Film Review: The Dark Night

I think I was one of only about six people in the world who wasn't enamoured of Batman Begins, Christian Bale's first outing as Gotham City's famous anti-hero.
Sure, I liked that Bale and director Christopher Nolan were taking the character in a darker direction, scrapping away any camp and kitsch from Batman's previous cinematic outings. Plus the vehicles were really, really cool. But parts of the film dragged and I just couldn't warm to it.

It's a pleasure then, to be able to report that the follow up is everything we've been led to expect. A masterpiece of the superhero genre, mixing mythology, philosophy and explosions in nearly equal measure.
Most of the pre-release hype has understandably focused on Heath Ledger and the plaudits are fully deserved, he is absolutely mesmerising as The Joker but he's not the only one. The whole of the stellar cast are acting their socks off and Bale shines in the less showy central role.* The balance between nobility and savagery is expertly portrayed. When he drops Eric Robert's Mob Boss from several floors up and his ankles crumple with a sickening crack we're reminded that this is no true-Blue Superman-style hero figure.

I don't want to give too much away, suffice to say the plot is engaging and exciting and The Joker is just one of two gruesome super-villains that make an appearance. The action is suitably explosive and the score ramps up the tension to almost unbearable levels.

If I had to find fault with the film at all, I'm still slightly dubious about Lucious Fox and his drawers full of gadgets pushing Batman slightly too close to James Bond territory for my liking but that really is quibbling for quibbling's sake. Go and see it, go on, now!

*and how often to you get to describe a role involving a man in tights and a cape as, 'less showy'?