First Hit: Despite some strong performances and good effects this film is overly convoluted and more complicated than it needs to be.
I don’t particularly like films that overcomplicate stories. The Dark Knight is one of them.
At the end of the film I tried to recall the trip or excursion I was taken on during the previous two hours. I thought about why the story evolved the way it did and was that story clear. It is especially to this last point which had me frustrated about this film.
While watching the credits roll by, I couldn’t understand why the director and writer made this film so complicated with unnecessary plot twists and turns. Generally plot twists and turns are used to create interest and suspense but in this film it they just made it hard to understand.
Cleaning this up, a half hour could have been cut from the film, but then again that would have meant less special effects on which a large portion of this film is based.
Simply, the Joker (played by Heath Ledger) is causing havoc in Gotham. Because his thefts aren't about the money, the city government can't seem to find him, learn anything about him, or get a handle on what is going on. The Joker is about creating chaos and having a worthy and challenging opponent such as Batman (played by Christian Bale).
There is this whole story written around mob money being laundered in separate banks, then a plan to consolidate it, and all the money being controlled by some Chinese criminal which created needless complexity to the root of the story.
The simple fact is that there is a criminal named the Joker who is a criminal because it suits him and he does his deeds just for the sheer pleasure of them, to create chaos and unnerve society. Then you have, as the Joker would say, “The Batman”, who is both liked and disliked by the community because he is a vigilante crime fighter that helps the community by capturing the criminals that the government can't capture, but a good and strong police force wouldn’t need a vigilantly.
The Batman, like the Joker, are individuals, loners as you will, and are outcasts from society. The Joker is looking for a worthy adversary to “complete” him and Batman wants to retire so that he can have a more full life with Rachel (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) and know the city is in safe keeping.
So the Joker is enticing Batman out to compete, as individuals, and to see who is the best. Herein lies the real story. It wasn't about mob money.
Christopher Nolan directed this wonderfully shot film. However, as previously mentioned, the plot was overly and needlessly complicated and the rapid cut editing took away from the beautiful shots of Gotham at night. Nolan got extremely strong performances from Ledger, Aaron Eckhart (as Harvey Dent and Two Face), and Morgan Freeman as (Bruce Wayne’s Chief Operating Officer). It is hard for me to rate Christian Bale’s performance because there aren't enough intimate conversational scenes as Bruce Wayne or The Batman. There are lots of shots of him swooping, standing on tall buildings, and fighting but that is it and therefore there wasn't much acting, just moving. Heath Ledger gave a very strong performance as the Joker and it was obvious he really made this character his own. Aaron Eckhart was outstanding as Harvey Dent, a shining light and hope for the city of Gotham, and Michael Caine was his usual elegant self as Bruce Wayne’s butler, friend and confidant.
Overall: This was a good movie and worth seeing, but I don’t believe it is a great movie. Some of the performances are very strong and many of the action sequences are very well done as well but the over complication and excessive quick cuts take away from more fully enjoying the performances.