Bruce Wayne/Batman
Search results
Jul 18, 2008 · The Dark Knight is a 2008 film directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale as Batman, Heath Ledger as the Joker, and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. It is the second installment of the Dark Knight trilogy and one of the highest rated movies of all time.
- (2.9M)
- Action, Crime, Drama
- Christopher Nolan
- 2008-07-18
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005), and the second installment in The Dark Knight trilogy.
Page 1 of 6, 11 total items. With the help of allies Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman (Christian Bale) has been able to keep a tight lid on crime...
- (347)
- Christopher Nolan
- PG-13
- Christian Bale
- Overview
- Plot
- Rating
- Cast
- Appearances
- Production
- Promotion
"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
―Harvey Dent
is the 2008 sequel to Batman Begins. The film is directed by Christopher Nolan and stars Christian Bale as Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred J. Pennyworth, Heath Ledger as the Joker, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes, Gary Oldman as James Gordon and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The Dark Knight was released July 18, 2008 in the United States.
proved to be most more commercially successful than its predecessor and any other film in the franchise before or since. The death of the young actor Heath Ledger and the media sensation that followed had a significant impact on the public's awareness of the film. Another sequel titled The Dark Knight Rises was commissioned for a 2012 release with both Nolan and Bale returning.
Prologue
Taking place roughly 10 months after the first film, the film begins with the psychopathic Joker (in disguise as Bozo) and 5 of his clown-masked henchmen (Grumpy, Chuckles, Happy, Dopey and a nameless-masked bus driver) robbing the mob-owned Gotham National Bank, during which each henchman systematically double-crosses and kills the other for a larger slice of money. Eventually the only survivor is the Joker, who reveals himself from under the Bozo mask to the bank manager and then takes the money for himself, driving away in a school bus (after shoving and detonating a smoke grenade into the bank manager's mouth) to join a line of other buses just as the cops arrive.
Taking on the Mafia
That night, multiple Batman impersonators, armed with guns interrupt a drug deal/meeting involving the Chechen and his gangsters and the Scarecrow and his henchmen. The real Batman shows up and manages to subdue everyone. However, he is hit multiple times and brutally bitten in weak spots of his armor by Rottweiler dogs and the Chechen manages to get away. Sustaining such injuries suffered during the confrontation forces Bruce Wayne to make the decision of acquiring a new, more versatile suit of armor. Harvey Dent, the new district attorney, begins to place more and more criminals behind bars, even defending himself successfully against an assassination attempt from mob boss Salvatore Maroni during the crime lord's trial. Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon contemplate bringing Harvey in on their plan to eradicate the mob, and the possibility that Harvey will become the hero to the people that Batman cannot be. Harvey is nicknamed the ‘White Knight of Gotham City,' although Harvey mentions in argument with Gordon that he had a different nickname in Internal Affairs (revealed later in the story). At the same time, Bruce Wayne and Harvey are both competing for the love of Rachel Dawes; however, Rachel and Dent are romantically involved in a relationship. Maroni, the Chechen, Gambol, and the other mob bosses see the combined effort of Dent, Batman and Gordon as a threat and decide to meet and discuss how to handle it. Their Chinese accountant, Lau, informs that he has secretly relocated the mob's money to Hong Kong to prevent the police from seizing it with an imminent bank raid. The Joker arrives and after killing Gambol's crony by way of a "magic trick" (involving sticking a pencil into the table, and then slamming the crony's head onto the pencil, sending it through his eye socket), he proposes to kill Batman for half of their money, and also tries to convince the mob bosses that Lau will give them all up to the police if he is caught. The Joker then makes an example of the problem's anti-crime result about Gambol, who takes it as an insult and offers $500,000 for the Joker dead and $1,000,000 alive so he can "teach him some manners first." The mob bosses don't accept the Joker’s offer, who leaves his ‘card’ behind for them to contact him. Realizing the threat and the need of taking down Lau and finding the mob money, Bruce is given highly more adjustable and maneuverable equipment for his suit by Lucius Fox. Also included in Batman’s new armor is a newly designed helmet, allowing Wayne to turn his head and arm gauntlets that are able to project the defense spikes. Meanwhile at Gambol's headquarters, three men arrive saying they've killed the Joker, laying his body wrapped in garbage bags on the pool table. Their ruse works and the Joker emerges alive from the bags, inserting a knife in Gambol's mouth and killing him. He subsequently forces Gambol's men to fight to the death for a place alongside him. Taking the suit with him, Lucius then travels with Bruce to Hong Kong and gives him a sonar-device that can lock onto cell phones and emit a visual image of the phone’s surroundings. It will look like they've come to cancel negotiations between Lau's investment firm (which Bruce thinks is illegal based on their profits) and Wayne Enterprises. That night Batman, donning his new suit, manages to infiltrate Lau’s office, take out the protection and escape with Lau.
An Ultimatum for Gotham
After Batman successfully returns to Gotham he delivers Lau to the Gotham City police. Lau makes a deal with Dent, Rachel and Gordon to give the name of all of his clients in return for being placed on county watch. The mob bosses are all placed under arrest. However, Maroni and the Chechen manage to evade the prison system and agree to pay the Joker half of their money in return for helping them. The Joker broadcasts a message to all of Gotham stating that if the Batman does not turn himself in to the police, then he will kill innocent people every day, starting with a Batman impersonator Brian Douglas. He gives various clues as to who he plans to kill next (based on three traces of DNA found on a Joker card): Commissioner Loeb, Judge Surillo and Dent. Gordon makes emergency preparations to protect them, but in the cases of Surillo and Loeb, he fails. Surillo is seen being taken into protective custody, and the men leading her to her car hand her an envelope containing a list of instructions. As soon as Surillo gets in the car and opens the envelope, she finds only a single word: "UP." Sure enough, the car blows up. Meanwhile, Gordon is trying to convince Loeb about the seriousness of the situation, and Loeb drinks a bottle of whiskey. Gordon figures that perhaps the DNA on the Joker card in question came from someone lifting a sample from a tissue or glass in Loeb's possession. He wheels around, only to see Loeb collapse from severe poisoning. At a fund raising party thrown for him by Bruce, Dent asks Rachel in a private area if she will marry him. Before she can give a full answer Dent is locked in a secure room by Bruce just as the Joker interrupts the party, demanding to know where Dent is. When the Joker cannot find Dent, he goes to Rachel and assumes she is Dent's romantic interest (after threatening a guest that, according to him, resembles his hated father), but she fights back. Batman eventually arrives and takes on the Joker and his henchmen. The confrontation eventually ends with the Joker escaping by dropping Rachel out of the building while Batman saves her life. The next day, a public service memorial is held for the late Loeb. Beforehand, the Joker and his henchmen strip the Ceremonial Arms of their uniforms, tie them up, blindfold and gag them in Melvin White's apartment. At the ceremony the Joker with his henchmen, all disguised as the Ceremonial Arms, shoots at Mayor Garcia during the 21-gun salute. Gordon jumps in front of Garcia and is shot in the back, saving Garcia. The memorial breaks into a chaotic riot and the Joker and his men disappear into it. One of them is Thomas Schiff, a paranoid schizophrenic, is shot by the police and is handcuffed in an ambulance about to be arrested. Dent manages to capture Schiff by hijacking the ambulance so that he can interrogate him about the Joker. Meanwhile, Maroni is captured in a club and interrogated by Batman for the Joker's location. As Batman holds him off the side of a building on a fire escape landing, Maroni arrogantly points out that the fall would be non-fatal. Batman simply replies, "I'm counting on it" and drops him, injuring Maroni's legs. Maroni claims to not know the Joker's location, and that no one will cross him for Batman because the Joker has no rules, whereas Batman will not kill. He then tells Batman that the only way he'll find the Joker is if he gives in to his demands and lets the Joker come find him.
received a PG-13 rating for intense sequences of violence and some menace by the MPAA. The film is rated 12A by the BBFC for moderate violence and sustained threat.
•Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman
•Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth
•Heath Ledger as The Joker
•Gary Oldman as James Gordon
•Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face
•Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes
Individuals
•Bruce Wayne/Batman •Alfred Pennyworth •The Joker •Lt. James Gordon •Harvey Dent/Two-Face •Rachel Dawes •Lucius Fox •Det. Anna Ramirez •Det. Michael Wuertz •Mayor Anthony Garcia •Lau •Sal Maroni •The Chechen •Mike Engel •Det. Gerard Stephens •Coleman Reese •Barbara Gordon •James Gordon, Jr. •Gambol •Natascha Patrenko •Commissioner Gillian Loeb •Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow •Wilmer Rossi •Dopey •Happy •Grumpy •Chuckles •Manager of Gotham National Bank •Drug Dealer •Drug Buyer •Fear Toxin Junkie •Italian Crime Boss at summit •LSI VP •Judge Janet Surillo •Brian Douglas •Surrillo's Killers •The Joker's bus driver •The Joker's truck driver •The Joker's black bounty hunter •The Joker's white bounty hunter •The Joker's second white bounty hunter •Judge Freel •Sal Maroni's Mistress •Thomas Schiff •Kilson •Det. Murphy •Gordons' Daughter •Anton •Ginty •Sgt. Raphael Mayer •Berg •Jeremy Polk •Willy Davis •Grogan •McFarland •Kirk Packer •Ronald Coburgh •Matilda •John Stone •Kelly Peck •Sam •Grace •Richard Patterson •Raymond Patterson •Gentleman at Party •Passionate Woman at fundraising party •Passionate Man at fundraising party •Pencil Trick Thug •Black Crime Boss at summit •Teller of Gotham National Bank •LSI Security Guard •Hong Kong Detective •Patrick Harvey •Richard Dent •Thomas Wayne (mentioned only) •Martha Wayne (mentioned only) •Principal of Mark Twain High School (mentioned only) •Wayne Family Physician (mentioned only) •Zachary Dabb (mentioned only) •North Korean Master (mentioned only) •South Korean Smugglers (mentioned only) •Ra's al Ghul (mentioned only) •Burmese Bandit (mentioned only) •The Joker's Father (mentioned only) •The Joker's Mother (mentioned only) •The Joker's Wife (mentioned only) •Harry Dent (mentioned only) •Lucy Dent (mentioned only) •William Earle (mentioned only) •Carmine Falcone (mentioned only) •The Chechen's Father (mentioned only) •The Chechen's Mother (mentioned only) •Gambol's Grandma (mentioned only) •Titus V. Blaney (mentioned only) •Melvin White (mentioned only) •O'Brien (mentioned only) •Richards (mentioned only) •Burns (mentioned only) •Zachary (mentioned only)
Organizations
•Wayne Enterprises •Gotham City Police Department •Major Crimes Unit •The Joker's Thugs •Sal Maroni's Thugs •The Chechen's Thugs •Gambol's Thugs •Lau's Thugs •The Scarecrow's Thugs •Batmen •Moscow Ballet •Falcone Crime Family (mentioned only)
Vehicles
•Tumbler •Bat-pod •Bruce Wayne's MV Agusta F4 1078 •Bruce Wayne's Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 •••Korean Smugglers' C-130 cargo plane •Moscow Ballet Yacht •The Joker's Semi Truck •International 4300 (Armored truck)
Before the release of Batman Begins, screenwriter David S. Goyer had written a treatment for two sequels, introducing the Joker and Harvey Dent. On July 31, 2006, Warner Bros. Pictures officially announced the initiation of production for the sequel, titled The Dark Knight. The title makes The Dark Knight the first live-action Batman film without the word Batman in its title. Christian Bale noted, "This take on Batman of mine and Chris' is very different from any of the others and everything else always had Batman in the title." Christopher Nolan described the sequel's theme as escalation, continuing how Batman Begins ended, with "things having to get worse before they get better." Nolan indicated that The Dark Knight would also continue the themes that Batman Begins had, such as justice vs. revenge and Bruce Wayne's father issues, while Jonathan Nolan has indicated that the film will show more of Batman as a detective. The Dark Knight is also based on The Long Halloween and Dark Victory.
The story was co-written by Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David S. Goyer, while the Nolan brothers took turns each month to revise the screenplay. The Dark Knight's interpretation of the Joker is based primarily on the character's first two appearances in the Batman comics, as well as Alan Moore's one-shot comic book Batman: The Killing Joke, which was given to Heath Ledger in order to prepare for his role. Jerry Robinson, one of the co-creators of the basic concept for the Joker in the comics, is involved as a consultant on the portrayal of the character. The Nolan brothers were highly secretive, with Christopher Nolan refusing to let Ledger leave his house with a copy of the script.
In October 2006, film location manager Robin Higgs visited Liverpool to scout locations, mainly along the city's waterfront, for filming The Dark Knight. Other scouted locations included Yorkshire, Glasgow, and parts of London. Producer Charles Roven originally stated in August 2006 that principal photography would begin in March 2007, but filming was pushed back to start in April. For its IMAX release, Nolan had four major action sequences, including the Joker's introduction, shot in the format. Nolan admitted he wished he could have shot the entire film in IMAX, and felt, "I figured if you could take an IMAX camera to Mount Everest or outer space, you could use it in a feature movie."
Warner Bros. chose Chicago as a filming location with a plan to film there for 13 weeks, due to Nolan having had a "truly remarkable experience" filming there for part of Batman Begins. The crew shot there from April 18–24, 2007 for the film's prologue involving the Joker. The crew returned to shoot there from June 9, 2007 to early September. Production of The Dark Knight in Chicago will generate $45 million in the city's economy and create thousands of jobs. According to actor Michael Caine, the film will also be shot in London, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Hong Kong. Hong Kong's walled city of Kowloon had been an influence on the Narrows in Batman Begins.
In May 2007, the studio launched a teaser page for The Dark Knight. Later in the month, a second teaser page was launched, featuring an image from the fictional political campaign of Harvey Dent, portrayed in the film by Aaron Eckhart, that was captioned, "I Believe in Harvey Dent". Soon after, a mimmick site appeared called IBelieveinHarveyDentToo...
Apr 1, 2011 · Visionary filmmaker Christopher Nolan's sequel to the highly successful "Batman Begins" sees Batman (Christian Bale) as he raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim...
- 2 min
- 2.4M
- Warner Movies On Demand
The Dark Knight (2008) Official Trailer #1 - Christopher Nolan Movie HDSubscribe to CLASSIC TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u43jDeSubscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit....
- 3 min
- 19.6M
- Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers
The sequel to Batman Begins features Christian Bale as Batman, Heath Ledger as The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. Watch the trailer, see the cast and crew, and learn more about the plot and themes of this action-packed adventure.
