Dirty Harry’s Place…

Thank you all for the emails regarding this New York Times story on The Dark Knight. Obviously this is something on many minds and therefore my meter is broken here as to what some might find interesting:

“The Dark Knight,” which will be released on July 18, is jammed with characters, plot and action. It picks up where “Batman Begins” left off, with Mr. Oldman’s police lieutenant, Jim Gordon, warning about the perils of escalation: that Batman’s extreme measures could invite a like response from the criminal element. And sure enough, a deadly new villain, the Joker, emerges to wreak havoc.

In a political context this would politely be called an “unintended consequence.” (Gotham as Baghdad, anyone?) Mr. Nolan doesn’t deny the overtones. “As we looked through the comics, there was this fascinating idea that Batman’s presence in Gotham actually attracts criminals to Gotham, attracts lunacy,” he said. “When you’re dealing with questionable notions like people taking the law into their own hands, you have to really ask, where does that lead? That’s what makes the character so dark, because he expresses a vengeful desire.”

Christopher Nolan is an amazing storyteller whose brilliant career has just begun. He’s earned my complete trust and his handling of this question from this appallingly awful newspaper is deft and appropriate. There’s nothing the left would love more than to have at least one Iraq-themed film of any kind make money, and Nolan isn’t having any of it.

The idea the New York Times wants to co-opt is that fighting crime creates crime and/or fighting terrorists creates terrorists, which is all kinds of intellectually vacant madness. Yes, liberals, were it not for Batman the Joker would enter community college – were it not for George W. Bush the terrorists might be found at their local Moose Lodge. You just keep frying your brains hanging onto that.

The Dark Knight trailers make me feel fourteen again. When’s the last time that happened? When’s the last time a trailer reminded you off why you fell in love with the movies? In most cases those two-and-a-half minutes have more theme, character development, and action than the main feature. My gut says this film’s going to be a watershed moment in the careers of all involved and create a second wave of mourning for Heath Ledger when his knock-out performance reminds us once again of the loss.

This is the movie of 2008 for yours truly. Which is why the Times’ feeble attempt to turn The Dark Knight into something partisan and divisive — to ruin it for half of us — barely registered. My contempt level for the liberal rag red-zoned years ago. The New York Times  being the New York Times just doesn’t feel post-worthy anymore.

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