The Dark Knight
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan’s Batman film series and a sequel to 2005′s Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role. The film follows Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale), District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and Police Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and their struggles and journey in combating the new rising threat of a criminal who goes by the name of the “Joker” (Heath Ledger).
Nolan’s inspiration for the film was the Joker’s comic book debut in 1940, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween, which retold Two-Face’s origin. The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. Nolan used an IMAX camera to film some sequences, including the Joker’s first appearance in the film.
On January 22, 2008, after he had completed filming The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger died from a toxic combination of prescription drugs, leading to intense attention from the press and moviegoing public. Warner Bros. had initially created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screen shots of Ledger as the Joker, but after Ledger’s death, the studio refocused its promotional campaign.
The Dark Knight was released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, on July 18, 2008 in North America, and on July 24, 2008 in the United Kingdom. Critically-acclaimed, it set numerous records during its theatrical run and is currently one of only three films to have earned more than $500 million at the North American box office. With over $1 billion in revenue worldwide, it is the seventh highest-grossing film of all time. The film received eight Academy Award nominations and won for Best Sound Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Ledger’s performance.
Plot
In Gotham City, the Joker robs a mob bank. Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon decide to include new district attorney Harvey Dent, who is dating Rachel Dawes, in their plan to eradicate the mob and Bruce offers him a fundraiser after realizing his sincerity. Mob bosses Sal Maroni, Gambol, and the Chechen meet with other gangsters to discuss Dent and Batman, who have been cracking down on their crime operations. Lau, a Chinese mafia accountant, informs them that he has hidden their money and fled to Hong Kong in an attempt to preempt Gordon’s plan to seize their funds and hide from Dent’s jurisdiction. The Joker appears, warning that Batman will come after Lau, and offers to kill Batman for half of the mob’s money, but they flatly refuse and Gambol places a bounty on the Joker’s head. The Joker later kills Gambol and takes control of his men.
In Hong Kong, Batman captures Lau with a skyhook and delivers him to the Gotham City police where Lau agrees to testify, letting Dent and Gordon arrest the mob. In retaliation the Joker issues an ultimatum to Gotham that people will die unless Batman reveals his identity, resulting in the deaths of Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb and the judge presiding over the mob trials. Gordon foils Joker’s assassination attempt on the mayor and is apparently killed. Dent holds a press conference where Bruce plans to reveal his persona, but Dent instead reveals himself as Batman to protect the truth and is taken into protective custody. Escorted across the city, Dent is pursued by the Joker in a semi-trailer while Batman rushes to aid on his Batpod. Gordon, who faked his death to lure the Joker, arrests him with Batman’s help and is promoted to Commissioner. However, Dent goes missing and the Joker reveals that he, along with Rachel, have been taken to separate buildings on opposite sides of town which will explode at the same time. Batman, able only to save one, goes after Rachel whilst Gordon and the police go for Dent. At the same time the Joker escapes custody with Lau using a smuggled bomb. Batman instead finds Dent and rescues him though the D.A. pressures him to go for Rachel. The buildings explode; Rachel dies while half of Dent’s face is burnt in his escape, leaving him traumatized and vengeful.
After killing Lau and the Chechen, the Joker threatens to destroy a hospital if Coleman Reese, an accountant at Wayne Enterprises who discovers Batman’s identity, is not dead within an hour. Bruce saves Reese, whilst the Joker visits Dent in the hospital and convinces him to go on his own personal vendetta against those who played a part in Rachel’s death. Now Two-Face, Dent judges Joker by the toss of a coin and spares him. The Joker blows up the hospital and leaves with a bus of hostages, whilst Two-Face confronts and kills Maroni and others. That night, as civilians are evacuated from the city, the Joker has two ferries rigged with explosives, offering both civilian and prisoner passenger groups to destroy the other ferry to live. Batman stops Gordon’s SWAT teams from taking out the Joker, in order to protect the hostages and to capture the Joker himself. The ferry passengers refuse to kill one another and the Joker is captured, but not before he explains his complex relationship with Batman and revealing what he has done to Harvey; stating that while Batman is truly incorruptible, Dent was not.
At the remains of the building where Rachel died, Batman finds Two-Face holding Gordon and his family at gunpoint. Two-Face judges the innocence of Batman, himself, and Gordon’s son with three coin tosses. As the result of the first two flips, he shoots Batman in the abdomen and spares himself. Before Two-Face can determine the boy’s fate, Batman, who was wearing body armor, tackles him over the side of the building. Gordon’s son is saved, but Two-Face and Batman fall to the ground below, resulting in the former’s death.[10] Knowing that the citizens of Gotham will lose hope and all morale if Dent’s rampage becomes public news, Gordon is convinced by Batman to make Batman responsible for the murders. The police swarm the building, and the hunt for Batman begins as Gordon and his son watch and Batman escapes on his Batpod. Gordon assures his son that Batman is not just the hero that Gotham needs, but the city’s “Dark Knight.” Gordon later delivers the eulogy at Dent’s funeral and smashes the Bat-Signal.
