About The Dark Knight – Film

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and the second installment in The Dark Knight Trilogy. The plot follows the vigilante Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon, and district attorney Harvey Dent, who form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City. Their efforts are derailed by the Joker, an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far the Batman will go to save the city from chaos. The ensemble cast includes Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman.

Warner Bros. Pictures prioritized a sequel following the successful reinvention of the Batman film series with Batman Begins. Christopher and Batman Begins co-writer David S. Goyer developed the story elements, making Dent the central protagonist caught up in the battle between the Batman and the Joker. In writing the screenplay, the Nolans were influenced by 1980s Batman comics and crime drama films, and sought to continue Batman Begins‘ heightened sense of realism. From April to November 2007, filming took place with a $185 million budget in Chicago and Hong Kong, and on sets in England. The Dark Knight was the first major motion picture to be filmed with high-resolution IMAX cameras. Christopher avoided using computer-generated imagery unless necessary, insisting on practical stunts such as flipping an 18-wheel truck and blowing up a factory.

The Dark Knight was marketed with an innovative interactive viral campaign that initially focused on countering criticism of Ledger’s casting by those who believed he was a poor choice to portray the Joker. Ledger died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January 2008, leading to widespread interest from the press and public regarding his performance. When it was released in July, The Dark Knight received acclaim for its mature tone and themes, visual style, and performances—particularly that of Ledger, who received many posthumous awards including Academy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actor, making The Dark Knight the first comic-book film to receive major industry awards. It broke several box-office records and became the highest-grossing 2008 film, the fourth-highest-grossing film of its time, and the highest-grossing superhero film.

Since its release, The Dark Knight has been assessed as one of the greatest superhero films ever made, one of the best movies of the 2000s, and one of the best films ever made. It is considered the “blueprint” for many modern superhero films, particularly for its rejection of a typical comic-book movie style in favor of a crime film that features comic-book characters. Many filmmakers sought to repeat its success by emulating its gritty, realistic tone to varying degrees of success. The Dark Knight has been analyzed for its themes of terrorism and the limitations of morality and ethics. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2020. A sequel, The Dark Knight Rises, concluded The Dark Knight trilogy in 2012.

STORY

A gang of masked criminals robs a mafia-owned bank in Gotham City, betraying and killing each other until the sole survivor, the Joker, reveals himself as the mastermind and escapes with the money. The vigilante Batman, district attorney Harvey Dent, and police lieutenant Jim Gordon ally to eliminate Gotham’s organized crime. The Batman’s true identity, the billionaire Bruce Wayne, publicly supports Dent as Gotham’s legitimate protector, as Wayne believes Dent’s success will allow the Batman to retire, allowing him to romantically pursue his childhood friend Rachel Dawes, despite her relationship with Dent.

Gotham’s mafia bosses gather to discuss protecting their organizations from the Joker, the police, and the Batman. The Joker interrupts the meeting and offers to kill the Batman for half of the fortune their accountant, Lau, concealed before fleeing to Hong Kong to avoid extradition. With the help of Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox, the Batman finds Lau in Hong Kong and returns him to the custody of Gotham police. His testimony enables Dent to apprehend the crime families. The bosses accept the Joker’s offer, and he kills high-profile targets involved in the trial, including the judge and police commissioner. Although Gordon saves the mayor, the Joker threatens that his attacks will continue until the Batman reveals his identity. He targets Dent at a fundraising dinner and throws Rachel out of a window, but Batman rescues her.

Wayne struggles to understand the Joker’s motives, but his butler Alfred Pennyworth says “some men just want to watch the world burn.” Dent claims he is the Batman to lure out the Joker, who attacks the police convoy transporting him. The Batman and Gordon apprehend the Joker, and Gordon is promoted to commissioner. At the police station, the Batman interrogates the Joker, who says he finds the Batman entertaining and has no intention of killing him. Having deduced the Batman’s feelings for Rachel, the Joker reveals she and Dent are being held separately in buildings rigged to explode. The Batman races to save Rachel while Gordon and the other officers go after Dent, but they discover the Joker gave their positions in reverse. The bombs detonate, killing Rachel and severely burning Dent’s face on one side. The Joker escapes custody, extracts the fortune’s location from Lau, and burns all of it, killing Lau in the process.

Wayne Enterprises accountant Coleman Reese deduces the Batman’s identity and attempts to expose it, but the Joker threatens to blow up a hospital unless Reese is killed. While the police evacuate hospitals and Gordon struggles to keep Reese alive, the Joker meets with a disillusioned Dent, persuading him to take the law into his own hands and avenge Rachel. Dent defers his decision-making to his half-scarred, two-headed coin, killing the corrupt officers and the mafia involved in Rachel’s death. As panic grips the city, the Joker reveals two evacuation ferries, one carrying civilians and the other prisoners, are rigged to explode at midnight unless one group sacrifices the other. To the Joker’s disbelief, the passengers refuse to kill one another. The Batman subdues the Joker but refuses to kill him. Before the police arrest the Joker, he says although the Batman proved incorruptible, his plan to corrupt Dent has succeeded.

Dent takes Gordon’s family hostage, blaming his negligence for Rachel’s death. He flips his coin to decide their fates, but the Batman tackles him to save Gordon’s son, and Dent falls to his death. Believing Dent is the hero the city needs and the truth of his corruption will harm Gotham, the Batman takes the blame for his death and actions and persuades Gordon to conceal the truth. Pennyworth burns an undelivered message to Wayne from Rachel, who said she chose Dent, and Fox destroys the invasive surveillance network that helped the Batman find the Joker. The city mourns Dent as a hero, and the police launch a manhunt for the Batman.

CAST

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A wealthy socialite who as a child was traumatized by his parents’ murder. Wayne secretly operates as the heroic vigilante Batman.
Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth: Wayne’s father-figure, trusted butler, and confidant
Heath Ledger as the Joker: A criminal mastermind and anarchist who is determined to sow chaos and corruption throughout Gotham
Gary Oldman as James Gordon: One of the few honest officers in the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) who assists the Batman’s war on crime
Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent / Two-Face: Gotham’s noble district attorney-turned-violent vigilante
Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes: Gotham’s assistant district attorney and Wayne’s childhood friend, who is divided between her feelings for him and for Dent.
Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox: Wayne Enterprises’ CEO who supplies technology and equipment for the Batman’s campaign

PRODUCTION

Development

Following the critical and financial success of Batman Begins (2005), the film studio Warner Bros. Pictures prioritized a sequel. Although Batman Begins ends with a scene in which Batman is presented with a joker playing card, teasing the introduction of his archenemy, the Joker, Christopher Nolan did not intend to make a sequel and was unsure Batman Begins would be successful enough to warrant one. Christopher, alongside his wife and longtime producer Emma Thomas, had never worked on a sequel film but he and co-writer David Goyer discussed ideas for a sequel during filming. Goyer developed an outline for two sequels, but Christopher remained unsure how to continue the Batman Begins narrative while keeping it consistent and relevant, though he was interested in utilizing the Joker in Begins‘s grounded, realistic style. Discussions between Warner Bros. Pictures and Christopher began shortly after Batman Begins‘s theatrical release, and development began following the production of Christopher’s The Prestige (2006).