The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, which has been the classiest of the numerous comic-book adaptations, comes to a perfect close with The Dark Knight Returns. Better than its predecessor, and almost as good as the first film in the series, The Dark Knight Returns continues to expound upon the notions of good and evil, law and crime, and whether heroes should be necessary.

The film begins eight years after the conclusion of The Dark Knight, in which Batman has disappeared, blamed for the death of district attorney Harvey Dent. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), the man behind Batman's mask, has similarly gone into seclusion, seen only by his faithful butler Alfred (Michael Caine). Gotham City has been cleaned up, and Wayne reckons that Batman isn't needed anymore.

But then comes Bane (Tom Hardy), a mercenary who seems determined to ruin Wayne, by breaking into the Stock Exchange and manipulating trades. Bane is a cueball who wears a mask that looks the mouth of some exotic spider, and uses a somewhat Germanic accent that makes him sound like a combination of a Bond villain and a professional wrestler. It turns out he is backed by some nefarious figures in Gotham City's elite. But Bane is really after the complete destruction of the city.

This bring Batman out of hiding, but he is beaten by Bane, who was trained by the same League of Shadows that Batman was. He ends up in a prison somewhere deep in the third world, and must train his body and his mind in order to escape. He is told by the sage there that he must learn to embrace his fear of death, for without it he can not succeed.

Meanwhile, there are other characters in the mix. Moving between both sides of the law, a sexy cat burglar (Anne Hathaway), who is known to all of us as Catwoman but is never called that in the film, makes a strong presence. We are not given her back story, other than that she has a long record and wishes to expunge it. Nolan resists the cartoonish aspects of the character, such as purring her lines, and a visit to her apartment does not reveal a cat, which Joel Schumacher would have done. Hathaway is a joy, and equals the performance Michelle Pfeiffer gave in Batman Returns.

Gotham's finest are represented by Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), who knows Batman was not responsible for Dent's death, but keeps that secret, and chief Matthew Modine, who is more interested in catching the Caped Crusader than Bane. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a patrolman who met Wayne at a young age and also believes in Batman (he also is the only person who has figured out that Wayne must be Batman). All of these performances are fine, especially Oldman, who deserves an Oscar nomination.

This film works on several different levels. For one thing, it's fun, much more than The Dark Knight. There are some superior action sequences, especially a fight between Bane's army and the police, which takes on the look of something out of Gangs of New York. The fights between Bane and Batman, using only their fists, are also well done, although I wonder why Batman didn't try to hit Bane in his one unprotected area--the throat.

Secondly, the film works as epic drama. All the characters are afforded arcs, and they are all emotionally resonant. Oh, there are some moments that roll the eyes--a school bus full of orphans, really? A bomb going off in a football stadium, as the player is returning a kickoff back for a touchdown? And late in the film is one of the hokier death scenes you are likely to see.

But the ending, beyond the death scene, is magnificent, featuring a capping moment in a cafe in Florence that really got to me, and made the whole saga conclude on a perfect note.

I should add that the film does have some interesting political overtones. Bane, as a cover for what he's really up to, pretends he's some sort of revolutionary, and espouses 99% language. I found that an interesting choice--here is what happens when the great unwashed take over. It's as if the film is stating that when the rich rule things (Batman, of course, could not exist without Wayne's vast riches) things are fine. Despite the villain being a homonym for his company, Mitt Romney would enjoy this picture.

Also, Gotham is a stand-in for New York City, and to see the city in aerial view, its bridges blown up, buildings smoldering in ruins, carries memories of 9/11. Nolan doesn't shy away from them, though, but confronts our memories head on, forcing us to deal with them, which makes Bane all the scarier and the consequences seem all the more real.

My grade for The Dark Knight Rises: A.