I do my best to not have specific expectations when going to see a movie, but obviously it is impossible to enter without any expectations. Just as with Batman Begins, my expectations were completely shattered by The Dark Knight.
First, it is worth noting that all of the hype around Heath Ledger's Joker is warranted. It is one of the finest performances that I have ever seen on film. And as the critics have decreed, his acting did outshine the acting of the rest of this absolutely fantastic cast. (Even the "extras" were high-caliber.) I, in fact, wish that Heath was given more to do because at the end of the day, he was not actually the most interesting character in the film.
No, that honor goes to one, Mr. Harvey Dent. Although I have not read many Batman comics and have not seen Batman Forever in years, or watched the cartoon in years, I remember who Harvey Dent is: Harvey Two-Face. And it was this knowledge that made this film gut wrenching. Watching a pure evil person (i.e. - the Joker) do evil things is interesting, exciting, etc. But watching a good man do good things while knowing that he too will some day become evil is almost unbearable.
It was this which stayed with me when I left the theatre. The evil I see, that I can look at and know by name is frightening and disheartening. But even more frightening, even darker, is the evil that lurks in the hearts of good men.
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