What does it mean to be a hero?

I’ll give you a hint, this critic doesn’t know where to start. There’s a certain stylization in the reboot of the Christopher Nolan films that I just can’t believe sometimes. It’s a stylization which is closer to Michael Mann then it is to anything else. It’s a vicious cycle depicted in The Dark Knight, a cycle of repetitious mistakes, failures, and above all humanity. It shares a commonality with cinema that depicts crime rather then it does other comic book contemporaries. It’s much better for it, this isn’t just the fact that common movie goers are jaded and cynical, and want their lives to be as depressing and as oppressive as the films they watch, and it’s certainly not about darkening the film for no reason, I will say it again, this is a matter of maturity. It’s not about what you think of the past, it’s what you see now.

And what’s seen in the film is not just a continuation of the canon established in Batman Begins, but something else entire. A different vision of Gotham, the upscale, cleaned up city that is slowly rising from it’s former slums into a vision of purity that Bruce Wayne wills it to be, but alas this utopia is impossible. The struggle is impossible. The demands of the Joker are meant with impossibility, and the whole scenario lends itself to a plausible outcome, the likely outcome, when we chase away those we value in favor of shunning responsibility for our own crimes. It’s powerful not because it is bleak or morose, but because it forces us to reconsider our stance on crime, and the meaning of heroism in the 21^st century. As much as we wish the super-hero to be, they cannot exist in our world any longer, there’s just no room. So this adaptation, and vision of an ordinary man as Batman has always been, utilizes the theme to its maximum potential.

Yes, there are explosions and extraordinarily painful fight scenes that are characters within themselves. The depiction is not mindless, but fruitful; it is simply not tacked on as a rewrite but enveloped around the film. These scenes of violence are characters, they pitch to the actors, and they respond with conviction before the choreography. The anatomy of the action is representative of Greek Theatre, where one must act through the mask. Weather it is makeup, or a black bat cowl, you feel the acting before the punch itself, the audience is allowed to recognize the drive behind the violence, instead of the stylization. But it’s what’s in-between these bone crunching bouts that makes the film so much more then it would have been without them. The exposition of the film is surgical in its precision, it does not aim to confuse, and it aims to elaborate on the causality of initial fate and criminality, and the rather flawed and fatal attempt to change it.

There are too many good actors to run the gamut of cheers that I could possibly deliver in this single review. But Christian Bale does not get the credit he deserves; it’s a downplayed role admittedly, but his conviction and his sense of duty just oozes off of him. His personality separates from the haze of Bruce Wayne and the drive of Batman. I didn’t find his voice to be unacceptable, rather appropriate for such a beast, because remember; overall this Batman is more of a separate personality then just a costume, it represents an icon. We have an icon speaking to us for the first time, developing a voice, letting the audience hear it for the first time. It’s a powerful event. Batman represents an icon, a multi-national icon at that, which has a different meaning for everyone. It’s not about origins, and it’s most certainly not about the merchandise, however there is no doubt that Heath Ledger’s Joker is the star of the film.

The Joker in this incarnation is not so easily identifiable, he is neither an Anarchist, nor an extremist, nor is he a Mafioso practicing his thug duties with glee like previous incantations, this is a different beast altogether. Heath Ledger’s Joker is a scarred, psychologically void being, an Ubermensch of irrationality. His only role is to supplement the need for a hero like Batman. His role is to provide, not to diminish. That’s the terrifying ideology behind the Joker; his existence is based on the antithesis of his being. There is no identifying a larger plan, he simply has no need for one, and Heath Ledger’s flourish for words conveyed it with the greatest of ease.

Yes, like many films, controversy comes in droves. Does Heath Ledger deserve an Oscar for this role? As a performer, yes he deserves a nomination, but we have not seen this year in film round itself out. While I believe in the just nature of the academy to award those films with the utmost significance, The Dark Knight is not the film to end all films. Yes it’s a spectacular changing point in Hollywood. Yes we should recognize the film for its stunning use of Cinematography and amazing color palette. Yes Christopher Nolan is an accomplished director who knows how to piece together an epic film that transcends its running time, the film starts and then it’s over, and the whole audience is changed for it. Yes I admit, that discounting Hans Zimmer for his amazing soundtrack is dishonorable and a way of stratifying the film soundtracks for the Academy. Yes, the only reason why this film was hyped so much was because of Warner Brother’s relentless exploitation of a man’s death, a very talented young man at that.

The Dark Knight is not an allegory for post 911 policy, not does it endorse the War on Terrorism. Hence, the nature of post 911 cinema-goers is to instantly draw comparisons to real life events, and blend reality. If we saw Batman leaping about the Middle East and flattening radical Islamic fundamentalists, I would be inclined to believe that it intends such a message, alas it does not. Hitherto, we must acknowledge that yes, there is a conservative theme of crime and justice, but it is flawed. This is neither a victory for liberalism or conservatives, no one can lay claim to The Dark Knight as either supporting one side or the other, the strength of this film’s politics lies in its subtle neutrality.

It’s all an embarrassing debacle honestly. The honesty that most people show to this film is not true, it’s all part of the hype machine. But, this film is not without warrant. Instead, what we have is ultimately a reconsidering of the big budget Hollywood Film. It changed the landscape of cinema more then Batman Begins did, with letting us know that art, at least the concepts of high art in cinema should not be forgotten for the mainstream audiences. It’s a vision of magnificence and art, delivered in the simplest way possible, and it couldn’t be a better film for it.

So, what does it mean to be a hero? I don’t think anyone knows anymore, and for this time its better that way.