This movie is literally the most extraordinary superhero film of all time. It was the perfect crossover of noir and superhero lore which was the reason behind the whopping 1 billion dollars of revenue earned by the movie, making it the 4th highest-grossing movie of all time. With movies like "The Prestige", "Insomnia" and "Memento", All Chris Nolan needed was a major commercial hit to solidify his name as one of the most visionary directors of all time.
I. Story & Screenplay
When studio execs wanted Nolan to directly adopt material from a Batman comic, the Nolan brothers and David Goyer trusted their own writing and turned jokers' subtle artlessness into someone gritty and flawed. The dialogue & narration of the movie was spectacular but the main takeaway of the film was the ending. The Batman trilogy by Nolan was just an underlying examination of Batman's personality and nature right from his childhood till his ultimate sacrifice (or maybe not). Hence, every movie ended with Batman incorporating a new virtue. Having faced heartbreak, misery, success, pride, guilt, and shame all within just 2.5 hours, The Nolan version of Batman is one of the most deeply written & versatile character ever to be portrayed on the big screen.
II. Direction & Music
Christopher Nolan was at such peak of his career that every movie he made was better than the former and such was the case with Dark Knight. Audiences were already blown away by "Batman Begins" but Nolan decided to step up his game even further. The process of making this movie was raw yet eloquent. Every shot was neat and crispy but the grittiness of The joker and the whole city of Gotham never left the frame. It had a fairly lengthy runtime but every second of it was adrenaline filled. The vision that Nolan had for the city of Gotham was so precise and detailed that the audience was absorbed into the movie. The atmosphere of Gotham was surely felt & could possibly be never forgotten (IMAX helped).
III. Cast
Just when you all feel this movie cannot be any better, IT DOES! Every actor in the movie did their job well. The movie boasted an ensemble cast but the performance of one special artist touched the hearts of the audience. When Christopher Nolan started writing Joker, he knew that the character was going to make history. It was challenging from the very beginning but Heath Ledger made it look so easy. Playing someone who is so morally distraught, mentally ill with a shattered perception of law & order was a feat no contemporary actor could have achieved but Heath did. The movie was great but Heath Ledger made it one of the best ever and he was duly rewarded for his performance by bagging the Academy award for best actor in a supporting role. Sadly, he passed away before he could even accept it. Heath Ledger was a one of a kind. He had every quality of THE perfect actor but life had other plans for him. For the first time, an Oscar was mourned rather than being celebrated because everyone realized that a true gem was taken away from the world.
Superhero movie fan or not, every person should watch this movie. Apart from being a superhero movie with badass action sequences, it is also a critique of morality judgments an
law & order.