Rating of
2.5/4
A Strong Film, But Pacing Issues Mar It
mitchellyoung - wrote on 03/25/13
The Dark Knight is certainly the best Batman film and a step above most films in the super hero genre. It creates a believable and dark environment, grounds its action within specific rules, and features some fantastic dramatic performances. Its downfall, though, is a similar downfall that befell the first film - it's just too long. Heath Ledger creates a fearsome and chaotic performance of iconic movie villainy, and while Batman is pursuing the Joker, the film is exciting and interesting. The problem is - once the Joker is caught, the film still has to spend nearly an hour wrapping up its Two Face narrative - extending the three act structure, and resulting in dragging out all the built up dramatic tension. Because Two Face's origin is rushed and he's in the same film as Ledger's impactful Joker, he's the weaker of the two villains and his conclusion is somewhat of a letdown for how strong the film is. Other than that major pacing issue, there's a lot to praise about the Dark Knight. The Nolan Batman universe creates homage to noir and crime thriller films of the past and grounds the super hero in the detective genre that first birthed the Batman comic books.
