The Dark Knight Review

“Some men just want to watch the world burn” 

     The great thing about The Dark Knight, is that you don’t have to be a complete comic book geek to love the movie, and understand what is happening. Sure, a little background knowledge about Bruce Wayne and his life experiences would be good to know, but it is not strictly necessary. The film goes so much further than putting a beloved character on a larger screen. It takes a harsh look at society and people in general. It ponders what people would do in situations that are morally grey. It looks at how easy it is to break one’s sanity, as though it were a toothpick. It helps you realize what is necessary rather than what puts you in a better light. It shows how even the greatest can fall. Director Christopher Nolan did an incredible job of combining the themes that he wanted to push forwards while also keeping true to the characters.

     It would be impossible to talk about this film without mentioning the acting. Heath Ledger put on the performance of his life as the Joker. He embraced the character, which very well may have been his final push off the edge of keeping his life together. To be the Joker is not to just read some lines and practice a creepy laugh. You have to try to understand the impossible, and take a look at why the Joker does certain things, though he himself doesn’t know half the time. This is a person, if you can even call him that, who always managed to keep a few steps ahead of Batman, and was almost always correct in his predictions of what people would do if thrust into certain situation. The clothing, the makeup, the eyes and the laugh all combined to form a character worthy of nightmares, and Ledger definitely did the character justice.

     Ledger’s performance is often the only one spoken about, though Christian Bale as Batman also put on a formidable show. Professing emotions when wearing a mask is not the easiest thing to do, yet Bale did so with skill and ease that made the masked hero easy to connect with. The only complaint about his performance is his Batman voice. Whenever he was under the mask, Bale projected a guttural, harsh sound that got incredibly old very quickly. Though it was understood that he did it to hide his identity, there must have been a better way to do it. The unpleasant sound just did not work, and took away from the performance. 

The special effects during the film were definitely admirable. The explosions were numerous, and gigantic - one could only imagine the amount of Gotham’s money that goes into repairing all of the damages. Banks, hospitals, and other such buildings going up like match sticks were fun to watch, yet also showed how disturbingly easy it is for chaos and mayhem to reign. 

    The setting of the film was of course incredibly important. Batman’s town is Gotham, which is probably the worst place ever. It contains the worst people that could make up society. Gangsters, and questionable businessmen seem to flock there like bugs to a flame, and the police force seems largely undermanned considering the amount of crime there. This of course is Batman’s whole raison d'être, and without Gotham the way it is, he would be unnecessary, and fade away. 

     In terms of the lighting of the film, it was very dark throughout. This was a good representation of the mood of Gotham, which is buried under crimes and horrors, as well as the mood of the people. It is hard to live with much hope when there are so many murders and other horrible things happening. Also, seeing as criminals are known to operate when the sun is down, it seemed appropriate to have most of the film in darkness. 

    All in all, The Dark Night was an incredibly entertaining film. The action, the acting, and the themes all combined to create a great movie. Nolan raised the bar very high for his next film, but it’s likely that he will not disappoint! For these reasons, The Dark Knight deserves a 9/10. 

From Hell, A Review

     The film From Hell, directed by Albert and Allan Hughes, follows the journey of Police Inspector Frederick Abberline (Johnny Depp) as he tries to solve the violent murders of London prostitutes.
     The streets of London in 1888 were not the safest place to be at night, especially in the areas of lower income. The prostitutes were at the mercy of street gangs who demanded the little money that they had, which barely left them enough to eat or find a place to sleep. When cruel, gory murders start occurring, people started panicking, and the police force had little to no clue of what was happening.
     The writers took some liberties though with the true history of Jack the Ripper, the name given to the man who committed these murders over a century ago. The real Ripper was never actually found, though in the film a face is given to the man who committed the brutal crimes. In addition, Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), the prostitute who serves as a love interest for Abberline in the film, was definitely not that romantically involved with him in real life - in fact, she was also murdered in real life. However, since Hollywood needed to add a little more romance to the storyline, to the writers, it was a necessary addition.
However, something that did not take away from the story were the fabulous set design and costumes. The clothing that the prostitutes were wearing definitely looked like something that women in their profession would be wearing in that time period, and the hair style of the men definitely seemed to match what men at that time would have had too. The dark, smoky alleyways where the prostitutes conducted their business made the film seem much more realistic, and enjoyable to watch.
     Also, the lighting of the film played a very important role in the mood and effectiveness at which the scenes were conveyed. Almost every important scene was shrouded in darkness or nighttime, adding a mysteriousness to what was going on as well as an eery air to the whole scene. The fact that someone could jump out of the shadows at any time and grab their next victim was a very thrilling experience.
     The acting of the film was also remarkable. Johnny Depp did a fantastic job in his portrayal of Abberline. At some points, he let the viewer into his character’s harsh opium addiction, showing his character mixing some cocktail of drugs when not on the case. However, as soon as it was time to get to work, he turned into a skilled deducer, and thorough investigator, catching little clues that others wouldn’t have seen.
     The way the film changed perspectives was also interesting. When most films follow one character, or really focus on him or her, From Hell had a little more roaming involved. From following each prostitute as she was murdered, to poor Anne's fate in the asylum, the broad range of characters made it more interesting to connect all of the pieces at the end.
    Though definitely a “Hollywoodized” interpretation of the film, From Hell definitely does not end up with a happy ending, and it does have historical relevance and accuracy. Nearly all of the characters introduced near the beginning of the film are left dead, as they were in history as well. Hollywood did give The Ripper a face though, giving the film a more definite ending, and tied in well with all of the clues given.  

     As an enjoyable, thoughtful film filled with great actors and intriguing plot twists, From Hell is definitely a movie worth watching. For its acting, sets and only slight deviance from history, the film deserves a 9/10.