Dark Knight Review

There isn't anything I can say that hasn't already been said about this film. So I'll talk about the director and how he chose to bring this story to the screen.

I'm very much a writer to the core but Christopher Nolan has really inspired me on the writing tip and now the production side. His stories are usually about obsessed characters, (Following, Insomnia, Prestige, Batman Begins etc) that have to come to terms with the choices that have led them down the path they're on -- "Dark Knight" is no exception. There were many ways for this director to attack the material and lord knows others have tried and...FAILED! (Thanks Joel Schumacher) Dark Knight is truly a genre-bending entry into the world of comic-book films. To simply classify it as another comic-book, fantasy adventure is entirely missing the message Nolan and everyone involved with this film is trying to drill in our heads like a pencil up the nose.

The film doesn't just put a shit load of gunfights and epic battles on the screen and blows everything up at the end like most of our summer blockbusters. Don't get me wrong, I love dat shit. I am that shit! But there's more to me than transforming cars and crying web-slingers. I stare out the window at school sometimes and wonder, "Is this what I'm supposed to be doing?" And for maybe one of the first times, we have a director that understands, accepts and respects the intelligence and moral complexity of the American audience and gives us a superhero film that has its hero in real danger and asks real questions. Now I don't know a lot about comics but what Nolan has over Brian Singer is Batman himself. I don't want to see Superman's cape soaking in super-tears because his son doesn't love him. (I just pitched the next Superman film!) Batman is darker and in turn, you can go deeper emotionally with his story than you could with Superman. We look to Supes when we want to transcend the mortal constraints of everyday life and just fly away. We look to Supes when we feel like an outsider trying to fit in. We look to Batman when we want to beat people the fuck up! Come on! He gets to live his dream, he goes out at night and kicks the shit out of people to relieve stress. But what Nolan has done is exposed this decision to those annoying things called, consequences. Batman has to deal with being a hero and not having the life that he truly wants. Everytime he tries to fight it, people die and eventually he realizes that this is his life. I love Keaton but he got to beat up the Joker and get the girl.

Nolan didn't create a comic-book film, he made...a crime drama. LOL! That should be 250 words. Holla Front!