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The
Dark Knight (2008)
In director Christopher Nolan's violence and action-packed
superhero, comic-book film:
- the exciting opening sequence of the mob-owned,
Gotham City bank robbery by clown-faced criminals - with the Joker
(Oscar-winning Heath Ledger) revealing himself with a painted clown
face (with a grinning red scar-smile) when he removed his mask
in front of a bank employee on the floor after killing off all
of his accomplices: ("What do you believe in? Huh, what do
you believe in? I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes
you... stranger")
- the Joker's meeting with underworld mob bosses (Salvatore
Maroni (Eric Roberts), The Chechan (Ritchie Coster), and Gambol (Michael
Jai White) an African-American gang leader), and his demonstration
of a lethal pencil trick, when he slammed a thug's head into the
upright writing utensil: ("How about a magic trick? I'm gonna
make this pencil disappear. Ta-daaaa! It's gone!")
- the Joker's negotiation with the mob bosses, who had
been emasculated by Batman, that he would offer to "Kill the
Batman" for them, in exchange for half of the bank robbery money:
("Let's wind the clocks back a year. These cops and lawyers
wouldn't dare cross any of you. I mean, what happened? Did your balls
drop off? Hmm? You see a guy like me....A guy like me. Look, listen.
I know why you choose to have your little group therapy sessions
in broad daylight. I know why you're afraid to go out at night. The
Batman. You see, Batman has shown Gotham your true colors, unfortunately...It's
simple. We, uh, kill the Batman")
- the scene of Batman (Christian Bale) landing on
the Scarecrow's (Dr. Jonathan Crane, Cillian Murphy) van and flattening
it
- the sight of a semi-trailer doing a somersault on
a NY city street (and the Bat-pod doing its own wall flip) during
a frenetic chase scene
- every scene in which the Joker threatened victims
with his knife and told them how he acquired his own facial scars
from his abusive father -- including his intimidation of Rachel Dawes
(Maggie Gyllenhaal) at Bruce Wayne's penthouse during a fundraiser:
("Well, hello beautiful! You must be Harvey's squeeze! And you
are beautiful. Well, you look nervous. Is it the scars? You want
to know how I got 'em?"); he 'let her go' from the side of the
skyscraper, forcing Batman to swoop down and rescue her
- the scene of the Joker (dressed as a nurse in a white
uniform) blowing up Gotham General Hospital by setting off various
explosions - remotely
- the Joker's two confrontation scenes with Batman:
- in the police interrogation room when he said laughingly: ("I
don't want to kill you. What would I do without you?...You complete
me")
- and while hanging upside down, he also stated his feelings about
the battle for Gotham's soul: ("You truly are incorruptible, aren't
you? Huh? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness.
And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you
and I are destined to do this forever...")
- the scene of crazed district attorney Harvey Dent
(aka Two-Face, with a disfigured face) (Aaron Eckhart), now corrupted
and vengeful (and lured to the dark side by the Joker), terrorizing
with a coin toss about everyone's fate - and Batman's rescue by hurling
himself at Dent and tackling him off the side of the building, where
he fell to his death
- Lt. James Gordon's (Gary Oldman) and Batman's realization
about how Batman would purposely take the blame and Dent would be
lauded as a hero, because the citizenry of Gotham would lose hope
if they knew how Dent's heroic goodness had been brought down by
the Joker: ("They must never know what he did...the Joker cannot
win"); Batman explained how he must sacrifice himself: ("Gotham
needs its true hero....You either die a hero, or you live long enough
to see yourself become the villain. I can do those things because
I'm not a hero, not like Dent. I killed those people. That's what
I can be....I'm whatever Gotham needs me to be")
- the final scenes of Lt. Gordon's eulogy for Harvey
Dent
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Harvey Dent (Two-Face) and His Coin Toss
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Lt. Gordon's Eulogy for Harvey Dent
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- the concluding sequence of Batman's escape as a
hunted fugitive as his Bat-Signal was destroyed by an axe wielded
by Lt. Gordon: (Batman's voice-over: "You'll hunt me. You'll
condemn me. Set the dogs on me. Because that's what needs to happen.
Because sometimes the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people
deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded")
- Lt. Gordon's delivery of a final voice-over regarding
Batman's fate, when he watched Batman flee and disappear into the
darkness, to escape from a massive police sweep with dogs, on his
Bat-pod: ("Because we have to chase him"), but to rise
another day although "he didn't do anything wrong": ("Because
he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.
So we'll hunt him because he can take it. Because he's not our hero.
He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight")
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"What do you believe in?"
The Joker with Mob Bosses Before Pencil Trick
Flattened Car
Chase Scene
Intimidation of Rachel
Bombing of Hospital
Batman's Confrontations with Joker
Batman's Concluding Flight as "A Dark Knight"
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