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Flick with a gripping narrative

A still from ‘The Dark Knight’

Film: The Dark Knight

Director: Christopher Nolan

Here is an acting master class. Heath Ledger who held us all spellbound with his subtle portrayal of a man with alternate sexuality in “Brokeback Mountain” is the life, blood, and the soul of this Christopher Nolan film. Pity, he is not around to soak in the compliments with a possible Oscar nomination thrown in for good measure. Ledger breathed his last earlier this year but his performance as the Joker, the menacing, unapologetically mean, man who is like “a dog that runs after cars, not knowing what he would do if he ever caught one”, is top drawer stuff.

In a straight combat between Christian Bale’s Batman and Ledger’s Joker, there is only winner. Forget the story – that is as well known as any of the superhero movies’ climax – this is the time to put off our hats to Ledger. As the malevolent Joker, he uses every muscle on his face to evoke fear. His glowering eyes, his burnished looks are only part of the deal. The way he uses his cheeks, his jowl, the corner of his lips, the way his rolls his tongue, then breaks into a grandly sinister grin, all make for compelling cinema. Such is his performance that you often forget that this tale based in Gotham City has other characters, and has a problem: in fact, such is the state of affairs that it needs the Batman real fast. Even as we get clues to his whereabouts, and there is the final denouement, the viewers are treated to a Ledger special that shall outlive the film, the superheroes, the comic book villains.

Nolan keeps the pace brisk, real brisk, the focus never wavers. And in a dark kind of way, there are not many moments to break the awesome seriousness of the challenge. All going to make sure that Ledger’s best will not go in vain. “The Dark Knight” might be about the return of the Batman, but it has only one winner.

ZIYA US SALAM

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