Review of The Dark Knight Rises (2012) by Brice W — 24 Jun 2015

Police cars are racing through the tunnels of Gotham chasing armed men who just crashed the Gotham stock market. The lights start to flicker and dim, a sleek black figure races by on a some kind of motor cycle with a thunderous engine. An older officer turns to the rookie and says, "Oh boy! You're in for a show tonight, son." Moments later, the lights come back on and the sleek figure come to a screeching stop. This is the first moment in the film you see "The Batman.".

The movie begins 8 years after the death of Harvey Dent. In this time, Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Gordon have lived with the lie that Batman was responsible for the crimes and death of Harvey Dent (a.k.a. Two-Face). You can see the effect that it has had on them both. Gordon has lost his family and is about to lose his job. It has driven Batman into exile, which has made Wayne into a hermit. But there is peace in Gotham and there is no longer any organized crime. That is, until a mysterious cat burglar breaks into Wayne manor with a hidden agenda.

This movie had it all. Raw emotion. Deep plot. Great acting. Epic action. And nail biting suspense. This movie not only pulls you in with the action and plot, but it grabs you with the deep, rich characters that demand your full attention. Nolan did another bang up job with casting his new actors. Tom Hardy is menacing as Bane. I'm glad he decided to go with the visible eyes with Bane's mask opposed to the traditional goggles. Tom Hardy gives so much emotion with just his eyes, absolutely phenomenal. Anne Hathaway played, Selina Kyle (a.k.a. Catwoman), and did a marvelous job. She was cut throat and violent, while being sensual, but not being slutty (*cough* Michelle Pfeiffer *cough*), extremely acurate to the comics. Marion Cotillard (from "Inception") as Miranda Tate, a billionaire with some kind of hidden agenda. And my favorite was Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, a young Gotham City cop. Some the best parts of the film were the scenes between Blake and Bruce Wayne. The only one that I thought could have been better cast was Matthew Modine as Deputy Commissioner Peter Foley. I just didn't care for his portrayal of the character. It was my one complaint with the movie.

This movie works as a compelling drama and a summer action film. It's a comic book movie, but it works a crime thriller. The middle of the movie, where Batman has to "rise" is awe inspiring and and deep. This is one of the few movies that has lived up to all its hype. This is the best film trilogy ever made, I enjoyed how Nolan meshed all his movies together and a lot of things characters said in the last two movies were hints to events and people in this film. Nolan has made another masterpiece. I cannot wait till this movie hits Blue Ray and I can watch it again.