VIRB

The superlatives and accolades that have been tossed at The Dark Knight are to the point where you almost feel like hating the movie just because its so popular (I'm looking at you Luke -- but seriously, I have the tendency as well). There's very little else one can say that hasn't been exhausted.

The Dark Knight is fantastic. Its plot complex, the characters subtle, mysterious and realistic, the dialog engaging and though provoking, Ledger is phenomenal (and sadly his death is probably his best shot at getting an Oscar, not his amazing performance). As near to perfect as a film can be, The Dark Knight delivers. What always sets the great films apart from the good films is one thing -- a challenge to our comfort and a universal theme that resonants with the time. The obvious part is The Joker's part of "terrorist", and Batman's role of rescuer/hero. The not so obvious part is that the hero is a villain. Vilified and hunted. The most important and impacting line from the entire movie is at the end; as Chief Gordon and his son watch Batman motor off into the horizon (reminiscent of old westerns, like Shane):

Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now...and so we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector...a dark knight.

Often the things we need aren't the things we want. We want the world to be without suffering. We want everyone to be fed. We want to be rich, to be happy, to be protected. We never want to know the cost. We never want to know the sacrifice. We never want to know the natural consequences. If a hero is truly a hero, then they see those things we ignore, and do what has to be done anyway. That, to me, is the most poignant insight into our American culture that cinema has attempted in the last 5 years.

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