The Dark Knight has gone to achieve cult status among its fans. We did not expect such a status would be given to the trilogy when Batman Begins was first released. The sequel was so much an improvement over the first one; that it went on to achieve unprecedented success for a Batman movie and it was the first time that someone won an Oscar for acting in a Superhero movie.
Most fans rate the Dark Knight as the best one in the whole trilogy. Finally, there was a movie that did justice to the franchise. It was brilliantly directed, excellently written, masterfully acted, and a great musical score put in by Hans Zimmer.
There was so much to love about the movie, and it is one of the few where the villain lit up the screen with his performance; not many movies can boast of that, not many live up to the expectations.`
source:comicbook.com
We all know how Heath Ledger prepared for the role; keeping a diary and writing down thoughts of Joker, keeping himself isolated from the rest of the world. This affected his mental health, but he put in a legendary performance as Joker.
There were different types of behaviors exhibited by different characters in the movie; Nolan took us so deep into the psyche of its characters we could see what motivates them and makes them act the way they did. Here are a few characters from the movie and the behavioral characteristics we learned from them:
- Bruce Wayne/Batman – Christian Bale struck a fine balance between his portrayal of the night vigilante Batman and the billionaire Bruce Wayne. Torn in his romance for Rachel Dawes and finding someone who could take care of Gotham so he could give up his suit, he wishes to let go and fulfill the promise to Rachel. He soon finds that he will not be able to do so until the Joker remains at large. Nolan has shown us the complexity of Bruce Wayne, and his alter ego; he cannot stop until he cleanses Gotham of all evil even though he longs for a life with Rachel. It shows us his commitment to the promises he makes to himself and his self-determination.
source:overthinkingit.com
2. Harvey Dent– Excellently portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, Harvey Dent is a District Attorney looking to clean Gotham of the mafia and corruption that has engulfed it over the years. An honest and hardworking man, he is quickly identified as the only person who could go on to do the impossible, i.e., getting Gotham rid of the crimes. Harvey Dent is later attacked by the Joker, and his face is half disfigured. He was already called ‘Two-face’ by the cops of Gotham, and that leads him to take up the same name for himself. He starts killing people responsible for the death of Rachel, flipping a coin before to decide if he would shoot or not. What we see here is two opposites of personality in the same person. Harry, from the fan community of BestOnlineAssignmentHelp opines, “He is caring and honest and then becomes ruthless and a killer later leaving no room for mercy. The same person exhibits different types of behavior throughout the movie; it shows us how situations can alter a person’s personality.”
source:comiccrossroads.wikia.com
3. Rachel Dawes– We saw Rachel telling Bruce Wayne that they will not have a future together until he remains the Batman. She is assistant DA to Harvey Dent in the movie. They are clearly in love and Rachel is happy with him. Though, she is a complex character; she loves Bruce and Harvey both. When Harvey proposes to her for marriage, she thinks long and hard. She goes on to choose Harvey over Bruce writing a letter explaining to Bruce why she does so. She is killed in a deadly game set by Joker before confessing to Harvey that she loves him. We see how complex characters are; even though she promises Bruce in the first part that she will be together with him if he leaves the suit, she becomes emotionally attached to Harvey and sees life with him.
4. The Joker– In a legendary performance by Heath Ledger, the Joker turns out to be one of the most complex characters ever to be shown in movies. He schemes, plots, kills and makes everyone fear him for his madness. We are not shown the origin, so we do not know what made him what he is. He gets himself caught and then escapes, puts Rachel and Harvey in two different houses and tells the Batman that he can only save one, pushes Harvey to become ‘Two-Face’, kills the Mafia claiming that Gotham needs a better class of villains, and eventually sets bombs to two different ships warning that each have a remote to detonate the other one. He tests people for what they really are; makes them afraid and then asks them to take a decision. He cannot be comprehended as a character; he is the most complex character and acts as an agent of chaos. As Alfred puts it in the movie, some people just cannot be understood and just want to watch the world burn.
source:medium.com
5. Gordon– He is one of the most honest policemen still working in the Gotham PD. Even though he is heading a department that is full of corrupt cops, he manages to do his duty and gets work done from the same people. He understands that he has to play the cards he has been dealt. His work is recognized half-way in the movie when he is promoted as commissioner of the police. His family is eventually kidnapped by ‘Two-Face,’ he goes to the place where they are and hopes to get them out. He admits that he was wrong to keep the corrupt people in his department that eventually led to Rachel’s death. Students at OnlineAssignmentWriting opine, “It shows that people who have a strong determination to get work done, keep on doing it even the odds stacked against them and in conditions that are unhealthy. Some people just want to complete their duties and go back to their family.”
