The Dark Knight - how much better is it?

I have now seen DK three times. Twice in theatres, and once on my couch thanks to the relaxed view of IP that some people have. There are some things that it is, some things it is not. It is, without a doubt, the SMARTEST superhero movie ever written. Let's start there

The contradiction of Two face

A man who would not let anything go to chance- but would appear to let it by flipping a two-headed coin transforms into a man who lets nothing happen to chance by asking the question over and over and over again.

Not to be confused by the fact that they would say "heads you live, tails you die" - if his preferred option lost, he change the question/facts and ask it again. Sure, Marconi didn't lose his life, but by flipping to kill the driver- the same result ensued.

Then, he is eulogized by a man who he terrorized at the very end- becoming the hero he foreshadowed early on, only after he became the villain he also foreshadowed. The same man who he made tell lies to his children (it will be alright) now uses his legacy to tell the city it will be allright. Of course, it wasn't Dent who saved the city- but the selfless hero who is now seen as the villain. Gold Jerry.

In death, he became stronger as a symbol. Like Batman was.

The best part about Harvey Dent in this movie is that he is THE EXACT OPPOSITE of the original Harvey Dent from the Detective Comics ethos. That Harvey Dent was arrogant, obsessed with his looks (he looked good, but in the Reggie way, not the Archie way), sought out the limelight for his own gain, didn't care about anything other than himself - he was constructed to be the opposite of Bruce Wayne. He did good things, not because the city needed it, but because he thought he was the best thing for the city. A different type of hero? or a more complicated villain.

What does Dent turn into? A murderous, infatuated, callous villain who doesn't care about the consequences of his actions.

Ironically, the Wayne playboy image created in the movies is seen as an act to the outsider - but Bruce Wayne was mostly reclusive - a fact not lost on the ordinary viewer for sure who understands that the image is a shield to protect his privacy - on the front page. In the Detective Comics universe - closely mirrored by the 1990s cartoon - Wayne is seen in the public eye, but doesn't even pretend to like being around society. In the movie, he fakes loving the attention to draw attention away from his true self.

Back to Dent - in DK, he is seen as a passionate crusader who wants to save the city. They made fun of his DC origin (where he was splashed by acid by a mobster because the acid could get into the courtroom). This origin made WAY more sense - and his killing spree was directly tied to his losses.

Of course, Dent is oblivious to the inverse "Spiderman" irony that he is the true reason for the undoing he experienced. If he wasn't so tough on crime, crime wouldn't be tough on him. Sure, Spiderman didn't know who that robber was- but when the villains found out his identity, they went after the loved ones. And Dent went after Gordon's - despite the fact that Gordon actually was the hero for much of the story. Dent was the opposite- he was the public face - and his loved ones got it. The kicker is how just seconds after he got what he wanted - the marriage acceptance - it was ripped away from him.

Of course, Wayne wanted that too - but Rachel wouldn't give it to him because he was Batman. Dent THOUGHT that Rachel's death was his fault- but really, it was Batman's. So, she died because of Batman, despite pushing him away for years. Really - the most misunderstood part of the film from what I have heard and read is the "choice" that Batman made. People think that the Joker knew who Batman was. Not at all. He did think that Batman had a crush on the ADA - and that is why he flipped the locations. The joker will do that which you do not expect - or, ensure that you do the opposite of what you want to do, or expect to do.

Which leads nicely into - a guy who doesn't plan who has things planned down to the second weeks in advance. Not nearly as interwoven as the Dent twists, but an irony lost on most people. He is SO crazy that he plans every little detail and is underestimated at every turn.

Modern satire is fascinating- I remarked to a friend that the court Jester was always there to entertain the King, but was often the one who would offer the most sage advice. This Joker was no different. He spoke in simple truths, could see the whole board, and knew how to get people to do the things he expected them too. All the way down to Batman going after Rachel. Why terrorize people when you can REALLY terrorize people by blowing up hospitals - where the people inside are already injured or dying. Brilliant.

"A phone call." All he wanted was a phone call. What harm could come from that? The pencil? The cowards line? God- how evil! He told a different origin story each time - but really we knew nothing about him. Unlike the first movie Joker, he didn't know what drove him at all.

While I understand why people say that it is easy to "play" the Joker, it is hard to play it that well. Hiding behind a mask isn't as easy as you think, because it was partly the voice and partly the mannerisms. The walk-away from the Hospital was the most lasting image from the movie. The "idiot" jester playing.

Heath was great. He deserves a nomination to say the least. Do I think this will be best picture- probably not. Do I think that this performance was better than Nicholson's? It was just different. It wasn't as campy, and it was dark. If you think about Nicholson, you chuckle a bit. When you think about Ledger, it was downright creepy and evil. It was as different from Nicholson as he was from Romero. If he wins, I think Nicholson should accept.

Finally, and after years of rolling my eyes listening to my friends talking about "Gotham" being New York, we finally have a statement from DC/WB about how the inspiration for Gotham was actually Chicago. Think about it - the docks, the countryside, the fact you had to FLY TO METROPOLIS. Idiots.