The Dark Knight Rises

Inevitably, there be spoilers....

It has been said many times that the concluding film in trilogy series are usually the worst. Lackluster, lazily realized. Half-hearted. Coasting on past success, justifying recycling of old ideas. Sometimes I don't necessarily agree (RETURN OF THE JEDI), other times I certainly do (MATRIX REVOLUTIONS). By #3, the novelty has worn off, and perhaps the characters and their scenarios have worn out their welcome. I was positively stunned by 2008's THE DARK KNIGHT, the second in Christopher Nolan's Batman series. The director's reimagining was a long overdue cinematic validation of this most tortured of superheroes. Tim Burton's films were a correct revision, edged into darkness but still a bit silly. Joel Schumacher's entries were retrograde at best (and are damned embarrassing when compared to the newer films). 

I was not anticipating the earlier DARK KNIGHT to be such a dramatically rich, almost philosophical morality play that addressed issues of civil liberties and free will versus chance in the midst of the expected chaos. The film was so much more than mere superhero exploits, but rather a mature, serious examination of urban terrorism. Black and white loomed far less obviously than the awful reality, the ambiguity of the grey. As well made as BATMAN BEGINS was, DARK KNIGHT took the saga to heights that perhaps even Bob Kane's comic hadn't even imagined. The late Heath Ledger's Joker became legendary even before the premiere, even before his premature death. The complexity of the character exceeded even that of Bruce Wayne/Batman, so appropriately played by Christian Bale. The Joker was more a certifiable case of pure maleovalence than an actual character, yet Ledger allowed a clear look into a soul beyond disease, beyond perhaps even apathy. 

Wounded but released from humanity by his own despair, no longer acknowledged. Just pure evil. Bane, the central villain in DARK KNIGHT RISES, is not quite as interesting, but no less ferocious. Actor Tom Hardy disappears behind a Medieval mask and sometimes indecipherable voice, his performance all about physical intimidation. Bane's strength may actually best that of Batman's. Two lengthy sequences treat us to bone crushing, relentless mano a mano confrontations that will make some viewers wince. Bane's history is extensively detailed for the audience, many of whom may not be aware of The League of Shadows (or Assassins), described in the comics. Bane reveals he has assumed control of the League after the demise of Ra al Ghul, an arch villian portrayed by Liam Neeson in the first film. The complete annihilation of Gotham city is Bane's goal, but first he plans to engineer an occupation of the city by all of those jailed by an law enacted by Harvey Dent, the District Attorney who became Two-Face in the previous film. Dent is falsely believed by Gothamites to have died a hero. This thread will figure largely into RISES' storyline, particularly with Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman). 

Bane, leading armies of freed prisoners, stages grand scale takeovers of the Stock Exchange and destruction of a capacity stadium during a football game and later the entire metropolis. The city's wealthy are violently evicted from their homes much the way French aristocracy were during the Revolution and the Jews during Nazi occupation. Hmm, that word again. Is it coincidence that Nolan and his brother Jonathan have included this idea so prominently in their screenplay?. That a character warns "There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us."?? The director denies parallels to current events, but to me it was no more an accident than his inclusion of omniscient surveillance in THE DARK KNIGHT as a commentary on the previous Administration. So. Is the director infusing his fantasy with a conservative agenda? Many talking heads on all sides are hot to believe that, but as always, we see what we want to. 

Is the case being made that Occupiers are trying to burn down the infrastructure, to loot what they believe is theirs? What of the scene where a character wanders through a rummaged bedroom, pulling a photograph of a family from the rubble? "This was someone's home." "Now it's everyone's." states another. Looking for Christian imagery? You could certainly make the case with RISES' prison sequence. A barren hole into which Bane, a former resident, throws Wayne after literally breaking his back. A place described as "hell on earth", in which captees are tortured with a view of the sky from the bottom of a deep pit with a stone wall taunting them to try to climb and escape. Other prisoners will utter things like, "escape is not so much physical, you have to believe." Even before this, the entire premise of DARK KNIGHT RISES is based on Bruce Wayne's reemergence after an 8 year hibernation following the unfortunate events at the conclusion of the previous movie. 

You could also cite a scene where someone sacrifices themselves for the lives of thousands, but we've seen that many times. Too easy. Such ideas reminded me of a time about 20 years ago, when a pastor used a clip from an Indiana Jones film. Indy had to cross a bridgeless wide gorge with only his faith to take him across and not plunge to his death. Fine. But the screenwriters (to my knowledge) were not Christians. It is a broad illustration. Remember all the evangelical fervor over THE MATRIX? Since then, I've become leary of jumping to the conclusion that imagery that appears Divine really is. Makes a film better or worthy of extra accolades. It all comes back to what you bring to the table, your beliefs, your baggage. You may see something that popcorn muncher two seats over does not. As I watched RISES, it was very evident to me that once again, art is released from the artist, now in the hands of the viewer to make of it what he or she will. 

Writers and other creative types are greatly amused when people concoct all manner of analyses, which often reveals more about the consumer than the art itself. Distilled the the core, I think one interpretation may not be less valid than another, if folks are even willing to think beyond the superficial thrills of amped up chases and stunning cinematography (DP Wally Pfister again impresses, shooting largely in IMAX). Turning THE DARK KNIGHT RISES into a polarizing tract is to do it a disservice, to miss the point. It is another significant achievement for Nolan, a big, booming extravaganza that most impressively blends some pretty disparate elements.

 I was very skeptical, for example as to how Catwoman would fit into this apocalyptic scenario. Such a campy character, brought to mischievous life by Lee Merriwether, Michelle Pfeiffer (and I liked her sassy take), and Halle Berry (no comment) prior. Anne Hathaway completely surprised me with her controlled, assured performance. She is never actually called "Catwoman" and never given a backstory. Rather, she's just a young woman who steals to survive and pay the rent for her seedy apartment. Well, she does wear a tight fitting, sexy fetish outfit and can really fight, but primarily she's portrayed as just one of the, um, 99%. The Nolans' script also gives her a fascinating ambiguity, a straddling of the line of good and evil right to the end. Every performance is spot-on, including some very heartfelt work by Michael Caine as Wayne's butler Alfred, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a police officer who learns the truth about Bruce Wayne, the Batman, and Harvey Dent, too. In a concluding montage that was deeply satisfying, it is learned who he may well become. 

But every character is given a proper send-off and resolution. Any applause your fellow filmgoers provide at the conclusion of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is well earned. 

NOTE: This review purposely did not reference the horrendous tragedy that unfolded last week in Aurora, Colorado at a midnight screening of this movie. Fourteen deaths and many more injuries occured at the hands of a diseased young man who opened fire on the crowd. Like others, I don't atrtibute the content of the Batman films to this behavior, any more than I did with other films in the past (recall the Columbine shooters wore long trenchcoats ala Neo in THE MATRIX).