Talking About Dark Knight

I went to see it twice, once with Alex, once with my dad*. Didn't get a chance to discuss it with my dad, though I got the impression he wasn't nearly as impressed with heath Ledger as a lot of people were. Probably not his kind of Joker. Possibly spoilers.

A few things that came up from talking with Alex. He initially didn't like that Joker's origin kept changing. Then I tried to explain the connection to The Killing Joke**, and how I thought it related to his attempt to destroy/enlighten (depending on your p.o.v) Harvey Dent. Then Alex liked it a little more. I think he still would have preferred a definitive answer. He also described Gordon as 'too old-fashioned'. I'm not sure entirely what he meant there. He said Gordon felt like one of those cops who just follows the rules, and tries to do things the right way, so I guess he wanted Gordon to turn into Riggs or Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon, and just start shooting people, to hell with the rules.

I wish that in the final little confrontation between Bats/Two-Face/Gordon, that Gordon had been standing up. He was part of their "Clean up Gotham" Trinity, but while Dent and Batman are standing, Gordon's flat on his butt. I had no issue with his being out of sorts, with Harvey pointing a gun at his son it's perfectly understandable, but he could be distraught while standing, right? It made me feel as though he wasn't being presented as an equal part of all this. I suppose that could be because he's the one who hasn't had his life wrecked by tragedy, and had the opportunity to work through it, or be ruined by it, but it felt wrong somehow. Of course, shortly thereafter, we have a moment where Gordon is the one standing, and the other two are flat on there backs, which perhaps symbolizes that nobody wins when damaged people fight, or brings home the point that Gordon hasn't lost his family, and hasn't suffered the same fate as those two.

While we're discussing Gary Oldman's character, Ken swears he heard a British accent coming through at times. I didn't, but can anyone else comment?

With the Joker, it's the little things*** I enjoy. The hop in his step as he advances towards Rachael. How calmly he sat in the shadows while talking to Gordon, and the part when he held up his cuffed wrists to demonstrate how he was there the whole time, he couldn't have taken Rachel or Harvey. His clapping when Gordon's announced as Commish. The short bursts of machine gun fire as Batman bears down on him on his Bat-cycle thing (just trying to keep Bats interested?) And during that first meeting with the assembled mob heads, as he leaves he still has that pull string attached to the grenades around his thumb, and he gives it a little wiggle. It was so casual, just a reminder he could blow them all up, and himself too, but he doesn't really care about that, it showed someone completely unconcerned with these angry, supposedly dangerous men he'd been mocking.

However, I still like Jack Nicholson's Joker laugh better (and I like Mark Hamill's animated Joker laugh better than either of them, for the record). With Ledger, I didn't feel like he actually felt like laughing at whatever he was laughing about. It felt like Christian Bale's gruff Batman voice: a put on, part of the act. Wear a purple suit, put on clown makeup, carry knives, laugh maniacally. Again, that was perhaps part of the point, that it was as much a part of his act as the scary voice is part of Batman's, but I simply didn't feel he really found things funny, and I would prefer to think he actually laughs because he finds X, Y, Z hilarious.

An aside on the Bat-Voice. I would prefer they limit it's use to brief, interrogative statements (such as, 'Where is he?!'), because when he went on the extended speeches there at the end about the importance of covering up Harvey's fall, the voice irritated the hell out of me. I think I understand the point, to be more intimidating, and to disguise Bruce Wayne's voice, but lots of talking just doesn't work well for it.

Other issue with the Joker, relates to a personal beef of mine with a certain type of character that occurs in movies, usually those slasher flicks where stupid teens are pursued by serial killers. It's the Omniscient Foe, the one who has accounted for every move you make. No matter how common sense, idiotic, or clever your idea may be, the Omniscient Foe knew you were going to do that, and accounted for it. Hell, the O.F. probably has been leading you to make that decision the entire time! I hate that character, and there were times that the Joker seemed to be in that mold. No matter what happens, he'd planned for it. It irritates me. He may ask Harvey whether he looks like a guy with plan, and I suppose the point is that he doesn't, but he certainly seemed to have one that was incredibly though out, and had taken into account what everyone was going to do. I guess the Joker subscribes to Psychohistory Monthly. For someone who is an 'agent of chaos', I'd expect him to play it by ear more. Perhaps it's meant to demonstrate that someone who believes there are no rules, and that there is no larger plan, can easily anticipate people who have rules, and believe there are plans.

I like the scene where Harvey interrogates the Joker's henchman. I think it shows Harvey's edge, the line that Two-Face walks along, where you do evil things in the service of good, and vice versa. Also the scene where he screams and they had no sound. Really got to me.

I like Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne. The quiet earnest one that Rachel sees, that still cares for her, and would love to stop doing the Caped Crusader bit, and the over-the-top billionaire, with his ballerina wooing antics. Question: during the board meeting, do you think Bruce was actually asleep - due to exhaustion from the night's work - or was he pretending to keep up the "goofy, oblivious rich guy" angle? My favorite part is still when the Joker crashes the party and Bruce has to deal with a lone thug. He wastes no movement, even in dismantling the shotgun, and just keeps right on going. I wonder if that was Batman showing through, or if that was Bruce before he met Ra's in Batman Begins. There certainly was no theatricality or deception present there, but there's probably not enough anger.

Final order of business: From a purely entertainment point of view, I liked Iron Man better. Probably because it didn't seem as dark, and there were moments I laughed at. I've read some reviews where people commented that the Joker made them laugh, even if it was in a sense of something being so odd, there's nothing else you can do, but I can't recall laughing during the movie. Except maybe at that Lucius Fox' description of Mr. Reese's brilliant plan upon deciding Bruce Wayne was Batman. I think I chuckled at that. And the scene where Harvey really treats his witness as hostile. I think I would have more fun trying to critically analyze The Dark Knight, though. And yes, I can have fun critically analyzing a film. You are all welcome to pity me.

* Continuing our tradition of watching all the Bat-flicks in the theater. Though Batman & Robin just about killed that.

** As I understand the "multiple origins", and what he was trying with Jim Gordon from online discussions I've read. No, I've never read The Killing Joke myself. I know, bad Calvin.

*** Which is often true for me. I was OK with Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face because of a few little bits of flair he demonstrated during the movie. His casual readjusting of his glove as the wrecking ball crashes through, the little "huh", when Nicole Kidman decks one of his goons. I don't know if they were accurate for Two-Face, but I liked them.