BLEAK KNIGHT - A Review
As posted on
“the Human Conspiracy Blog”
And
“The Policy Think Site” http://www.jaygaskill.com.
Copyright 2008 by Jay B. Gaskill.
BLEAK KNIGHT
A Review
I think the Joker killed Heath Ledger.
The Dark Knight is a toxic film - its release without further drastic editing was irresponsible. The silent disappointment of the Batman fans who walked out of the film without waiting for the credits was a warning sign. Heads-up for the producers: This film might even doom the franchise – even if it makes money. Please don't do this again. 'Do what?, you ask...
Whenever a film does as well as this one does in presenting a vivid, compelling picture of naked,nihilistic evil, then endows that evil with almost preternatural power, you need to add a balancing grace and core optimism.
This was a movie with fine performances and no grace.
In the film, the evil Joker, brilliantly portrayed by the late Heath Ledger, sets up a malign 'social experiment' in which the people in two crowded ferries, rigged with explosives, are invited to blow up the other boat before midnight – in order to escape the same fate themselves. When each boat declines to blow up the other, the film presents an opportunity for balancing grace. But that opportunity was one thrown away in the ensuing mayhem.
The end piece, in which the crusading DA, now hideously disfigured, has been successfully degraded by the Joker, attempts a kidnapping, then is killed, amounts to one measure of darkness too much. The film ends with Batman scurrying away, chased by the police for crimes he did not commit.
JBG
