The Dark Knight (2008) Plot Synopsis
The Dark Knight is the second installment in Christopher Nolan’s somber and gloomy superhero trilogy. The movie chooses to present the cape-wearing vigilante realistically. In “Batman Begins”, Batman defeated Ra’s al Ghul and saved Gotham. Now, he must confront his toughest opponent yet: a deranged anarchist who has nothing to lose and wants to watch the world burn.
The film epitomizes what encompasses a superhero film. The picture brews breathtaking and bold visual treats with intricately layered archetypes in authentic Nolan fashion, all centered around a central moral philosophy. With no need to overdo the action, the philosophical battle between Batman and Joker brings each of the major characters in Gotham City’s turbulent epic to rewarding conclusions.
The narrative of good and evil is not presented simply in the superhero action movie which is rather fascinating. Batman is righteous, and The Joker is wicked, yes. However, Batman offers a trickier dilemma than usual as he is being called a vigilante by Gotham City residents. Additionally, they blame him for the killings of police officers and other people.
The Joker is also more than just a bad guy. His actions are diabolically planned to introduce his adversaries to moral conundrums. In that sense, he is a Mephistopheles. Furthermore, the highlight of the movie is undoubtedly Heath Ledger’s iconic portrayal of the antagonist, which is still regarded as one of the greatest performances in cinematic history.
How does The Joker begin to cause chaos in Gotham City?
Everybody’s favorite gloomy superhero is working tirelessly to make Gotham City safer 18 months after soaring theatrically off a rooftop at the climax of Batman Begins. The baddies are hiding in fear up until the Assassination Fairy – who goes by the name of the Joker and wears a purple outfit – pays the crime syndicate a visit. In return for an actual mound of cash, he offers to just get rid of Batman and put an end to Harvey Dent’s rallying district attorney campaign.
To bring down the sole remaining money launderer for the mob, Batman and Dent work with Lt. James Gordon. They believe they have finally caught him when the Joker intensifies his campaign, killing a judge, burning up a hospital, and killing Gordon’s key witness against the mafia.
Batman tries to hold on as much as possible, but when Harvey’s best gal Rachel is murdered in the middle of the fight, even he starts to wonder how much further he must go in order to stop this madman. Harvey becomes the evil Two-Face once the Joker permanently destroys his sanity. Batman must face not one, but two insane people who are out to obliterate all signs of justice in the city.
How does the ferry incident get resolved?
The Joker prepares for Batman by setting two ferries to explode, one crammed with law-abiding people and another with criminals. He then places the detonators in each ferry’s hands and threatens to light them both on fire if no one pulls the trigger. Batman bets differently, and he wins: after preventing the police from unintentionally murdering a separate group of captives, he overpowers the Joker, and both of them observe as neither ship bursts into flames.
Unfortunately, Harvey now stands on Joker’s team, and Batman has neglected Two-Face in his quest to defeat the Clown Prince of Crime. Jim Gordon’s family is being held captive by Ole Scabby Chin, so Batman must once more dash out to save the day, which he does by stopping the Joker and leaving him all tied up, ready for the police to arrest him. Properly this time!
What is the deeper meaning behind the ferry incident?
An intriguing look inside the deranged mind of Joker can be found in the ferry incident. The baddie wants to show that anyone is capable of being as malevolent and self-centered as him, depending on circumstances and motivation. Joker is of the opinion that he’s not the cause of corruption in Gotham City, but simply a reflection of it. Joker makes people think about the importance of life by involving both inmates and bystanders.
Joker is clearly unhappy with what happened as he prepares to deliver his threat to wreck both ships. However, the trap’s true purpose was to coerce one set of people into murdering the other set.
What price must Batman pay?
Gordon’s family is saved by Batman, but he is powerless to stop what is about to unfold as Harvey is killed in the subsequent fight. All of the crooks Harvey put behind vbars will return to the streets once word of his lunacy spreads. To prevent that, there is only one course of action. Harvey’s crimes are put on Batman. As a result, Harvey’s case will go forward unhindered and Gotham’s citizens will be protected, but at the expense of Batman’s reputation, who lives up to his name as the man Gotham needs – the Dark Knight.
What happens to The Joker at the end of The Dark Knight?
The Joker is taken into custody and Batman swears to uphold the moral oath. Bruce won’t kill another person, not even when confronted by a psychopath who is beyond evil and the person behind Rachel Dawes’ murder.
This brings to mind a previous scene in which Maroni informs Batman that crooks fear the Joker because he doesn’t follow the law. Batman demonstrates that those with ethical boundaries always prevail in the end through his moral as well as physical triumph over the Joker. The future of the Joker, meanwhile, is unclear. It is assumed that he is rotting in Arkham Asylum by the audience, awaiting his next chance to strike again.