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'The Dark Knight'

Rating:

BY RAFER GUZMÁN | rafer.guzman@newsday.com

5:01 PM EDT, July 16, 2008

With rave reviews leaking early and talk of an Oscar for the late Heath Ledger , it seems a foregone conclusion: You'll soon be seeing "The Dark Knight." But even if you're part of that seemingly dwindling population of folks who don't like superhero flicks, there are reasons to buy a ticket for this one. In a way, "The Dark Knight" marks the transition from the summer blockbuster season to the serious months of fall. It's a comic-book movie, but it's also a dark and highly complex drama.

Despite the costumes and explosions, this is definitely not kid stuff.

There are no back stories here. The Joker (Ledger) simply bursts upon an unsuspecting Gotham City to wreak havoc on citizens, criminals, cops and, of course, Batman ( Christian Bale). The opening bank robbery, one of the hardest-hitting action sequences to come along in years, sets the tone with an ominous storm of violence: Bullets fly, bodies fall like dominoes and The Joker revels in the chaos even as it wobbles out of his control. These opening six minutes, one of several segments shot in IMAX, signal that the movie intends to stay one step ahead of its audience -- and when's the last time you saw one of those?

The plot is classic noir, complicated and full of grey areas and -- truth be told -- not nearly as important as the film's themes and motifs. As Batman fulfills his mission as a lawless vigilante, the idealistic District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is cleaning up the city the old-fashioned way, via the courtroom. Meantime, Commissioner Gordon ( Gary Oldman) is fighting the same battle by busting down doors and making arrests. But the three do-gooders will find their methods, and their morality, tested when The Joker changes the rules of the game.

Any Oscar for Ledger will be awarded on sentiment rather than merit, but he's undeniably brilliant here. He revels in his spaghetti hair and maimed-clown makeup, but it's his chilling comic delivery and twisted posture that transform him into a force of nature. If Alfred Hitchcock was right that a film is only as good as its villain, that explains the success of "The Dark Knight." The brooding Bale, never completely convincing in the role of Batman, often seems like little more than The Joker's straight man.

As for the rest of the cast, even the smallest supporting players add depth and realism to this comic-book flick. Gary Oldman gives Commissioner Gordon the soul of a beat cop; Eckhart is likeably slick as Dent; Maggie Gyllenhaal (replacing Katie Holmes) plays against type as his stiff-spined assistant. Morgan Freeman, as Batman's tech-savvy tailor, and Michael Caine as the faithful Alfred are dependable, as always.

Mixed in with the exploding semi-trucks and corkscrewing helicopters are nods to more realistic problems. There's an undercurrent of American angst in the plot: illegal wiretapping, centralized power, a woefully misled public. And it's no accident that the Joker is frequently referred to as a "terrorist." But the Nolan brothers -- director Christopher and his co-writer, Jonathan -- don't push any political opinions. They assume you're smart enough to have your own.

Intensely violent but also densely packed with ideas (the running time is 2 hours, 32 minutes, little of it wasted) "The Dark Knight" is no walk in the park. It's genuine adult entertainment, with more brains than any other movie this summer, and possibly more brawn than anything coming this fall.