Changes: The Dark Knight (Movie)

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Title: The Dark Knight
Released: July 18th, 2008 (US)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer(s): Story by Christopher Nolan & David Goyer, Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan

Cast

Character	Actor
Batman/Bruce Wayne	Christian Bale
Joker	Heath Ledger
Alfred Pennyworth	Michael Caine
Rachel Dawes	Maggie Gyllenhaal
Harvey Dent	Aaron Eckhart
Lucius Fox	Morgan Freeman
James Gordon	Gary Oldman
Jonathan Crane	Cillian Murphy
Gillian B. Loeb	Colin McFarlane
Salvatore Maroni	Eric Roberts
Mike Engel	Anthony Michael Hall

Synopsis

Nearly a year after the events of Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne aka Batman, Lieutenant James Gordon, and new District Attorney Harvey Dent are succeeding in rounding up all the criminals that plague Gotham City. But the rise of a mysterious new criminal mastermind called the Joker creates a new reign of chaos in Gotham. Bruce's conflict with Joker becomes personal, making The Dark Knight "confront everything he believes in" and further improve his suit and his technology to stop the Clown Prince of Crime. During this time, Bruce is determined to win back Rachel Dawes away from Dent. Meanwhile, the Joker forces Sal Maroni, who is now in charge of the criminal mafia following Carmine Falcone's arrest and fall from power, to battle his enemies, which include a rival gangster named Gambol and Batman himself.

Plot Summary

The film begins with the Joker robbing a mob-owned bank, and systematically double crossing his accomplices so he can have all the money. That night, multiple Batman impersonators interrupt a meeting between mobsters and the Scarecrow. The real Batman shows up and subdues everyone, but injuries suffered during the confrontation lead him to design a new, more versatile suit of armor. Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon contemplate bringing new district attorney Harvey Dent in on their plan to eradicate the mob, and the possibility that Dent will become the hero to the people that Batman cannot be. At the same time, Bruce Wayne and Harvey are both competing for the love of Rachel Dawes. The mob bosses meet to discuss how to handle Batman, Gordon, and Dent, while a Chinese mobster accountant, Lau, lets the gang leaders know he has taken their money to Hong Kong to prevent the police and the district attorney from seizing it in an imminent bank raid. The Joker arrives and proposes to kill Batman for them, and also tries to convince them that Lau will give them all up to the police if he is caught.

After Batman successfully abducts Lau in Hong Kong and delivers him to the Gotham City police, the mobsters agree to pay the Joker half of their money in return for killing Batman. The Joker tells all of Gotham that if the Batman does not turn himself in to the police, that more people will die each day. When the Joker begins killing off public officials, including Commissioner Loeb, despite the best efforts of the police and Batman to stop him, Wayne decides to turn himself in to the police. Before he can do so, Dent publicly admits to being "the Batman" to draw the Joker out of hiding. The Joker attempts to kill Dent during transport, but Gordon and Batman intervene in time to stop and arrest him. With the Joker in custody, Batman interrogates the Joker until he reveals that Rachel and Dent have been taken to opposite sides of the city, far-enough apart that Batman does not have time to save both of them. Batman speeds off to save Rachel, while Gordon and the police head after Dent. Unknown to them, the Joker has switched the locations, sending Batman after Dent and Gordon after Rachel. With the help of a pre-planted phone bomb, the Joker escapes with Lau in tow. Batman arrives and rescues Dent just as both buildings explode, although the left side of Dent's face is burned during the explosion. Gordon does not reach Rachel in time and she dies in the explosion. In the hospital, Dent is driven to madness over the loss of Rachel, which he blames on Batman, Gordon and the Joker. The Joker frees Harvey from the hospital and convinces him to exact revenge on the cops, mobsters, Gordon and Batman.

While "Harvey Two-Face" confronts the corrupt cops and the mobsters one by one, flipping a coin to decide their fates, the Joker burns Lau along with the mob's money. The Joker then declares that he will rule the streets and that anyone left in Gotham at nightfall will be subject to his rule. The Joker plants explosives on two ferries of evacuees and gives the passengers on board the chance to destroy the opposing vessel, one full of prison convicts and another with civilians, in order to save their own lives. Batman tracks the Joker to an uncompleted skyscraper. Batman prevents the Joker from blowing up the ferries when both vessels' occupants decide they would rather not sacrifice the lives of the passengers in the other vessel for their own.

Following a brief hand-to-hand fight the Joker acknowledges that Batman really is incorruptible, but that Dent was not, and that he has unleashed Harvey's madness upon the city. Batman finds Gordon and his family with Dent at the building where Rachel died. Two-Face proceeds to judge Batman, himself, and Gordon's son through the chance of a coin flip, which he sees as the only fairness left in the world. Two-Face shoots Batman in the stomach, but before he can determine the boy's fate, Batman tackles him over the side of the building, saving Gordon's son. As Dent lies motionless on the ground, Batman and Gordon decide that the Joker would win if anyone found out about Dent's corruption and madness. Batman convinces Gordon to let him take all the blame for Dent's murders in order to preserve the former district attorney's image as Gotham's hero and give the city hope. As Gordon destroys the Bat-Signal, a manhunt is issued for Batman.

Notes

Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces actress Katie Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes. Dawes was the romantic love interest in this film's predecessor Batman Begins.

David S. Goyer wrote two treatments (script outlines) encompassing Batman Begins and this movie, The Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan collaborated with Goyer on the story of this film while he and his brother, Jonathan Nolan wrote the screenplay.

The Batsuit has been redesigned to allow Christian Bale the ability to freely move his head.

Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker was inspired by Sid Vicious, the film A Clockwork Orange, and other anarchist attributes. Ledger wrote his Joker's thoughts and feelings in a journal to help guide him through the acting.

News

News:Christopher Nolan talks about Dark Knight

Recommended Media

External Links

Dark Knight article at Wikipedia

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 == Plot Summary ==
+The film begins with the Joker robbing a mob-owned bank, and systematically double crossing his accomplices so he can have all the money. That night, multiple Batman impersonators interrupt a meeting between mobsters and the Scarecrow. The real Batman shows up and subdues everyone, but injuries suffered during the confrontation lead him to design a new, more versatile suit of armor. Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon contemplate bringing new district attorney Harvey Dent in on their plan to eradicate the mob, and the possibility that Dent will become the hero to the people that Batman cannot be. At the same time, Bruce Wayne and Harvey are both competing for the love of Rachel Dawes. The mob bosses meet to discuss how to handle Batman, Gordon, and Dent, while a Chinese mobster accountant, Lau, lets the gang leaders know he has taken their money to Hong Kong to prevent the police and the district attorney from seizing it in an imminent bank raid. The Joker arrives and proposes to kill Batman for them, and also tries to convince them that Lau will give them all up to the police if he is caught.
-The movie begins with a prolouge of the [[Joker (Earth-Nolan)|Joker]]'s rise to power where he systematically double-crosses his accomplices in an elaborate scheme to heist the mob-controlled Gotham National Bank so that he can have all the money to himself. It's been six months since ''Batman Begins'' and crminals are now afraid to continue their activites because of [[Bruce Wayne (Earth-Nolan)|Batman]]'s presence. There's a rather comical and dead-end police investigation going on about the identity of Batman with Elvis Presley and Abraham Lincoln as suspects at Gotham PD. Lieutenant Gordon and partner Detective Ramirez are on the roof of the Major Crimes Unit department with the Bat-Signal on, but Batman doesn't show. Ramirez wonders why Batman isn't coming, but Gordon is pretty sure he's busy. At a undisclosed location, Russian mob boss named the Chechen and his men meet with the [[Scarecrow]] in a drug dealing meeting. The Chechen is mad about his supplier when the fear-toxin drug is killing his consumers. The Scarecrow tells him he can go to another drug supplier since he's not bothered by the mishap. Their meeting is interrupted when multiple Batman copycat vigilantes with guns attempt to shoot them. A shootout occurs but is stopped when the Batmobile appears and intimidates them. This prompts the real Batman to subdue the copycat vigilantes. Batman's armor fails him when a dog is able to bite him. He ultimately captures the Scarecrow and his men, but the Chechen got away. Batman ties them all up to be arrested and leaves. Later, Batman meets with Gordon in the Bank where the heist took place. Batman discovers that the money is the vault was irradiatedily marked. They both realize that the Joker, a green-haired red-lip clown, was the main perpetrator. The next morning, Alfred goes underground a Wayne Enterprises construction site to a makeshift Batcave. Bruce is there, watching surveillance TVs. Alfred points out his wounds and Bruce explains roughly what happened the previous night. Bruce wonders if he can trust [[Harvey Dent]], the new co-district attorney, who's also dating his girlfriend, co-assistant D.A. [[Rachel Dawes]]. Alfred warns Bruce to be careful about his activites as Batman.
+After Batman successfully abducts Lau in Hong Kong and delivers him to the Gotham City police, the mobsters agree to pay the Joker half of their money in return for killing Batman. The Joker tells all of Gotham that if the Batman does not turn himself in to the police, that more people will die each day. When the Joker begins killing off public officials, including Commissioner Loeb, despite the best efforts of the police and Batman to stop him, Wayne decides to turn himself in to the police. Before he can do so, Dent publicly admits to being "the Batman" to draw the Joker out of hiding. The Joker attempts to kill Dent during transport, but Gordon and Batman intervene in time to stop and arrest him. With the Joker in custody, Batman interrogates the Joker until he reveals that Rachel and Dent have been taken to opposite sides of the city, far-enough apart that Batman does not have time to save both of them. Batman speeds off to save Rachel, while Gordon and the police head after Dent. Unknown to them, the Joker has switched the locations, sending Batman after Dent and Gordon after Rachel. With the help of a pre-planted phone bomb, the Joker escapes with Lau in tow. Batman arrives and rescues Dent just as both buildings explode, although the left side of Dent's face is burned during the explosion. Gordon does not reach Rachel in time and she dies in the explosion. In the hospital, Dent is driven to madness over the loss of Rachel, which he blames on Batman, Gordon and the Joker. The Joker frees Harvey from the hospital and convinces him to exact revenge on the cops, mobsters, Gordon and Batman.
-At a courthouse, mob boss [[Salvatore Maroni|Sal Maroni]] is on trial where Harvey and Rachel are there to prosecute him. A witness on the stand apparently lies about himself being the actual mob boss and attempts to shoot Harvey, but fails. Harvey grabs the witness's disabled gun, pointing out to Maroni that the gun was made in China and that if he wants to kill a public servant, he should buy American guns. The case is dismissed and afterwards, Rachel is glad they're getting somwehere seeing as the mob attempted to kill Harvey. Dent has a meeting with Gordon where they discuss the status of the city and they form an uneasy alliance with each other and Batman. Meanwhile, at Wayne Enterprises headquarters, Lucius Fox has a meeting with a Chinese company CEO, Mr.Lau, who hopes to have a joint venture with Wayne Enterprises, but Bruce Wayne comically sleeps through the whole discusssion. After the meeting, Bruce cancels the deal with Lau after confirmation from Fox that Lau may have mob ties. Bruce then asks Lucius to make another Batsuit for him. It's apparent that Lucius now knows Bruce is Batman. Later, Bruce and his new girlfriend, a Russian ballerina named Natasha, meet up with Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes on a double-date at a restaurant. After getting to know each other, Dent presses on the issue of Batman: he believes the Batman is looking for someone to take his place. Natasha thinks the Batman shouldn't take the law into his own hands. Dent defends Batman for his crime-fighting. Natasha comically suggests that maybe Dent is Batman but he's sure because of his love for Rachel that people won't expect him to be Batman. Moved by Dent's determination to help Gotham, Bruce funds Dent's campaign for election as the new D.A. Meanwhile, all the mob bosses in Gotham including Maroni, the Chechen, and street thug leader, Gambol, have a meeting where they discuss on how to handle Batman, Dent, and Gordon. A TV is brought out where a Chinese mob acccountant, Mr.Lau, is seen. Lau tells them his plan to keep all their money safe since the Joker's deliberate bank heist stole a mob desposit of 68 million dollars. Lau has pooled all of their money and has extradited it to Hong Kong because of an imminent bank raid headed by Gordon. The Joker interrupts the meeting, laughing rather extravengently. After demonstrating a funny but a deadly magic trick where he kills one of Gambol's bodyguards, he gives them a proposition: he'll kill the Batman so that their criminal empires can prosper again and he warns them that Lau will confess to Batman who has no jurisdiction unlike Gordon and Dent. Gambol puts a price on the Joker's head (5 grand dead and 1 million alive) and attempts to kill him, but the Joker has rigged himself with explosives, ensuring his escape.
+While "Harvey Two-Face" confronts the corrupt cops and the mobsters one by one, flipping a coin to decide their fates, the Joker burns Lau along with the mob's money. The Joker then declares that he will rule the streets and that anyone left in Gotham at nightfall will be subject to his rule. The Joker plants explosives on two ferries of evacuees and gives the passengers on board the chance to destroy the opposing vessel, one full of prison convicts and another with civilians, in order to save their own lives. Batman tracks the Joker to an uncompleted skyscraper. Batman prevents the Joker from blowing up the ferries when both vessels' occupants decide they would rather not sacrifice the lives of the passengers in the other vessel for their own.
-Atop the MCU Gotham Police building, Dent waits by the Bat-Signal when Batman stealthily appears and Gordon enters the meeting. Dent and Gordon argue about who's responsible for the bank raid failure. They want Batman to kidnap Lau who's now on his way to Hong Kong since the Chinese won't extradite a national. After discussing the plan, Batman disppears, much to Dent's surprise and Gordon's expectation. Next morning, Bruce and Lucius go to the Applied Sciences department under Wayne Tower where Fox unveils to Bruce new armor upgrades for the Batsuit including new flying gauntlets and a new cape. At the Batcave, Bruce and Alfred hatch a plan to get an alibi when they use a cargo plane under suspicious circumstances. Their plan makes Harvey's and Rachel's date to go see the show Natasha and her ballerinas are starring in to be cancelled as the ballerinas are on Bruce's yacht at sea. Bruce then heads for Hong Kong. Inside a bar, Gambol is told by his men that somebody killed the Joker. The body is brought in by the man who's revealed to be working for the Joker when the clown wakes up. After holding Gambol at knife point and telling him how he got his scars on his cheeks (his father supposedly mutilated him), the Joker kills Gambol and has his men kill Gambol's bodyguards. Lucius Fox arrives in Hong Kong and meets with Lau but the meeting abruptly ends when it's found out he brought a phone which can track Lau's position. Fox had a second identical phone placed in the guard's vacinity to act as a sonar locator and tells this to Bruce, who's blending in. Fox wishes him good luck on the mission and later that night, Bruce puts on the new Batsuit, shoots multiple detonators on the building of Lau's office, and falls off the roof when the office goes dark. As Batman, Bruce glides using his cape and flies towards his destination. Batman breaks in through a window and subdues Lau's guards along with Lau himself. The Chinese police and SWAT converge on Lau's office as the detonators explode, destroying a set of windows allowing Batman to escape with Lau in tow by clinging onto a airplane via a ballon. Back in Gotham, Gordon finds Lau outside the police building, presumably left by Batman. Lau makes a deal with Rachel Dawes, offering up his clients in exchange for his terms. Dent decides to use [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act  RICO] and wants to move Lau to County Jail, but Gordon countermands Dent by letting Lau stay in the holding cells. Realizing the Joker was right about Batman, Maroni and the Chechen prepare to hire the Joker, but they're arrested by Gordon along with the other mob bosses.
+Following a brief hand-to-hand fight the Joker acknowledges that Batman really is incorruptible, but that Dent was not, and that he has unleashed Harvey's madness upon the city. Batman finds Gordon and his family with Dent at the building where Rachel died. Two-Face proceeds to judge Batman, himself, and Gordon's son through the chance of a coin flip, which he sees as the only fairness left in the world. Two-Face shoots Batman in the stomach, but before he can determine the boy's fate, Batman tackles him over the side of the building, saving Gordon's son. As Dent lies motionless on the ground, Batman and Gordon decide that the Joker would win if anyone found out about Dent's corruption and madness. Batman convinces Gordon to let him take all the blame for Dent's murders in order to preserve the former district attorney's image as Gotham's hero and give the city hope. As Gordon destroys the Bat-Signal, a manhunt is issued for Batman.
-Maroni and the Chechen skip bail and are released from several charges, but Judge Cerillo sentences the other criminals to jail as part of Dent's plan to clean Gotham's streets of criminals for 18 months. Mayor Anthoney Garcia warns Dent that politicans, cops, and journalists will try to dig up dirt on Dent. When Garcia looks out the window of his office, a Batman impersonator's body crashes into the window. The police lower the body which was hung by a noose and was defaced with a red smile. At Wayne Tower, Bruce finds out on the news that the Joker was responsible for the murder of Randy Douglas, the Batman copycat who's now dead. On TV broadcasts, the Joker warns Gotham that he'll start killing people each day if the Batman doesn't reveal his identity. Later that night, Harvey and Rachel attend a party at Wayne Tower where Bruce congratulates Harvey for being the new D.A. Afterwards, Bruce promises to Rachel that Batman's days are almost over since Bruce thinks Harvey will become Gotham's next hero. The police discover that the Joker card on Douglas's body had traces of DNA from three public officals: Commissioner Loeb, Judge Cerillo, and Harvey Dent. Corrupt police officers, presumbly working for Maroni and the Joker, trick Cerillo into getting in her car, which explodes, killing her and sending loads of Joker cards onto the ground. Gordon does his best to protect Loeb, but Loeb dies when he drinks an acid-tainted beverage. The Joker and his men crash Bruce's party, prompting Bruce to knockout Dent so that he put him in safety. Bruce subdues one of Joker's thugs and transforms into Batman. The Joker threatens the partygoers, but Rachel interrupts. Joker tells her another story of how he got his scars (after his wife's mouth was scarred, he scarred his face because he doesn't care about appearances). Rachel kicks Joker and just as he's about to stab Rachel, Batman shows up and fights Joker and his men. Joker grabs Rachel and throws her out the building thorugh the window. Batman saves Rachel as he cathes her during the fall. As result of the Joker's crimes, Lau is moved into protective custody. At the Batcave, Bruce contemplates on why the Joker was involved with the mob and how to stop him. Alfred tells him a story of a bandit in Burma who killed for glory and hunting when Alfred was wokring for the local government. Alfred warns Bruce that some men, like the Joker and the bandit, "just want to watch the world burn." At night, Batman stakes out a location atop a building. He helps Gordon and Ramirez with his detective skills as they investigate a crime scence where the muder victims had names synonomous with Harvey Dent. They find out that Mayor Garcia is the Joker's next target.
-TO BE CONTINUED
 == Notes ==