“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, for me at least, is a towering experience. Redefining the term ‘epic’, Nolan crafts a significant masterwork that is simultaneously flawed and intricate, delving into various political and social territories of Gotham City in an effort to not only expand the depth of the trilogy as a whole but to visualize a story of multiple emotional mountain peaks.
If I’m being quite honest, this might be my favorite of Nolan’s Batman trilogy, mainly because of the sheer scale of it all. Never has a film explored the intertwining relationships and cause/effect of a city like TDKR. It’s a story of people, following terrorists, thieves, corrupt government agents, wealthy businessmen, and multiple organizations through a tapestry of pure terror and absolute panic.
Many proclaimed The Dark Knight as a fine commentary of a post-9/11 world, butTDKR tackles the very same subject from a more interesting angle, one of economic loss and the transactions that stem from financial dangers. Christopher Nolan, with Wally Pfister capturing some of his most indelible imagery, shoots Pittsburgh with crystal-clear dread and beautiful destruction. Multiple sequences of terrorism and large-scale demolition are simply horrifying in their mighty disfigurement, showcasing moments of cinematic honesty that are extremely revealing and hard to watch at points. The hopelessness that our hero and his city through within the film’s run-time is almost unbearable, but his journey to triumph over adversity and evil is truly beautiful. TDKR is more of a Bruce Wayne story than one of Batman, but…
…when Batman arrives, he REALLY arrives, with a devastating one on one fight, a singular chase scene and a colossal final confrontation bringing a mix of OH SHIT and FUCK YEAH feelings to this Caped Crusader fan. Together with Han Zimmer’s operatic score, every scene feels mega important, but in a sense, every scene IS as essential as the last. Characters interact, spark emotions and influence each other; all adding up to an epic that is deservedly long and expertly crafted.
Overall, The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious and majestic conclusion to a gloriously cohesive and grounded trilogy of heroism, corruption, and their influence on the inner workings of America. It’s grandiose, overblown, and insanely audacious, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m not even kidding when I say that this would work really well in a double-feature with Foxcatcher.
Rating: 4.5/5
Writer: SilentDawn
Cinema Through my Eyes 