The Dark Knight Trilogy's Top 10 Moments
The Dark Knight Rises is still dominating the box office, and given that this trilogy has been seven years in the making, it'd be fair to say it's had its fair share of fantastic cinematic moments.
Here are the top 10 moments of Chris Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy (with spoilers!):
10. "A legend, Mr Wayne." - Batman Begins
Kicking off the countdown is Liam Neeson's immortal speech from the first act of Batman Begins. We all know that it was the death of his parents which made Bruce seek the means to fight injustice, but it was Ducard (later revealed to be Ra's al Ghul) who really set the wheels in motion for the existence of the Batman. Encountering a battered, bruised and beaten Bruce Wayne in a cell halfway across the world from Gotham, Ducard sows the seeds of Bruce's future. "If you make yourself more than just a man...if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely."
"Which is?"
"A legend, Mr Wayne."
It is this encounter that leads Bruce to the League of Shadows where he learns the skills and techniques necessary to fight the criminals in Gotham. Little does he know that his teachers will soon become his enemies.
9. "So that's what that feels like..." - The Dark Knight Rises
In a rare moment of comedic fresh air, Batman gives Catwoman a lift in his fancy new flying batmobile "The Bat." As they discuss their next steps, Batman's attention is momentarily captured by a helicopter behind him and, as he turns back, his feline friend is gone.
"So that's what that feels like..." he grumbles, a homage to the countless times he has vanished from Commissoner Gordon's side as the old cop mumbles to himself.
Though for some reason, even though he is completely alone, Bruce even talks to himself in his deep Bat-voice. Talk about a psychologist's field day.
8. "Hit me." - The Dark Knight
Harvey Dent has falsely revealed himself to be the Batman, and Joker is taking the bait like a moth to a flame. Attempting to assassinate Dent while the attorney is being transported to County Prison, Joker doesn't count on the real Batman stepping in. Following a brilliant stunt in which Joker's truck is literally flipped over on to its head, Batman races towards the killer clown on his Batpod.
"Hit me." The Joker cries, as Batman speeds closer and closer. "C'mon, c'mon I want you to do it, HIT ME!" Refusing to break his "no killing" rule, Bruce skids around the Joker and slows to a pathetic halt.
The sequence is a further example of why The Joker simply cannot be beaten - how does Batman defeat an enemy who wants him to kill him?
7. "Wanna see a magic trick?" - The Dark Knight
If you ever need a clear example of The Joker's sick sense of humour, this is it. In a perfectly creepy blend of childlike humour and brutal violence, Heath Ledger's interpretation of Joker places a pencil upright on the desk.
"I'm gonna make this pencil...disappear." As soon as one of Maroni's goons attempts to grab him, Joker grabs his head and slams it down on the desk - and, by extension, the pencil. "Ta-dah!"
This scene alone caused The Dark Knight to become one of the most complained about movies in 2008 - its 12A rating was deemed inappropriate for the level of violence and (mild) horror, particularly in the case of Aaron Eckhart's grotesque portrayal of Two-Face.
6. "What doesn't kill you simply makes you...stranger." - The Dark Knight
The opening scenes of The Dark Knight give us an intense bank heist, fronted by none other than The Joker himself. Disposing of his associates in order to keep all the money, The Joker then proceeds to shoot the owner of the bank.
"Criminals in this town used to believe in things...honour...respect...what do you believe in, huh?"
In one of the creepiest villain reveals in cinematic history, The Joker removes his mask with a vicious grin.
"I believe that whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...stranger." Completing the job by unleashing what we can only assume is toxic gas within the bank, Joker picks up his cash and casually departs. It's the genius plan, as well as the easy and effortless manner in which he kills both his fellow robbers and innocent people, that shows us the anarchy that this unknown man is about to unleash on Gotham.
5. "Crashing this plane...with no survivors!" - The Dark Knight Rises
"They work for the mercenary...the masked man..."
"Bane?"
Not one to fall short of a spectacle, Chris Nolan introduces Bane with style in the introductory moments of The Dark Knight Rises. A cocky CIA agent brings three thugs on board an aircraft with him, preparing to interrogate them, before discovering that one of the men is actually Bane himself, who reveals he planned to get caught in the first place.
"You got yourself caught. So what's the next step of your master plan?" the agent asks.
"Crashing this plane," growls Bane, the menace in his voice growing wider with his eyes. "With no survivors!"
Yet again, Nolan shows us his incredible knack for pulling off real stunts with no CGI, presenting us with a plane hijacking another plane in mid-flight. Bane takes down the authorities within his aircraft, then proceeds to capture Dr Leonard Pavel.
"Calm down, Doctor, now is not the time for fear," he says calmly as Dr. Pavel screams. "That comes later." This incredible sequence shows us Bane's incredible intellect, his brute strength and his intentions for Gotham - and none of them are good news.
4. "Anyone can be a hero..." - The Dark Knight Rises
The biggest emotional highlight of the final film sees Batman about to make the ultimate sacrifice for Gotham by taking Bane's bomb out of the city's reach. Commissoner Gordon, who has acted as a fair representation of the good still left inside Gotham's people, approaches Bruce as he steps inside the Bat.
"I never knew or cared who you were," he says. "But don't the people deserve to know the hero who saved them?"
"A hero can be anyone," replies Bruce. Just when you thought it couldn't get any more tearjerking, he brings us right back to the very start of Batman Begins. "Even someone doing something as simple and reassuring as putting their coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hadn't ended."
As the Bat soars into the sky, dragging the bomb in its wake, Gordon steps back and the realisation hits him.
"Bruce Wayne...?"
3. "You should use your full name. Robin." - The Dark Knight Rises
The gasps and the titters were many as John Blake's real name was revealed to be Robin, who as we all know is Batman's true sidekick. It makes sense, as Blake's purpose in the movie was as a supporting role of Gordon and Bruce, feeding them information and providing them with back-up in action packed situations. As John arrives at Wayne Enterprises to pick up items left for him in Bruce Wayne's will, his true name is announced. Despite his claims that Robin would never make an appearance in his films, Nolan threw us a curveball and gave a nod to the fans of the series. The final few moments of the film see Alfred witnessing Bruce alive and well (and most importantly happy), while John Blake ventures into the Batcave. As he steps on a platform and RISES to become the new Batman, the screen fades to black. Pretty epic stuff, and it brings the story full circle back to Ra's al Ghul's initial ideals. Bruce Wayne might not live forever, but Batman will. He has become "a legend."
2. "And then...I will break you." - The Dark Knight Rises
The moment that Bane was announced as the primary villain in The Dark Knight Rises, the question on everyone's lips was: will he break the bat? Foolishly attempting to take on Bane, despite a bruised and battered body, Bruce finds much more than he bargained for in the most intense scene in the film.
"Let us not stand on sentiment here..." Bane walks menacingly towards Batman. "Mr Wayne."
Batman steps forward and fires all he has at Bane's enormous body, but the masked terrorist shrugs off each and every blow. This is the first time we've seen a more physically superior force than Batman, and the more desperate Bruce gets, the harder it becomes to watch. There is no music to accompany the harsh sounds of punches and kicks being thrown, as well as Bane's harsh dialogue. A highlight of the battle is the terrifying moment in which Bruce desperately throws his batarang around Bane: "Theatricality and deception!" the masked murderer laughs. "Powerful agents to the unitiated." He then proceeds to lift Batman up one handed by the throat. "But we are initiated - aren't we Bruce? Members of the League of Shadows."
"I wondered which I'd break first!" he taunts, lifting the Dark Knight above his head. "Your spirit...or your body!" In a shockingly brutal move, Bane snaps Bruce's back upon his enormous knee. Just like in the comics, Bane breaks the Bat and the momentous event is executed in spectacularly fierce fashion. The scene is, for me, the best moment of the entire movie and it raises the stakes even higher for Gotham and its citizens.
1. "You have nothing to threaten me with!" - The Dark Knight
Let's deconstruct the number one moment of Nolan's Batman trilogy (hell - the number one moment of any comic book movie) piece by piece.
Having been captured, Joker suddenly finds his head being slammed fiercely on to the table in an interrogation cell. Ouch. What follows is five minutes of genius cinema, in which the power slowly shifts from good to evil. For that's exactly what this is - a struggle between the forces of justice and authority; versus the anarchic, loathsome and insane rabble of evil.
"Where's Harvey Dent?" growls Batman. As the audience, we are on his side and we are confident that, now that the Joker is in custody, we will determine who he is, what his motives are and how he came to be this psychotic mess. The camera pans slowly round as Batman listens to Joker's ramblings about the mob and the way things were before the caped crusader appeared on the scene.
 |
| The horrific consequence of Joker's chaos: Two-Face |
"Why do you wanna kill me?" he asks. Bruce is consistently in the centre of the camera - we know his place, we know who he is and why he is there. Joker laughs manically.
"I don't wanna kill you!" his face swings in and out of the camera shot - he is a mystery that can't be pinned down, a force of nature that can't be held in one place. "What would I do without you?"
It is this sentence which has defined the relationship between Batman and Joker for years - the Joker only does what he does to see how Batman and the rest of the world will react to it. He himself describes his actions like that of a "dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it!" That's his idea of fun: everything is a game to him. "You. Complete. Me." he retorts, to an unfazed Bruce.
An excellent piece of foreshadowing next, as The Joker explains that Batman shouldn't act like a cop - he is only accepted now because they need him. "Don't talk like one of them, you're not. Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak."
His voice darkens at the last syllable - a clear indication that "freak" is one of Joker's buzz words. "They need you right now. When they don't..." The camera has now switched to Batman's right shoulder, where before we were looking over his left. The situation is changing - Joker is slowly but surely gaining control of the conversation. "...they'll cast you out. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. When the chips are down, these uh...these civilized people...they'll eat each other." For a madman, the Joker does talk some sense.
| "Introduce a little anarchy." |
Then comes the twist. Joker has in fact kidnapped both Harvey and Rachel Dawes, Bruce's lifelong friend. Bruce mercilessly beats Joker, screaming "Where are they?" in an effort to punch the information out of him, but Joker simply laughs.
"You have nothing - nothing to threaten me with, nothing to do with all your strength!' he boasts psychotically - a further indication of his madness and the fact that he simply cannot be beaten. Batman can kill Joker if he wants, but that would just show the people of Gotham that their hero is a common killer just like the criminals.
Incredible performances from Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, as well as an abundance of plot twists in just a handful of minutes, makes the interrogation scene the best moment of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
You can read my full review of The Dark Knight Rises by clicking right here and my opinion piece on The Dark Knight's Next Steps by venturing here.
By Dean Johnstone
No comments:
Post a Comment