Favorite Movies Countdown — No. 6

6. The Dark Knight (2008)

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal

About: "Because he's the hero Gotham deserves. But not the one it needs right now. And so we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent gaurdian. A watchful protector. A dark knight." Commissioner Jim Gordon, "The Dark Knight."

This is one of the most fascinating films I've ever seen, and it's fast become one of my favorites. I've seen this film more than 20 times, and each time I am moved. I am always moved by the end, but I am also moved by the ideas in the film and the way the film is put together. I actually think "The Dark Knight" is one of the most important films released in the past decade in terms of providing a window into the ideological battle we are fighting with the world. It is also a genre picture that transcends its genre to become one of the greatest artistic achievements in years. That is why I chose "The Dark Knight" as the best film of the first decade of the 21st Century, and I hold to that evaluation today.

From a cinematic standpoint, the film is a brilliant achievement by director Christopher Nolan. This easily transcends the genre of superhero films and is, in fact, one of the best modern noir crime dramas. It easily captures the same feel and intensity of a movie like "Heat," and does just as good a job of developing its characters.

Nolan's use of shots, soundtrack, and pacing all add to the efficacy of the presentation. There is some beautiful camera work, some beautifully moody scenes and vistas, and some great performances. Ledger's work overshadowed his colleagues because of the personal tragedy that befell him, but the work from Bale and Eckhart is equally moving, and more central to the heart of the film.

So from a purely cinematic standpoint, this is excellent craft from Nolan. But what takes it to another level are the themes that underly this film.

This film is an exploration of the nature of man — creating within the framework of this world and characters a very real debate between the Humanistic view of man (that we are, at our core, noble and good) and the Christian view of humanity (that at our core we are broken sinners in need of God's redeeming grace). This is also shown through the guise of two social extremes — the anarchist, who believes in nothing and no one (The Joker), and the vigilante, who believes so strongly in a cause and in the moral order that he's willing to violate that order to preserve its ideals (Batman).

Through their powerful clash of ideologies, we see the struggle for Nolan. He is, I believe, a humanist. Yet, I think you recognize a heartbreaking realization in him that the nature of man is not noble. The central argument between The Joker and Batman while he is incarcerated focuses solely on this ideal.

Yet, through the resolution of the film, Nolan tries to argue for the nobility of the spirit of man. The ferry boat sequence is evidence of this, as is the heroic sacrifice Batman makes at the end (which leads to the quote I had at the opening). That final sequence always stirs me emotionally.

One of the verses I like best is John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." That, obviously, is a reference to Jesus. You can see, at the end of "The Dark Knight," the beauty in the self-sacrifice offered by Batman, but it's also tragic because it is misguided.

That's why "The Dark Knight" remains a beautifully complex film, and one of the best films made in the last 20 years.