"The Dark Knight" is definitely on the dark side of Harvey Dent's lucky coin to Will Smith's "Hancock".
While both movies are ostensibly about the same thing, namely what it means to be a superhero and how do such people fit into the societies in which they operate, "The Dark Knight" is the movie without the "Aw shucks Pa! It'll all work out." optimism of Smith's effort.
And is a way better movie for it.
In "Hancock" Will Smith can comes to terms with his place in life and he is embraced by the wider culture around him. The film is essentially a happy one. And once Hancock adjusts to fit in, all his inner conflicts are resolved and he can live with that. He can even be contented by the lonliness and separation from true love. He sucks it up and goes on.
In "The Dark Knight" Christian Bale is a tormented man. Tormented to be Gotham's hero and tormented by his need to be that hero. He doesn't in any sense "live with that" - he cannot - he struggles with that conflict throughout the film. And he is ultimately a character flawed forever by these warring forces within him. He is a man who can never have what Bruce Wayne has.
This movie is out-and-out fantastic. Some of the actors, not Ms.Gyllenhaal, ( whose performance is phoned in ), give almost career defining performances. Heath Ledger WILL win a posthumous Oscar. I have never seen Gary Oldman more subtle, nor more sympathetic.
The big question has to be, "why didn't Katie Holmes do this movie?" Surely she knows what it means to be held captive by a loon?
See this movie. See it on an IMAX screen if you can. This and WALL-E are the best movies of the summer.
While both movies are ostensibly about the same thing, namely what it means to be a superhero and how do such people fit into the societies in which they operate, "The Dark Knight" is the movie without the "Aw shucks Pa! It'll all work out." optimism of Smith's effort.
And is a way better movie for it.
In "Hancock" Will Smith can comes to terms with his place in life and he is embraced by the wider culture around him. The film is essentially a happy one. And once Hancock adjusts to fit in, all his inner conflicts are resolved and he can live with that. He can even be contented by the lonliness and separation from true love. He sucks it up and goes on.
In "The Dark Knight" Christian Bale is a tormented man. Tormented to be Gotham's hero and tormented by his need to be that hero. He doesn't in any sense "live with that" - he cannot - he struggles with that conflict throughout the film. And he is ultimately a character flawed forever by these warring forces within him. He is a man who can never have what Bruce Wayne has.
This movie is out-and-out fantastic. Some of the actors, not Ms.Gyllenhaal, ( whose performance is phoned in ), give almost career defining performances. Heath Ledger WILL win a posthumous Oscar. I have never seen Gary Oldman more subtle, nor more sympathetic.
The big question has to be, "why didn't Katie Holmes do this movie?" Surely she knows what it means to be held captive by a loon?
See this movie. See it on an IMAX screen if you can. This and WALL-E are the best movies of the summer.
