The Dark Knight Rises: Boom, Bang, Legend Ends

Cast: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard

Director: Christopher Nolan

I quote a line penned by Stephen King, “Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.” The maverick director, Christopher Nolan takes this notion and spins it around a spellbinding tale of agony and valor to give us the colossally awaited movie of this year, The Dark Knight Rises.


Eight lengthy and rubbery years had gone by since the last time our craped crusader donned the batsuit to save Gotham from the hand (read mind) of the devil in disguise, Joker. The consequences of the night when Harvey Dent died still echoes in the heart of Gotham as well as Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), who has a wounded soul, tattered physique and shattered hope. Even though Wayne is simply not geared up, The Batman has to rise to the mammoth stage as the misunderstood hero and a silent guardian of Gothamites to protect the city from its ferocious underbelly and ultimately, the wicked grandpa of anarchy, Bane.


It takes precisely half an hour for the buildup and characterization to seep in, after that, no stone is left unturned to make this ambitious affair as bombastic and sizzling as imaginable. With a brilliant plot, exquisite twists and surreal emotional depth, The Dark Knight Rises is the perfect blend of action and drama a diehard movie fanatic hungers for.


To talk of the director, Christopher Nolan is a non-conformist through and through. Safe play is not his forte. He weaves an intricate plot which reels you gasping for breath, whenever a stroke is played by the genius filmmaker. One can just sit back and awe over the mesmerizing storytelling while the magician is working on the platform. Only if the scene removal committee (read editors) has been on their toes and the baddy being more lethal, this would have had the same impact ‘The Dark Knight’ had on our cerebral fluid.

To say about our baddy, Tom Hardy (Bane) has no such real scope in the acting department courtesy the mask wrapping more than half of his appearance. But damn, wasn’t he spot on with dialogue delivery! Brutal dialogues and memorable quotes set the stakes high for the final clash between the good and the evil.
 

Anne Hathaway (Cat-burglar) is exceedingly seductive and has a terrific screen presence. Joseph Gordon Levitt (John Blake) is as fresh as ever while Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) is still the massively entertaining head behind those batty gadgets. Michael Caine (Alfred) delivers a speechless performance and Marion Cotillard (Miranda Tait) justifies her role.


But, the man of the moment is Christian Bale who outshines his previous bat outings with a groundbreaking performance as the hero weighed down by inner conflicts and wrecked by tragedies.

The Dark Knight Rises comes like a hurricane and sweeps you away with its enormous theatricality and mesmerizing gallantry. Though not on par with his previous outing “The Dark Knight”, TDKR still is a dark, helluva ride. Buy a ticket, sit back and marvel as Nolan hits three back to back home runs with this flick. Applause!


Rating: 4/5