In Gotham City, the Joker and his accomplices
rob a mob-owned bank. After orchestrating their deaths, he escapes
alone. Batman and Lieutenant Jim Gordon decide to include the
new district attorney, Harvey Dent, who is dating Rachel Dawes, in
their plan to eradicate the mob. Impressed with Dent's idealism, Bruce Wayne
offers him a fundraiser. Mob bosses Sal Maroni, Gambol, and The Chechen
are informed by Lau, a Chinese accountant, that he has hidden their funds and
fled to Hong Kong to escape the new pressure. The Joker interrupts
the meeting, warning that Batman is unhindered by jurisdiction. He offers to
kill Batman for half their money, but the mob bosses refuse and Gambol puts a
bounty on him. The Joker later kills Gambol and takes control of his men, while
Batman captures Lau using a skyhook, delivering him back to Gotham to
testify.
The Joker issues an ultimatum that people will die each day
unless Batman reveals his identity, resulting in the deaths of
Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb and the judge presiding over the mob
trials. The Joker targets Dent at the fundraiser but Bruce hides him, while
Rachel is looked after by Alfred Pennyworth. Gordon foils the Joker's
assassination attempt on Mayor Garcia during Loeb's memorial service,
apparently sacrificing himself in the process. As a result, Bruce plans to
reveal his identity, but Dent instead names himself as Batman to protect the
truth. Dent is taken into protective custody and pursued by the Joker across
the city as Batman rushes to aid. Gordon, who faked his death, helps apprehend
the Joker and is promoted to Commissioner. However, Dent and Rachel disappear.
Batman interrogates the Joker and learns each are in separate buildings filled
with explosives. Batman intends to find Rachel, instead finding Dent moments
before the buildings explode. Rachel dies and half of Dent's face is scarred.
The Joker then uses a smuggled bomb inside a prisoner to escape from the police
department with Lau.
Coleman Reese, an accountant at Wayne Enterprises,
deduces Batman's secret identity and plans to blackmail him. The Joker kills
Lau and The Chechen, threatening to bomb a hospital unless Reese is killed.
Gordon rescues Reese, while the Joker visits Dent in the hospital, convincing
him to get revenge. Dent uses his burned lucky coin to decide the fates of
those responsible for Rachel's death, killing Maroni and two corrupt cops who
had helped kidnap Rachel. After blowing up the hospital and escaping with
hostages, the Joker gives two explosive rigged ferries, one of citizens and the
other of Arkham Asylum inmates, the choice to blow the other up until
midnight—otherwise, both will explode. Batman asks a reluctant Lucius Fox to
use a city-wide tracking device to find the Joker; Fox agrees, but says he will
resign immediately afterward. Batman rescues the hostages, who are disguised as
Joker's gang, by fighting off the Joker's real men and
Gordon's SWAT team. The ferry passengers, refusing to kill each
other, are saved as Batman apprehends the Joker. Nevertheless, the Joker gloats
that he has won, as the citizens of Gotham will lose hope once Dent's rampage
becomes public knowledge. Batman leaves to find Dent as the Joker is taken into
custody.
Dent lures Gordon to the building where Rachel died and
holds his family hostage, as Batman confronts him. Dent judges the fates of
Batman, himself, and Gordon's son with three coin flips. As a result, he shoots
Batman in the abdomen, spares himself and flips to determine the boy's fate.
Batman, who is wearing body armor, tackles Dent off the building, saving the
boy but resulting in Dent's death. Batman convinces Gordon to hold him
publicly responsible for the murders so that Dent will remain a symbol of hope for
the city. A manhunt for Batman ensues, as he escapes on the Batpod. Alfred
burns a letter written by Rachel to Bruce announcing her engagement to Dent,
Fox watches the signal tracker self-destruct and Gordon destroys
the Bat-Signal before delivering a eulogy at Dent's funeral.
Characters & Costumes
• The
film ‘The Dark Knight’ I feel show many typical conventions of a thriller. For example
within the bottom images, it show the antagonist (Batman) and the protagonist
(The Joker), this is something which tends to be in many thriller films as it
will show the audience the battle for good and evil. However many people feel
that this film in particular, subverts conventions; this is because of the
colour of batman's costume, as it is black, this can come across as batman
being a villain. Where as the joker is dressed as a jester, this play along
with peoples fears within clowns.
Setting & Lighting
• This
is another example of why ‘The Dark Knight’ conforms to the genre thriller, as
within many thriller the lighting is either, very dark or based towards the
night-time, this is simply because it adds more suspense to whatever is going
on, on screen, however it can also add mysteriousness to the film in which
attracts the audience. The reason for ‘The Dark Knight’ is simple, it’s a film
in which the antagonist(Batman), is a hero in which only comes out at night,
this is another reason in why i feel that this film subverts the conventions,
as hero are meant to be people in which venture out within the daytime, however
batman does not.
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