OK,  I did it.  I caught Batman – Dark Knight.  You don’t need another review (but you are going to get something…) to say – Excellent!  Scary!!  Loud!!!  Disturbing!!!!  Long!!!!!

If you haven’t seen it yet, do.  (And what are you doing?  Your FI-SCI licence could be endorsed or revoked!)   If you have seen it – when will you go again?  There’s so much going on,  you will have missed something…

My own excuse for being late seeing this film is that Heath Ledger got so many brownie points for the Joker that I didn’t want to be the one to debunk him. 

The dude is dead,  and more or less by definition therefore does not need more aggravation from me.  However he has n

The psychology of the movie is interesting,  and not something I get to play with in my usual day job,  or normally whilst roasting bad screenplays;  so if you hang on in with us here,  be prepared to engage your brain.

In Dark Knight the Joker is just bad.  He’s not a crook, he doesn’t want money (he burns a mountain of money – and a handy victim – to demonstrate this) or power – he just wants chaos,  because he wants (if you read between the lines a little) either to be entertained,  or just to be dead.  Entertained is not a priority. 

He’s only one man.  But facing an enemy that really doesn’t care whether it lives or not,  and one that really enjoys it when everyone runs around and screams loads,  is a bit chancy for the good guys at best. 

Plus this nutter has a way of asking you whether all you thought you held dear in the way of democracy, of freedom,  and of law and order,  is really that worth-while.

Maybe I was having one of those nihilistic existential afternoons (as you do),  but the film seemed to be asking some really interesting questions about – when you’re faced with someone who completely blows all normal rules out of the water,  are you in any way justified in completely dumping your own ethics stack and going totally postal on his (or their) ass? 

Or should you resolutely stick to your principles even if it means a few innocents getting barbecued along the way?

In a few of these discussions previously I’ve been known to take both sides (I’m fickle,  plus it’s the original win-win situation). 

One hand,  I’m the good guy;  so I know that everything I do,  no matter how it disregards the rights and feelings of anyone else,  is for their best interests in the long term.  True - a few people might accidentally die due to my general lack of overall omnipotence,  but y’know,  omlettes,  eggs,  that sort of thing.

Other hand,  I think that to acknowledge or to give in to terrorism is to let the bad guys win.  We have to stick to our principles and give them their day in court,  even if we think their high-price lawyers might get them off,  and would prefer to give them a quick hearing at the end of a gun.  We have to believe in our system.

The sticking point tends to be:  I know exactly what sort of talent we have running most of our system these days,  and I Am Not Impressed.  Most agencies seem to have serious problems scoring more than one out of three on the walking / talking / chewing gum scale.

The film itself seems to come down in favour of:  the Ends do not justify the Means,  and Everyone has to be Accountable - although there’s a bit of a get-out clause if the Good Guys decide to keep a few facts out of the public domain. 

Also the public (in the film),  despite being offered every incentive to get collectively postal,  upliftingly opts to stick with Truth,  Goodness and the Way that the Americans would like to think is theirs by Divine (and Motion Picture) right.

Conspiracy Theorists might assume that either the Powers That Be are trying to get us ready for some upcoming starttling revelations,  or we’re being asked to think deeply about what we’re prepared to give up in the ongoing war against Terror.

Me,  I’m just grateful that a film that runs for three hours never once made me think of sneaking out to take the strain off my butt,  and has left me thinking semi-intelligent thoughts some hours afterward.

Heath deserves an Oscar for a very scary performance,  and the J&C Nolan writing and directing firm should take in a few more for the film being exciting,  engaging and very, very grown up. 

Mr Caine delivers his normal excellent “Parker” (from Thunderbirds) performance with some nicely judged one-liners,  and Christian Bale is a Batman driven to distraction as the world unravels around him.  The whole production is effortlessly professional – like a duck on a pond. 

Apologies for not indexing a stellar cast individually,  but I enjoyed my time with this film,  and I will be back.  (Sorry, Arnie.)

My answer,  by the way,  to the sticking to principles issue?  I agree with the Lost Boys in the most (but not very) recent Peter Pan – “Kill the lawyers…..”

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