'The Dark Knight' not an ordinary action film

As of the writing of this review, “The Dark Knight” has set new records for ticket sales, with 22 million having seen the film this weekend alone. But on the off-chance that you, the reader, aren’t one of those millions and millions, I’ll give you a warning: you will walk out of this film exhausted; physically, emotionally worn out. This movie will grab you, drag you by the eyes, keep you running and not let go until the credits roll. Before you see this movie, eat a healthy breakfast.

For the rest of you, what can I say about this film you don’t already know? Why should I write about Heath Ledger’s galvanizing performance or attempt to compare this film to the rest of the Batman franchise? Countless other critics can and have said it better and more eloquently. Those of us who have already seen it know how good it was; any more acclaim would be redundant. All I can do, then, is attempt to provide some sort of synthesis.

“The Dark Knight” is not just an action film. There is depth and meaning to it that goes well beyond films of this genre. It is a tragedy, in the classical sense, and the viewer watches not just a story, but something about himself.

At the heart of any culture has always been the storyteller. We gather around them, our faces aglow from the light of a fire or a television set, and from them we learn who we are and what we value. What is right and what is wrong and how you tell the difference. What respect is and who we should give it to. What is worth sacrifice and what we should be willing to sacrifice for it. The stories we learn and tell are a glue that binds us all to each other. It is one of, if not the, defining qualities of mankind that separates us from all other life on this planet.

The role of the raconteur is not one to take lightly, but it has been.

We live in an age of cheap information and cheaper stories. On our TVs, our computers, our radios, like a hose to the face, an endless stream of garbage is thrown at us. We learn our lives are empty and that to fill them we must give more than we have. We watch the illusions on television to see reality and find ourselves crude and small-minded and spiteful. We are taught beauty is skin-deep and fame an end to itself. Instead of bringing us together, our stories slowly wedge us apart.

I walked into “The Dark Knight” expecting just an entertaining action movie, but director Chris Nolan made it so much more. Where earlier films had used the comic as a model to aspire towards, he kept it simply as a starting point to rise above.

Like an Ayn Rand novel, characters transcend their personal motivations, transforming into symbols of ideals such as law, chaos, justice, and revenge. Through these figures, Nolan recaptures the old meaning of what it is to be a storyteller. He explores the moral challenges we face today and gives us a chance to weigh the choices we have to overcome them. Can you fight fire with fire, or in the end, does everything just burn?

He gives us a real definition of what a hero is and tells us that heroism isn’t limited to superheroes; it can be found in the hearts of anyone, anywhere, from businessmen to convicts. That using great power to fight evil isn’t always heroic; sometimes it’s an act of valor to give that power up.

And through the whole film, Nolan shows a certain kind of faith in his audience – a faith that not every scene needs to be spelled out, that we can interpret the story and bring back something personal and relevant to ourselves.

“The Dark Knight” sets a new bar for the action film genre, one I don’t think will be surpassed often. It is a testament to the dedication of its director and the actors who made it. And it is a sign that though good storytelling is difficult to find, it’s still out there, and can be found in places you least expect it.

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