The Dark Knight

While this film is considered the best among the fans, it's actually my least favorite. I felt it focused too much on the Joker and not on Bruce himself. That being said, the acting all around was excellent. This movie really gets into the psyche of the human mind. In Batman Begins, Bruce was discovering what can turn a good man to become a criminal. In The Dark Knight, it's about the decisions that can ultimately define who we are as a people. Do we determine who lives and who dies? Can justice and mercy based on chance? Are some lives deemed more valuable than others? And can hiding the truth be of benefit to others?

Ever since Batman arrived in the skies of Gotham taking down criminals, drug lords and aiding the police force, Gotham City is no longer is society of corruption and evil. However, not everyone agrees. Bruce Wayne's cloaked alter-ego seems to raise more questions than answers and more controversy that appreciation. Bruce Wayne himself is finding it difficult to hang up his cowl and engage in a normal life. Much to the dismay of Alfred.

Gotham City's new DA, Harvey Dent, is impressed with the Batman and believes him to be a force for good. Dent makes a name for himself by aggressively taking down the criminal underworld alongside Batman and Sergeant Jim Gordan. While Batman hides in the shadows, Dent is out for all the world to see and hear. Which is why many in Gotham City would rather have Dent as their 'white knight,' than the enigmas Batman. 

Soon, a new evil arrives in Gotham in the form of a maniacal, clown dressing killer known only as the Joker. A sadistic psychopath with no remorse who kills, manipulates, and causes terror and panic because he has the skills to do so. There is no reason behind what he does. Except maybe to take on Batman and see what the Dark Knight is really made of. A frightening combination of the tactics of the Zodiac Killer and the criminal mind of Professor James Moriarty, Joker begins to reign terror upon Gotham.

From brutally murdering crime bosses to blowing up hospitals, Joker becomes unstoppable. Bruce (as Batman), Harvey Dent and Jim Gordan must exhaust every resource in order to take him down. When they eventually catch him, it comes at devastating costs. The death of a loved one that leads to the downfall of a good man. Batman and Gotham City are put at a breaking point as the Joker goes to every extreme to expel whatever good the city holds and bring an end to the Batman.

Our three leads in the story, Batman, Joker and Harvey Dent all represent society's view of heroes and villains. The Joker, the ultimate evil, with no mercy or respect for life. The Batman, the ultimate good who believes that the ends justify the means. And Harvey Dent who believes that good and evil can be made by chance and both sides can be explored. Batman is morally good, but his experience with the murder of his parents and the criminal lifestyle of Gotham City pushes his morals beyond the side of good. 

After re-watching this film, I have concluded that it is excellent on all fronts. The Dark Knight was peak Bruce Wayne (thank you Christian Bale) who is completely on the top of his game. However, Bruce is forever caught between two worlds as is the case with most masked heroes. To see a man that loves so deeply and is wounded even deeper by the ingratitude of the city he loves makes him all the more inspiring. Bruce doesn't become the Batman and get beaten up for praise. He puts on that suit to honor the legacy of his parents, for the bettering of his city and the fuller understanding of himself.