While the police evacuate hospitals and Gordon struggles to keep Reese alive, the Joker meets with a disillusioned Dent, persuading him to take justice into his own hands and avenge Rachel. Corbould's team built the Batpod, which is based on a prototype Crowley and Christopher built by combining different commercial model components. Christian Bale plays Batman in The Dark Knight Rises SEAC For our money, Christian Bale remains the greatest Batman on the silver screen. [218] The film has a score of 84 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Based on the DC Comics supervillain of the same name, the Joker is depicted as a psychopathic criminal mastermind with a warped, sadistic sense of humor. [bm] The "pencil trick" scene, in which Joker makes a pencil disappear by slamming a mobster's head on it, is considered an iconic scene and among the film's most famous. [99] A Randolph Street parking garage is where Batman captures Scarecrow and Batman impersonators. The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises. However, it was forgotten, and so was the actor who played Batman. Christian Bale, Batman Begins. [318] This can be seen in his use of a two-headed coin to make decisions involving others, eliminating the risk of chance by controlling the outcome in his favor, indicating losing is not an acceptable outcome for him. Wayne struggles to understand the Joker's motives, but his butler Alfred Pennyworth says some simply relish destruction. [310] The Joker meets Dent in a hospital to explain how expected atrocities, such as the deaths of several soldiers, and societal failings are tolerated but when norms are unexpectedly disrupted, people panic and descend into chaos. His fighting style was designed to appear improvised and erratic. [172][173], Compared to 2007's $9.7billion box-office take, in 2008, lower revenues were expected due to the large number of comedies competing against each other and the release of films with dark tones, such as The Dark Knight, during a period of rising living costs and election fatigue in the U.S. [376] As of 2022, it remains the highest critically rated Batman film according to Rotten Tomatoes, and is often ranked as the best film featuring the character. [aq] Stephen Hunter said the Dent character was underwritten and that Eckhart was incapable of portraying the role as intended. The Dark Knight was marketed with an innovative interactive viral campaign that initially focused on countering criticism of Ledger's casting by those who believed he was a poor choice to portray the Joker. [89] Filming moved to England throughout May, returning to Chicago in June. [310], The Dark Knight is considered an influential and often-imitated work that redefined the superhero/comic-book film genre, and filmmaking in general. It allowed for more broadly popular but "respected" films to be nominated, including District 9, The Blind Side, Avatar, and Up, the first animated film to be nominated in two decades. [be] The film has been referenced in a variety of media including television shows such as Robot Chicken, South Park, and The Simpsons. Warner Bros. Pictures prioritized a sequel following the successful reinvention of the Batman film series with Batman Begins. Michael B. Jordan cited the character as an inspiration for his character Erik Killmonger in Black Panther. Kevin Conroy is an American actor and voice actor who has become synonymous with the character of Batman. [358] The Dark Knight is included in the film-reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die,[389] and film critics James Berardinelli and Barry Norman included it in their individual listings of the 100 greatest films of all time. The owners refused permission to film a stunt in which Batman suspends a SWAT team from the building, so this was filmed from the fortieth floor of a separate building site. [101] 330 North Wabash served as offices used by Dent, mayor Garcia, and commissioner Loeb; and its thirteenth floor appears as Wayne Enterprises' boardroom; Pfister enhanced its large, panoramic windows and natural light with an 80-foot (24m) glass table and reflective bulbs. This Time, It's Different", "Internet Meme: "Everyone Loses Their Minds" Meme (The Joker; The Dark Knight)", "Everyone Loses Their Minds The Joker Meme", "Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time", "Readers' Poll: The 15 Greatest Superhero Movies", "The Flip Side Of Justice: The Two-faced Spirit Of The Dark Knight", "What Do You Believe In? [324], Although The Dark Knight presents this as a heroic act, this "noble lie" is used to conceal and manipulate the truth for what a minority determines is the greater good. A floor of Two Illinois Center was decorated for Wayne's fundraiser. They felt the threat of cinematic villains such as Hannibal Lecter and Darth Vader had been undermined by subsequent films depicting their origins. [103] Additional segments were filmed on Monroe Street and Randolph Street, and at Randolph Street Station. [66] Dent's desire to work outside the law is seen in his support of Batman's vigilantism to accomplish what he cannot. Christopher said cameras that could be used on Mount Everest could be used for The Dark Knight, and had cinematographer Wally Pfister and his crew begin training to use the equipment in January 2007 to test its feasibility. [154][156][157] The theme was influenced by electronic music innovators Kraftwerk and Zimmer's work with rock band The Damned. [35] Christopher described The Dark Knight as representative of his own "fear of anarchy" and Joker represents an "somebody who wants to just tear down the world around him. He was portrayed in the Batman Nolan Film See More. [289] The Dark Knight sold 3million copies across both formats on its launch day in the U.S., Canada, and the UK; Blu-ray discs comprised about 25%30% of the salesaround 600,000 units. It earned $158.4million during the weekend, a per-theater average of $36,282, breaking Spider-Man 3's record and making it the number-one film ahead of Mamma Mia! Unprejudiced. WebBatman Portrayed by: Aaron Eckhart Appearances: The Dark Knight The Dark Knight Rises (archive footage and picture only) "It's not about what I want, it's about what's fair! Christopher avoided using computer-generated imagery unless necessary, insisting on practical stunts such as flipping an 18-wheel truck and blowing up a factory. [10], Focusing on Dent meant Bruce Wayne / Batman was written as a generally static character who did not undergo drastic character development. [331], Before The Dark Knight, superhero films closely emulated their comic-book source material, and though the genre had seen significant successes such as Superman (1978), Batman (1989), X-Men (2000), and Spider-Man (2002), they were often considered disposable entertainment that did not garner much industry respect. When Dent ineffectually attempts to torture Joker's henchman, Batman does not condemn the act, only being concerned about public perception if people discover the truth. The destruction of Wayne Manor in Batman Begins provided an opportunity to move Wayne to a modern, sparse penthouse, reflecting his loneliness. Warner Bros. By Damion Damaske / Feb. 10, 2023 9:40 am EST. Their efforts are derailed by the Joker, an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far Batman will go to save the city from chaos. I was absolutely wrecked. Before the police arrest the Joker, he says although Batman proved incorruptible, his plan to corrupt Dent has succeeded. Over 17,000 people voted the film into the top ten of American Cinematographer's "Best-Shot Film of 19982008" list,[411] and listeners of BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra named it their eighth-favorite film. [bl] In 2017, The Hollywood Reporter named Ledger's Joker the second-best cinematic superhero performance ever, behind Hugh Jackman as Wolverine,[398] and Collider listed him as the greatest villain of the 21st century. [74], In October 2006, location scouting for Gotham City took place in the UK in Liverpool, Glasgow, London, and parts of Yorkshire, and in several cities in the U.S.[75][76] Christopher chose Chicago because he liked the area and believed it offered interesting architectural features without being as recognizable as locations in better-known cities such as New York City. They wanted it to resonate with and reflect contemporary audiences. [ae] The Dark Knight was available in sixty-two countries by the end of August, although Warner Bros. decided not to release it in China, blaming "a number of pre-release conditions as well as cultural sensitivities to some elements of the film". [2][27] The Dark Knight features several cameo appearances, including Cillian Murphy, who reprises his role as Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow from Batman Begins;[28][29] musical performer Matt Skiba;[30] as well as United States Senator and life-long Batman fan Patrick Leahy, who has appeared in or voiced characters in other Batman media. [j] The final scene, in which the Joker states he and Batman are destined to battle forever, was not intended to tease a sequel but to convey the diametrically opposed pair were in an endless conflict because they will not kill each other. [138] Chris Corbould, the film's special effects supervisor,[139] oversaw the 700 effect shots Double Negative and Framestore produced; there were relatively few effects compared to equivalent films because Christopher only used computer-generated imaging where practical effects would not suffice. Wayne Enterprises accountant Coleman Reese deduces Batman's identity and attempts to expose it, but the Joker threatens to blow up a hospital unless Reese is killed. [261][262][263] Ledger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him only the second performer to win an award posthumously (after Peter Finch in 1977), and The Dark Knight the first comic book adaptation to win an Academy acting award. The Joker interrupts the meeting and offers to kill Batman for half of the fortune their accountant, Lau, concealed before fleeing to Hong Kong to avoid extradition. In Batman vs. Robin #5, Damian and the other DC heroes still on Lazarus Island are given a major dilemma to weigh. [v] Christopher said editing the film became "tremendously emotional, right when he passed, having to go back in and look at him every day [during editing] but the truth is, I feel very lucky to have something productive to do, to have a performance that he was very, very proud of, and that he had entrusted to me to finish". The production team considered placing it in the penthouse basement but believed it was too unrealistic a solution. The lines became popular internet memes. [67] During discussions on the portrayal of Dent's transformation into Two-Face, Eckhart and Christopher agreed to ignore Tommy Lee Jones's "colorful" portrayal in Batman Forever (1995), in which the character has pink hair and wears a split designer suit, in favor of a more realistic, slightly burnt, neutral-toned suit. Ben Affleck. A sequel, The Dark Knight Rises, concluded The Dark Knight trilogy in 2012. Film Scholarship and the Cultural Politics of the Dark Knight Franchise", Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt, Scooby-Doo! Adlakha described this act as a "militaristic fantasy", in which a significant violation of civil liberties is required through the means of advanced technology to capture a dangerous terrorist, reminiscent of the 2001 Patriot Act. [310] The scene in which Batman stands in the ruins of a destroyed building, having failed to prevent the Joker's plot, is reminiscent of the World Trade Center site after September 11. Warner Bros. considered its strategy a success, delaying the appearance of the first "poorly-lit" camcorder version until 3848 hours after its earliest global release in Australia. The Memories", "Thor's Cartoon, Stan Lee's Medal And Dick Tracy's Fate All in Everyday Hero Headlines", "A Director Confronts Darkness And Death", "World Exclusive: The Joker Speaks: He's A Cold-blooded Mass-murdering Clown", "Movies: In Stetson or Wig, He's Hard To Pin Down", "Heath Ledger Says His Joker Has 'Zero Empathy', "In Stetson Or Wig, He's Hard To Pin Down", "Movie File: Brad Pitt, Chevy Chase, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Josh Lucas & More", "Mark Ruffalo Discusses His Try-Out For Harvey Dent/Two-Face Role In, "Matt Damon Confirms He Was Up For Two-Face Role In, "Aaron Eckhart Puts On His Best Acting Face", "Dwight Yoakam Pays Tribute to Buck Owens", "Exclusive: David Keighley (Head Of Re-Mastering IMAX) Talks, "First Look: Enter the Joker In The IMAX Format", "Every Major Batman Movie, Ranked According To Budget", "Film: Chicago Journalists Smell A Bat in, "Heath Ledger Really Wanted Christian Bale To Hit Him on the Set Of, "New Batman Movie Completes High Profile Shooting in Hong Kong", "Autopsy Report Says Heath Ledger Death Was Not Suicide", "Making The Cut with the Editor Of 'The Dark Knight,' 'Inception,' 'Dunkirk' And '1917', "Advertising: Will Marketing Change After Star's Death? He wanted to convey elements of the Joker's corrosion, recklessness, and "otherworldliness" by combining electronic and orchestral music, and modifying almost every note after recording to emulate sounds including thunder and razors. The Dark Knight was the first major motion picture to be filmed with high-resolution IMAX cameras. [g], Comic-book influences included writer Frank Miller's 1980s works, which portray characters in a serious tone, and the limited series Batman: The Long Halloween (19961997), which explores the relationship between Batman, Dent, and Gordon. [f], With Christopher's help, his brother Jonathan spent six months developing the story into a draft screenplay. Dark Knight: Heath Ledger Was Considered To Play Batman When Batman Begins was in its early stages of development, Heath Ledger was considered for the role [34], The first scene filmed was the bank heist, which was shot in the Old Chicago Main Post Office over five days. According to English professor Daniel Boscaljon, Dent is not broken; he believes in a different form of justice in a seemingly unjust world, flipping a coin because it is "Unbiased. [325] The Joker aims to corrupt Dent to prove anyone, even symbols, can be broken. Caglione Jr used a theatrical makeup technique for the application; he instructed Ledger to scrunch up his face so different cracks and textures were created once the makeup was applied and Ledger relaxed. In the film, Batman is forced out of his self-imposed retirement following the events of The Dark Knight; he allies with Selina Kyle / Catwoman to take on Bane, a physically imposing revolutionary allied with the League of Shadows that is featured in Batman Begins. It was so You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time. He lacks any identity or origin, representing the uncertainty, unknowability, and fear of terrorism, although he does not follow any political ideology. "[342] Joker's appearance became a popular Halloween costume and also influenced the 2009 Barack Obama "Joker" poster. [412] Readers of Empire have alternatively voted it the fifteenth (2008),[413] third (2014),[414] and the fourth-greatest film ever made (2020). The sequel, The Dark Knight Rises, suffered upsets during filming. Pennyworth burns an undelivered message to Wayne from Rachel, who said she chose Dent, and Fox destroys the invasive surveillance network that helped Batman find the Joker. Batman subdues the Joker but refuses to kill him. Christopher said the title refers to Dent as equally as Batman. He flips his coin to decide their fates, but Batman tackles him to save Gordon's son, and Dent falls to his death. The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan. [160][161], The ARG began in May 2007 with campaign posters for Dent and Joker playing cards bearing the phrase "I believe in Harvey Dent" were hidden inside comic books at stores around the U.S. There was also a perceived limit on financial success for Batman films; the 1989 installment remained the franchise's highest-grossing release. Based on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and the second installment in The Dark Knight Trilogy. Dent represents goodness and hope; he is the city's "white knight" who is "pure" of intent and can operate within the law. Ledger's appearance in the prologue was well-received and positively changed the discourse around his casting. A U.S.-centric effort involved people recovering cellphones made by Nokiaa brand partner to the filmfrom a cake, which led to an early screening of the film's bank-heist prologue before its public release in December. [41] Influenced by films such as The Godfather (1972) and Heat (1995), and maintaining Batman Begins's tone, their finished script bore more resemblance to a crime drama than a traditional superhero film. [310][318] Eckhart described Dent as someone who loves the law but feels constrained by it and his inability to do what he believes is right because the rules he must follow do not allow it. The dialogue Johnathan considered most important, "you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain", came late in development. During the interrogation scene, Ledger asked Bale to actually hit him, and although he declined, Ledger cracked and dented the walls by throwing himself around. From April to November 2007, filming took place with a $185million budget in Chicago and Hong Kong, and on sets in England. WebThe Joker is a fictional character in Christopher Nolan 's 2008 superhero film The Dark Knight, in which he is portrayed by Heath Ledger. [123][124] The 127-day shoot concluded on November 15, on time and under budget. [bn] Similarly, the character's line "why so serious?" Gotham's mafia bosses gather to discuss protecting their organizations from the Joker, the police, and Batman. Warner Bros. was concerned public knowledge of Dent's character was poor; the campaign included signs, stickers, and "Dentmobiles" visiting U.S. cities to raise his profile. [154][156], Zimmer wanted to use a single note for the Joker's theme; he said, "imagine one note that starts off slightly agitated and then goes to serious aggravation and finally rips your head off at the end". [375] In 2020, Empire magazine named it third-best, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). [399] In 2022, Variety listed him as the best superhero film performance of the preceding 50 years (Eckhart appears at number 22). [310][311], The Dark Knight focuses on the moral and ethical battles faced by the central characters, and the compromises they make to defeat the Joker under extraordinary circumstances. Predictions placed its opening-weekend take above that of Iron Man's $102.1million but below that of Spider-Man 3's (2007) record $151.1million. [220][310] Batman represents order to the Joker's chaos and is brought to his own limit but avoids completely compromising himself. He has lent his voice to the Dark Knight in The Batman: Everyone Who Played The Dark Knight On The Big Screen, Ranked By Mat Elfring and Mason Downey on February 28, 2022 at 12:03PM PST For [121] Filming in England concluded at the end of October with a variety of green-screen shots for the truck-chase sequence, and shots of Rachel being thrown from a window were filmed on a set at Cardington. Christian Bale | Nolans The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2010) The consensus reads; "Dark, complex and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga". At the end of the day, I couldn't move. This raised its total box office to $533.3million before it left theaters on March 5 after 33 weeks, making it the highest-grossing comic-book, superhero, and Batman film; the highest-grossing film of 2008; and the second-highest-grossing film ever (unadjusted for inflation), behind the 1997 romantic drama Titanic ($600.8million). Ledger died from an accidental drug overdose in January 2008, leading to widespread interest from the press and public regarding his performance. [310][318] Although the Joker wears disguising makeup, he is not hiding behind a mask and is the same person with or without makeup. [34][152][153], Composers James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer, who had also worked on Batman Begins, scored The Dark Knight because Christopher believed it was important to bridge the musical-narrative gap between the films. [81][96] It was scheduled early to test the IMAX procedure, allowing it to be refilmed with traditional cameras if needed, and it was intended to be publicly released as part of the marketing campaign. As the Joker states to Batman: Their morals, their code it's a bad joke. [av] A separate, limited-edition Blu-ray disc set came with a Batpod figurine. "[37], Although he was a fan of Batman (1989), starring Jack Nicholson as the Joker, Goyer did not consider Nicholson's portrayal scary and The Dark Knight's Joker to be an unknowable, already-formed character, similar to the shark in Jaws (1975), without a "clich" origin story. Howard and Zimmer composed the score without seeing the film because Christopher wanted them to be influenced by the characters and story rather than fitting specific on-screen elements. [233], Bale's reception was mixed; his performance was considered to be alternately "captivating" or serviceable, but ultimately uninteresting and undermined by portraying an immovable and generally unchanged character who delivers Batman's dialog in a hoarse, unvarying tone. [140] Production designer Nathan Crowley designed the Batpod (Batcycle) because Christopher did not want to extensively re-use the Tumbler. WebPortrayed by Christian Bale, this version of Batman is arguably explored more in-depth compared to that of the previous film series by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher, as the Gotham Knight presents six vignettes, each of which are animated in a different artistic style, set between the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. [47], Describing how his character had evolved from Batman Begins, Christian Bale said Wayne had changed from a young, naive, and angry man seeking purpose to a hero who is burdened by the realization his war against crime is seemingly endless. [258], Before The Dark Knight's release, film industry discourse focused on Ledger potentially earning an Academy Award nomination at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009, making him only the seventh person to be nominated posthumously, and if the decision would be influenced by his passing or performance. This made it the second-highest-grossing film of the year behind Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. ($27.8million) and Hancock ($14million) in its third weekend. Maroni has previously been played in live-action by Eric Roberts in The Dark Knight and David Zayas in Gotham. Only Michael Gough and Pat Hingle have done the same thing in the previous Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman franchise. [417], The Dark Knight was followed by The Dark Knight Rises (2012), the conclusion of The Dark Knight Trilogy. [285], The Dark Knight was released on DVD and Blu-ray in December 2008. The pair collaborated on the final script over the next six months during pre-production for The Dark Knight. ", "Heath Ledger Golden Globe Nod Boosts Oscar Momentum", "No Joke: Ledger Earns Posthumous Oscar Nod", "The History Of Comic Book Movies at the Oscars", "Everyone Who Has Won A Posthumous Oscar", "Why So Serious? Batman chooses to become a symbol of criminality by taking the blame for Dent's crimes and preserving him as a symbol of good, maintaining the hope of Gotham's residents. The vigilante Batman, district attorney Harvey Dent, and police lieutenant Jim Gordon ally to eliminate Gotham's organized crime.