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DVD: The Dark Knight

I've already gushed, but I feel like raving some more, and the release on DVD is as good an excuse as any.

The Dark Knight is the best film I've seen all year, possibly the best I've seen in years. In terms of action films, there's no contest. In terms of superhero films, there's no contest. In terms of drama, okay, there's some give and take. But I think it's better than last year's Best Picture, No Country For Old Men, or its strongest competition, There Will Be Blood. And both those films were great, if subtly flawed. The Dark Knight skips the flaws. Is it too much to compare it to The Lives of Others, the only other recent film that has haunted me this much?

The Dark Knight is, as Movie Bob put it, essentially perfect. I saw it once at a regular theatre, a second time at IMAX, and now several times via DVD. I'm enthralled each time. TDK is one of those films that I can't stop watching once I've begun. It has moments where I just want to put my player into a loop so I can see/hear/feel them over and over, like a junkie who just can't get enough.

There's a physical honesty to TDK that is amazing. Writer-Director Christopher Nolan wanted to capture as much as possible in the camera, on the set. He wanted to rely as little as possible on green screens, matte work, and CGI. There is, for example, that incredible ass-over-tea kettle shot of the Joker's semi, or the demolition of Gotham General Hospital. These are live-action shots, not some collection of pixels in a computer.

Christian Bale simply is the Batman, in a way and to a degree that none of his predecessors ever were. With minimal but fantastic help from Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, Bale makes us believe that a billionaire could actually do the things Batman does. His internal conflicts ring with as much authenticity as his superheroic exploits, and you can take that anyway you wish. I believe that billionaire Bruce Wayne can do all that stuff, and so I easily ride along with Wayne's struggles for good, for justice, for reconciling his penchant for being the vigilante against his desire to support the rule of law, the lynchpin of modern society.

And as good as Bale is, you simply cannot sing enough praise about Heath Ledger as the Joker. Joker was always Batman's ultimate nemesis. I'm not the greatest comic book Batman fan ever, but even I recognized that each and every iteration of Batman must have him confront Joker. (It was a horrible mistake when Tim Burton killed the Joker at the end of his film.)

No, Batman and Joker are, as the Joker says in TDK, doomed to fight forever, which makes Ledger's death all the more bittersweet. I giggled when I first heard the news that Ledger had been cast as the Joker. He's the nancy in 10 Things I Hate About You. He's about as threatening as lemon meringue pie.

I stopped giggling the moment I saw him in action, giggles replaced with chills. If I giggle now it's in delight at his performance, a performance that becomes more mesmerizing with each viewing. His Joker is a man without a past, with no desire to have a future. He is, as he declares, an agent for chaos, anarchy's bestest friend.

Now, do I give all credit to Ledger, or do I recognize a great director when I see one? Christopher Nolan is all sorts of amazing here; his command of himself, his material, and his medium is beyond reproach. The best point of comparison is between TDK and Batman Begins, Nolan's first turn at bat with the Batman. He is much more confident. You can see the same growth in Bale as Wayne/Batman. And seeing how both of them improved makes me weep in wonder at what Hedger might have done the second time as Joker.

If Nolan takes up the challenge of a third film, and I hope he does, I also hope he sticks with the Joker. As good as it is, I'm not one of those who believes that Ledger's performance can't be topped and that no one should try. He's set the bar very, very high, but I'd love to see how Nolan resolves -- if at all -- Batman's struggle against Joker. I'd also like to see another actor take up the challenge, put on the make-up, and live up to the standard Ledger set. Isn't that what acting is all about?

As for the DVD and Blu-Ray releases, they're a mixed bag. Beautiful picture and impeccable sound that only suffers from the modern desire for MASSIVE LOUD EXPLOSIONS that tend to overpower the dialogue. I find myself riding the volume control constantly. The extras are scanty, commentaries are sadly absent. I have the same complaints with the Batman Begins DVD release, so obviously it's the way Nolan likes things.

At the end of the day, The Dark Knight stands on its own merits as a superb film. It's the reason we go to the movies: to be enthralled, to be lost in a different world, to see things from a different perspective, and perhaps, just perhaps, ask, "Well, why can't things be like this?"

But, of course, they are. Batman is an unsung hero, someone performing heroic deeds in the dark. Every day, in all corners of the world, there are ordinary people who do likewise. Sometimes we see what they've done, and yet take it for granted. Other times we curse what they've done, refusing to recognize the sacrifices that were made for the gains won. More often, they perform without recognition, without reward, without anyone knowing what has been done on their behalf (and here's that tie-back to The Lives of Others).

So maybe, in its finest moments, The Dark Knight is a paean to them, our silent guardians, whoever they are, wherever they may be, whatever they may be doing. Am I over-reaching? Maybe, but blame the film because it's that good.

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