recollect works in the DA's office and was without a boss (who gets shot in part one). Harvey Dent seems to be the upright, outstanding law abiding DA who is bent upon cleaning up Gotham City. He does have strong views of the Batman and believes the war against crime has to be won without masks. Rachel is caught in the middle between the man she has always loved namely, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) and the man she now loves, Harvey. The Joker assault on Gotham City brings the Batman, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) together, but will they succeed ? For, the Joker does not need money or power but believes in chaos and corrupting the good. Who will be his victim ?

The tale unfolds at an explosive pace and the thumping background score by Hans Zimmer really keeps you on the edge of your seat. The movie is brilliant and pardon me if I seem to be completely bowled over by this movie because to me it was perfect, the performances, the direction, the casting, the story, the music ! Aaah ! A taste of heaven.

Christopher Nolan continues his treatment of the comic book and brings about a dark menace to the tale. The Dark Knight and the anticipation of its DVD made me pick up the DVD of the first part 'Batman Begins' and I saw it in new light. Nolan makes this tale almost believable. Gotham City is no longer Gothic but a modern city. The Batman is not just a comic hero but a man driven by a deep sense of justice and belonging to Gotham City. Once the DVD is out, make sure you watch both the parts successively and let yourself be taken into the good old tale of Good vs Evil but watch out for in The Dark Knight the Joker will succeed in questioning your beliefs and will question your sense of right or wrong !

Heath Ledger puts in an absolutely brilliant performance (a posthumous Oscar in the waiting ?) as the Joker. The hunched shoulders, the greasy green hair, the colourful clothes right down to the chequered socks, the violet gloves and the slushy voice make sure the image remains in your mind long after you have left the theatre ! The dialogues ring in your ears for days to come and if like me you watch it more than once do not be surprised if you end up asking people, "Why so serious ? let's put a smile on that face". One of the most memorable lines in recent times. I would put that up along with the line "I will make him an offer he cannot refuse" from my other all time favourite The Godfather (incidentally I got the 5 DVD Coppola special edition DVD pack of this which I am watching).

My mention of The Godfather is not accidental. Heath ledger was considered the upcoming Brando of this generation and if you have watched The Dark Knight you would know why. If you have not yet watched it, you must be from another planet ! try and catch it. It's still running at one of the multiplexes.

It is ironical that all the actors do brilliantly well but pale in comparison for no fault of theirs. The character of the Joker is brilliantly scripted and even more brilliantly performed that the excellent performances of notably Aaron Eckhart and Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan freeman, Gary Oldman are forgotten.I can go on and on about this movie ! trust me its that good and yes there would be people who will say, "Well...its good but what are you so ecstatic about ?" My answer would be, "there are very few things in life that give you real pleasure without ego, society and others coming into play. A great movie is one of them. I am glad I partake this pleasure and when something like The Dark Knight comes by, I know I am in heaven"

Eagerly awaiting the DVD pack of this one !