Apologies in advance, but today is one of those days you’re going to feel old. That’s because this week is the 15th anniversary of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. A film that changed not only what fans thought a superhero movie could be, but Hollywood too, thanks to its $US158 million opening.
The Dark Knight is a film that basically has to be in any conversation when you’re talking about the best superhero movies, not just of the past few decades, but ever. We’ve all seen it, most of us love it, and that’s remained consistent since July 2008. So, instead of just heaping the same old praise on it again, we went ahead and picked 15 things we cherish about The Dark Knight for its 15-year anniversary. Some of these are obvious (Heath Ledger’s Joker, hello) but others are a bit more subtle, meaningful, and, hopefully, interesting. Either way, all of them speak to why The Dark Knight remains today what it was then, an absolute masterpiece.
1. The Title
When I say “The Title,” I mean it two ways. First, the way the movie starts, just like Batman Begins, not with a title, but a kind of logo (seen above)—and then only gives us the title at the very end, once the film has earned it. Which is always such an exciting exclamation point to end the movie on.
The second is how “The Dark Knight” has a double meaning. Obviously, it refers to a common nickname for Batman, but in the movie it’s also moniker to describe his role in the film. By the end he’s antithesis of Harvey Dent, aka the White Knight. Both Batman and Harvey want to save Gotham City. Harvey tries but ultimately fails. However, to cover his mistakes, Batman takes on Harvey’s mistakes as his own, as a way to save the city at his expense. Harvey remains Gotham’s White Knight while Batman becomes, well, you know. It’s a beautiful use of an otherwise expected title.
So, both things in one.
2. The Joker
Encyclopedias could, and probably should, be written about just how great Heath Ledger is as the Joker in The Dark Knight. The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is a more than worthy acknowledgement of it. That Ledger passed away before the film was released only makes his chilling performance that much more terrifying and the more you watch it, the more you see all the subtlety he infused into each scene. Plus, as much as Ledger deserves the accolades as a performer, the way Nolan’s team designed his costumes, makeup, hair, and more are all worth mentioning too. It all comes together to make one of the most memorable characters… ever maybe?
3. The Bank Heist
Christopher Nolan loves to start his movies on some sort of semi-unrelated action sequence and The Dark Knight’s is one of the best. His bank heist is incredibly propulsive and constantly shocking, both as it begins, as the clowns all kill each other, and eventually how it resolves, with Joker being revealed and escaping in a bus.
4. The Scarecrow Cameo
Though The Dark Knight stands on its own, Nolan very nicely weaves in a few crumbs that pick up from his first Batman film, 2005’s Batman Begins. One of those crumbs is the brief cameo by that film’s villain, Scarecrow, played by Cillian Murphy. To see him still attempting to be a villain, but to be oh so easily thwarted by Batman, really helps set the stakes for this second go-round.
5. The New Batcave
Less a cave than an underground garage, Bruce’s new “Batcave” is not only one of those crumbs looking back at the events of Batman Begins (since Wayne Manor was destroyed), but just looks… awesome. Bright, white, claustrophobic, it’s unlike any Batcave we’ve ever seen, which fits right in with the movie itself.
6. The MCU
Bear with me here. I’m not talking about the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” which, it turns out, also turns 15 years old this year since Iron Man came out a few weeks before The Dark Knight. No, I’m talking about the Major Crimes Unit, run by Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) in the film. Nothing about it is particularly special overall but it just struck me as funny that it’s referred to as “the MCU” so many times in the movie. Just one of those fun, meaningless, little coincidences that make this movie look slightly different now.
7. The Sky Hook
When Batman has to get out of Hong Kong without the plane landing on the ground, Lucius Fox arranges for a device called “Sky Hook” to grab him and bring him into the air. Not only is it a cool moment, it becomes instantly unforgettable thanks to cue in the score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard.
8. Harvey Dent’s Arc
When The Dark Knight was announced, and Aaron Eckhart was cast as Harvey Dent, it was obvious to assume he’d be one of the film’s villains. And, by the end, he is. But the way The Dark Knight uses Harvey’s arc—from fearless, crime-fighting lawyer to terrifying, scarred, murderer—as the central thematic through line in the movie is truly masterful. We see and feel why and how he changes, giving the movie that much more pathos, as well as a juicy villain origin story.
9. Gordon’s Death
I’ve seen The Dark Knight probably a dozen times since its release but rewatching it last week was the first time in a while. So, when Jim Gordon dies, I was shocked as much as I was the first time. Then, a second later, I remembered what really happened, that his death was faked as a ploy to get the Joker. Even though I knew what was happening, the smart little twist of Gordon’s death showed itself as a standout piece of storytelling.
10. The Bat Pod
One of the highlights of Batman Begins was Nolan’s new take on the Batmobile, here referred to as the Tumbler. And the Tumbler makes a comeback in The Dark Knight, only to be wrecked and then tease us with some sort of eject sequence. Boom. The Bat Pod is then born from its bowels and it’s not just an awesome, goosebump-raising moment, the Bat Pod is just cool as hell. Period.
11. The Truck Flip
Arguably the highlight of the awesome Bat Pod scene is when Nolan and his team flip an a massive, 18-wheeler completely over itself. Sure, he could have done it with CGI, and surely there’s some in there to make it look perfect, but actually doing it on the street just makes the scene look so much better.
12. Interrogation
In a movie of unforgettable scenes, the interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker is maybe its best. Not just because of the great verbal battle the two have, but because in a movie that’s so dark it literally has the word “Dark” in its title, Nolan shoots most of this in much brighter, unforgiving light, really letting us see these super heroic characters as more grounded and human.
13. Harvey or Rachel
Nothing is straightforward when it comes to the Joker. Every scheme of his has another layer that doesn’t reveal itself until the end. And the most sinister one of those is where he makes Batman choose who to save: Harvey Dent or Rachel Dawes. Choose the love of his life or the person who can save the city. That’s cruel enough, but to lie about the locations and force him to choose the opposite person (in this case, Harvey) is just a messed up, incredible moment.
14. Hiding the Letter
Before she dies, Rachel writes Bruce a letter telling him that she can’t be with him. She’s going to marry Harvey. Which contradicts what Bruce believes. However, once she dies, Alfred slyly hides the letter from Bruce, not letting his perfect ideal of what could have been conflict with reality. Because it no longer matters. It’s a beautiful, sad moment that speaks to how broken Alfred knows Bruce truly is.
15. The Sacrifice
We touched upon this way back in the first entry when talking about the title, but we’re gonna talk more about it here. Pretty much everything about The Dark Knight is great, but the icing on the cake is its ending. An ending where Bruce Wayne sacrifices Batman’s reputation as a hero to save a city. It’s a choice he can make because he’s anonymous. A symbol. Because Batman can be the bad guy without Bruce being. And it speaks to the power of heroism in a very complex, unique way. It’s almost a downer way to end the movie, but Nolan plays it in a way to make it rousing, even when you’re still getting your head around the larger implications.