The Knight Doesn't Fall, Nor Does He Soar

Film: The Dark Knight Rises
Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Lewitt, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard
Director: Christopher Nolan

Hype and Hope. Two similar-sounding words. Totally unconnected. Except in Hollywood. Hope is the most positive of human emotions, according to comic book heroes and politicians. Hope separates us from the animals, so to speak. Hype, in its worst avatar, brings out the animal in us. One that is ruled by a single overpowering emotion. In this case, greed. Greed that erases the thin line between exaggeration and falsehood, that makes a fine art out of manipulation and coercion, that intends to unnaturally raise our hopes.

The Dark Knight Rises, more than any other film in recent years, reached Everest proportions in hope and hype. The hope that our unbridled expectations about a film would actually be met and overcome. The hype that this was what you were hoping for; now go get it. Finally the movie is out.

It has been eight years since District Attorney Harvey Dent died. His legacy lies with a rejuvenated Gotham Police Department that went after the mob and won. His memory lies with the people who have forgotten there was a Batman (Bale). His shame lies with Commissioner Jim Gordon (Oldman) who has to lie for a larger cause and live with the lie.

Into this calm arrives Bane (Hardy), a masked mercenary with an unclear agenda, but a very evident violent streak. In a series of well-executed moves he brings a city to its knees and leaves a nation helpless. The only ones ready to cross his path are Gordon, rookie cop John Blake (Gordon-Lewitt), and the sexiest cat burglar ever, Selina Kyle (Hathaway). They are not enough. Gotham needs its knight. Will he rise again? Dare we hope?

Influenced by at least three well-read Batman tomes - the best-ever The Dark Knight Returns, the badly-dated Knightfall saga and the criminally underrated No Man's Land - TDKR has added elements in terms of back-story and interpretations. There are nods to classic Bat-trivia, but always as a plot device, not as a pop culture reference. The plot is convoluted, for sure. There is a thin line between respecting the intelligence of the audience and losing their interest altogether. The plotline never walks that line, preferring instead to go one way or the other.

The canvas is wide and the scope is enormous. The soaring score never lets up in tempo. Vulgarity is eschewed, but subtlety is not embraced either. The aim is to go big and at times CGI is necessary. Unfortunately, the huge set pieces amplify its limitations. At the same time there are a lot of hand-to-hand combat that immerses the audience in the middle of the action. The fighting is well choreographed; at times, a little too well.

The performances are adequate without being extra-ordinary. Christian Bale seems to be more weary than world-weary. Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman have precious little to do. Marion Cotillard has a thankless role, while Anne Hathaway gets away with a lot of the best wisecracks. Joseph Gordon-Lewitt has a very meaty and important role. He represents the audience among the heavy-hitters on the screen. To his credit, JGL plays it really straight without a hint of hamming or quirkiness.

The performance most anticipated is Tom Hardy's. He deflects all Heath Ledger comparisons by not showboating. Enough has been said about his voice after the trailers came out. Now is the time to talk about his tone. Hardy actually conveys mischief, rather than mayhem, through his voice despite playing a character as imposing as Bane. A very nice touch in a very solid performance.

Christopher Nolan is known for his hard cuts that convey a sense of urgency. Here, the effect is to make the scenes lack cohesion. As much to do with the editing, this has also to do with the screenplay's shortcomings. For a Nolan film, this is a sub-par screenplay. A contrived effort. Nolan the director also has a few missteps. If you spend the whole of the first half setting up for a grand finale, either you should have a second act that blows your mind or the first half should be interesting enough that you do not think there isn't enough action happening. TDKR has neither. Though there are many sequences that evoke admiration and amazement, there are none that inspire awe. In one word, TDKR is not exhilarating.

The biggest enemy of TDKR is its predecessor. The Dark Knight is unfairly mentioned only in terms of Heath Ledger's mesmerising performance or his tragic demise. What tends to get overlooked is that The Dark Knight was lightning in a bottle. Even if you take Ledger out of the equation you would still get a rollicking entertainer in which screenplay, spectacle, performance and technology came together in near-perfect harmony. A movie that could be described only in superlatives. Once you have a follow-up to that, you are in trouble. Hope rises, so does hype. Both unbridled.

Catching lightning once requires a lot of skill and even more luck. Catching it again is all about luck. Neither the highly skilled Nolan, nor the millions with fervent, pagan hopes, nor the hype-masters are so lucky. TDKR is a solid entertainer that caps a trilogy that is among modern greats. The Dark Knight, it ain't.