Friday, July 18, 2008

Why So Serious?

I'm still gasping from the twists and turns I've had to make to keep up with them. I have seen badguys, villains, supervillains and sociopaths. But not the Joker. I'm unable to comprehend the ability of a human mind to envisage such pure Evil strapped in purple and only serving one purpose; devastation. It is REALLY sad that Heath Ledger did not live to see what he's created and the impact it is having on cinema critics, cinema goers, fans and audiences in general.

The series from the seventies, the double helping directed by Tim Burton and the double whammy from Joel Schumacher stand on one side of the spectrum. Diametrically opposite, 'The Dark Knight' stands stall breathing heavy and reminding me constantly that the pain is real and destruction, imminent. Movies by comic books & superheros fall almost under the same genre and then there are movies that relate to day to day lives. TDK reveals itself under such brilliant storytelling that it is hard to believe that Gotham is a figment of someone's imagination. Too much thought and effort is being made to sort the wrongdoings in the metropolis and it all cannot be stemming from a script! This is the impression I left with from the theater.

The movie starts off with a daring bank robbery orchestrated by a bunch of thugs talking about how this new guy in town seamlessly planned the heist. The music score rises slowly, menacingly as the hair on the nape of your neck stands while the magnanimity of the Joker's nefarious character is woven right before your very eyes...

The Joker is real and so is Harvey Dent and his efforts to invoke the RICO to incarcerate Salvatore Maroni and the Falconi Crime Family. This isn't the just the old school mob anymore . It transcends th LCN and retains the Russians, the Black Gangsters and the Original G's who are tryin to restore back the glory that is being systematically taken apart by a crusader who happens to wear a cape and lurks in the shadows. The mob in Gotham does not work in the shadows, they come out during the day and meet to see how things can be restored back. Thats when the Joker makes an appearance. This is one of the most impressive scenes in the movie. Ledger's character put the fear in me of a man who will stop at nothing to gain control of the organized crime realm. And the irony is its not for money, power or otherwise. There is only one motive, to watch the world burn as Alfred puts it.

The movie is brilliantly scripted with amazing performances from the cast. To me, Ledger and Eckhart were the heart and soul. Bale of course is really good too, but the Joker is one performance that will be etched in our minds forever. Another impressive moment is when the Joker visits Harvey at the Gotham General Hospital. And of course the man to man talk between the two main characters under Gordon's watchful eye. See it. I wont say more.

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