Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Running Time: 164 Minutes
**** WARNING MILD SPOILERS AHEAD****
The film has a large cast of quality actors who with 164 minutes are each given their fair share of screen time. First up is the Batman himself Christian Bale who seems to have taken a cough sweet since the last film as his emphysema is nowhere near as bad and his Batman voice is now more a menacing drawl. After two films under his belt he has his Batman/Bruce Wayne role down pat and as expected leads the charge well. Here he plays a broken Bruce Wayne and a self-sacrificing, reluctant hero which he does with ease and poise.
The villain that encourages Batman out of retirement is Bane played by Tom Hardy. I had not heard much about Bane before this film and maybe this was why I was a little confused of his motives. My only point of reference of the character was in Batman and Robin (1997) where he was more a foot soldier/bodyguard and was largely underused. Here he takes centre stage and wants to take down the bourgeoisie and give Gotham back to it's people. However this is contradicted by his desire to blow Gotham and all it's inhabitants up in a nuclear explosion. The reason why is not made very clear but it doesn't really matter as it is more about an enemy to match the power of Batman. Now I am fast becoming a fan of Tom Hardy and think he is a really good actor, the problem with this character is his face mask limits the emotional connection to the audience. Hardy does his best but it is difficult to communicate anything visual with the masks limitations. However I did like Bane's articulate speech and menacing nature which I felt gave the film a contemporary villain and a quality adversary for Batman.
I was really sceptical of Anne Hathaway when she first was cast as Selina Kyle/Catwoman but I am glad to say I was wrong. She is first introduced to us as a maid in Wayne Manor working a party in order to get access to the safe and rob the billionaire socialite. When she is caught by Wayne she plays the innocent maid and then transitions with ease into the street wise Catwoman. Hathaway is actually really good as Catwoman and I wouldn't be surprised if her performance here led to her very own movie.
One of the most poignant scenes of the movie involves Bale and the fabulous Michael Caine as Alfred. Caine is fantastic and gives a breathtaking performance that pulls on the audience's heartstrings with a skill of an old pro. Caine gives the film an emotional depth that is often lacking in these types of films and certainly brought a tear to my eye with his emotional plea to Wayne. Morgan Freeman also reprises his role as Lucius Fox and shows off his new inventions in a typical Bond/Q style scene. Sadly Freeman is probably the most underused in the film and does not get a huge amount of screen time or much to do with what little he has.
A new introduction to the cast is Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake a young police officer who has the idealism that Batman and Commissioner Gordon seemed to have lost. The talented Levitt always gives a good performance and his performance as Blake is no exception. He holds his own in the film where he shares a lot of scenes with Gary Oldman returning as Commissioner Gordon who in this film is a little haggard and distraught over his actions surrounding the death of Harvey Dent. Another new addition is Miranda Tate played by the brilliant Marion Cotillard and here she plays a possible love interest for Wayne but in typical Batman fashion you know it's not going to end well as in Gotham it rarely does.
The film has some great performances from the aforementioned cast but unfortunately the plot at times is a little all over the place. Half way through the film Bruce Wayne finds himself in a prison pit where Bane was held years before which apparently gets pretty good TV reception even though it's located in the middle of nowhere. Of course you don't go to see these types of films with a logical analytical mind as if you did how could you enjoy a film about a rich guy dressed as a giant bat fighting crime. There are a few twists in the film which I saw coming from a mile off but it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment. There are some fun gadgetry with the typical Nolan humour such as a remote Wayne uses to switch off the paparazzi cameras at a fundraiser red carpet, an item I am sure would appeal to many a celebrity.
The film has an interesting exploration of loss, pain, redemption, humanity and revenge. Even minor characters such as Foley (Matthew Modine) get time to explore how they react in the face of the unspeakable terror of nuclear annihilation. At first Foley hides at home but finally works up the courage to stand up alongside his brother officers. Practically every character has their own path or purpose which while at times can cause confusion due to the amount of characters in the film also gives them a well rounded appeal. Whether it is Wayne dealing with his loss or Tate's desire for revenge each character has their own journey to travel which eventually culminates in an exhilarating climax.
I think the biggest strength to the film is the attention to detail, for example the return of characters from earlier films in the trilogy here in minor roles such as Cillian Murphy reprising his role as Dr Johnathan Crane and Liam Neeson as Ra's al Ghul. It was nice to see the subtlety to which they are presented as you could have missed Murphy if you were focusing too much on your popcorn as he's not on screen long. Overall the film is very enjoyable and a fine conclusion to Nolan's trilogy.
Final Verdict
One of the years most highly anticipated films of the year The Dark Knight Rises does not disappoint. Action-packed with a great cast who give some fantastic performances. Even though I saw the twists and turns from a mile off it is an entertaining and enjoyable movie.
8/10
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