The Dark Knight [SteelBook] [Blu-ray]

Director: Christopher Nolan Christopher Nolan

Overview

Christopher Nolan steps back into the director's chair for this sequel to Batman Begins, which finds the titular superhero coming face to face with his greatest nemesis -- the dreaded Joker. Christian Bale returns to the role of Batman, Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over the role of Rachel Dawes (played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins), and Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger dons the ghoulishly gleeful Joker makeup previously worn by Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero. Just as it begins to appear as if Batman, Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) are making headway in their tireless battle against the criminal element, a maniacal, wisecracking fiend plunges the streets of Gotham City into complete chaos.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/07/2013
UPC:	0883929331857
Original Release:	2008
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Warner Home Video
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:33:00

Special Features

Disc 1 - Movie with Focus Points; Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a Scene - Director Christopher Noland and Creative Collaborators Unmask the Incredible detail and planning behind the film, Including Stunt Staging, Filming in IMAX, the New Bat-suit and Bat-pod; Exclusive Features Via BD-Live!; ; Disc 2 - Special Features - Batman Tech - The Incredible Gadgets and Tools Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight - Delve into the Psyche of Bruce Wayne and the World of Batman Through Real-World Psychotherapy; Gotham Tonight - 6 Episodes of Gotham Cable's Premier News Program ; The Galleries- The Joker Cards, Concept Art, Poster Art, Production Stills, Trailers and TV Spots

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Christian Bale	Batman/Bruce Wayne
Heath Ledger	The Joker
Aaron Eckhart	Harvey Dent
Maggie Gyllenhaal	Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman	Lt. James Gordon
Morgan Freeman	Lucius Fox,Pol
Michael Caine	Alfred
Nestor Carbonell	Mayor
Eric Roberts	Maroni
Cillian Murphy	Scarecrow
Anthony Michael Hall	Engel
Ritchie Coster	Chechen
Chin Han Ng	Lau
Colin McFarlane	Loeb
Joshua Harto	Reese
Melinda McGraw	Barbara Gordon
Nathan Gamble	James Gordon
Michael Vieau	Rossi
Michael Stoyanov	Dopey
Bill Smille	Grumpy
Michael Jai White	Gambol
Matthew O'Neill	Chuckles
William Fichtner	Bank Manager
Beatrice Rosen	Natascha
Edison Chen	LSI VP
Vincenzo Nicoli	Crime Boss
Nydia Rodriguez Terracina	Judge Surrillo
Will Zahrn	Assistant DA
Patrick Clear	Judge Freel
Richard Dillane	Acting Commissioner
Philip Bulcock	Murphy
Olumiji Olawumi	Drug Dealer
William Armstrong	Evans
Bronson Webb	Bounty Hunter
Andrew Bicknell	Prison Ferry Pilot
Monique Gabriela Curnen	Det. Anna Ramirez
Keith Szarabajka	Stephens
William Smillie	Happy
Danny Goldring	Grumpy
Andy Luther	Brian
James Farruggio	Man No. 1
James Fierro	Thug at Party
Patrick Leahy	Gentleman at Party
Ron Dean	Wuertz
Han Chin	Lau
Greg Beam	Junkie
Erik Hellman	Junkie
Tom McElroy	Man No. 2
Sam Derence	Male Guest
Jennifer Knox	Female Guest
Sarah Jayne Dunn	Maroni's Mistress
Chucky Venn	Gambol's Bodyguards
Winston Ellis	Gamble Bodyguard
David Dastmalchian	Joker's Thug
Sophia Hinshelwood	Reporter
Keith Kupferer	Heckler
Joseph Luis Caballero	Cop Heckler
Daryl Satcher	Officer at Intersection
Crhis Perschler	Convy Leader
Aidan Feore	Fat Thug
Paul Birchard	Cop with Fat Thug
Walter Lewis	Medic
Vincent Riotta	Cop at 250 52nd St.
Nancy Crane	Nurse
Matt Shallenberger	Berg
Michael Andrew Gorman	Cop at Hospital
Lanny Lutz	Bartender
Peter DeFaria	Civilian
Matt Rippy	First Mate
Ariyon Bakare	Guard Commander
Doug Ballard	Businessman
Helene Wilson	Mother
Tommy Campbell	Passenger
Craig Heaney	Passenger
Lorna Gayle	Passenger
Joshua Rollins	SWAT Sniper
Dale RIvera	SWAT Leader
Matthew Leitch	Prisoner on Ferry
Tommy Lister Jr.	Tattoeed Prisoner
Thomas Gaitsch	Reporter #3
Adam Kalesperis	Honor Guard Man
Tristan Tait	Uniform Cop
Gertrude Kyles	Fox's Secretary
Jonathan Ryland	Passenger Ferry Pilot
James Scales	Guardsman
Nigel Carrington	Warden
Ian Pirie	Prisoner
Lateef Lovejoy	Prisoner
Grahamm Edwards	Prisoner
Roger Monk	Prisoner
Ronan Summers	Prisoner
Wai Wong	Hong Kong Detective
Michael Foster	Honor Guard Leader
Hannah Gunn	Gordon's Daughter
Brandon Lambdin	Armored Car SWAT
Hans Zimmer	Composer
James Newton Howard	Composer
Lee Smith	Composer

Technical Credits

Christopher Nolan

Bob Kane

Christopher Nolan	Director,Producer,Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Charles Roven	Producer
Emma Thomas	Producer
Thomas Tull	Executive Producer,Producer
Benjamin Melniker	Executive Producer,Producer
Michael E. Uslan	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Producer
Kevin De La Noy	Executive Producer,Producer
John Papsidera	Casting
Lucinda Syson	Casting
Ian Hunter	Special Effects
Chris Corbould	Special Effects Supervisor
Richard King	Sound/Sound Designer
Lora Hirschberg	Sound Mixer
Gary Rizzo	Sound Mixer
Ed Novick	Sound Mixer
Lorne Orleans	Producer
Andrew Bock	Sound Effects
John P. Fasal	Sound Effects
Christopher Flick	Sound Effects
Linda Folk	Sound Effects
Bob Kane	Screenwriter
Jordan Goldberg	Producer
Jay Patel	Special Effects
Andy Aitken	Special Effects
Ian Mitchell	Special Effects
Ryan Evans	Special Effects
Matt Heron	Special Effects
Daniel Williams	Special Effects
Heath Winn	Special Effects
Tobiasz Daszkiewicz	Stunts
Pete Ford	Stunts
Andy Godbold	Stunts
Rob Cooper	Stunts
James Embree	Stunts
Rick English	Stunts
Eddie J. Fernandez	Stunts
James Fierro	Stunts
David Garrick	Stunts
Charles Jarman	Stunts
Paul Kennington	Stunts
Sonny Louis	Stunts
Nick McKinless	Stunts
Gordon Seed	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

The caped crusader gets a stunning dose of hardcore dramatics in The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's ambitious follow-up to Batman Begins. Hailed as the first real big-screen adult take on a popular comic mythos, the film goes to great lengths to show that costumed characters can indeed exist in genres outside of their comfort zone -- which in this case, spells gritty crime drama. Nolan's Gotham City might be beautiful, but it's decaying from the inside out -- as are most of the people in control of it. So at what point do the efforts of a costumed vigilante cease to have an impact on the city he vows to protect -- and when does his mere presence become a detriment to that society? It's these kinds of hefty issues that embody what could accurately be touted as a reinvention of the entire superhero film altogether. Thick with rich dramatics, daring performances, and a few knockout scenes of action gusto, The Dark Knight strives to not only one-up its predecessor, but also to lay down a measuring stick of quality for the rest of Hollywood to live up to. Viewers' strong reactions to the picture likely have a lot to do with the casting. Heath Ledger's sad passing gives his fearless performance -- and in effect, the movie -- a sense of importance that is hard to counter. For his part, the talented performer gives a full-on show each time he is onscreen. His approach to this anarchist embodiment of The Joker is something truly special to behold and easily one of the boldest portrayals in comic-to-screen history. Take him away and there's still plenty of A-game being brought to the screen, thanks to the talents of Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Aaron Eckhart, whose solid performance as Harvey Dent makes up the tragic backbone of the film. For his part, Christian Bale does a fine job embodying the lonesome hero of his city, even if he persists in giving Batman's voice the same guttural growl that hurt his performance the first time around. Thankfully, the costume has been given an overhaul to address some of the "rubber suit" issues that have plagued the franchise since its Tim Burton days. Yet just as Burton reshaped the character to fit his own gothic tastes, so does Christopher Nolan paint a picture all his own. By luring audiences in with a consistently light first half and then turning things bleaker as the movie progresses, the filmmaker has created a truly engrossing tale of modern decay. By the end, much has changed and no one is left unscathed. It's not an easy story to either tell or sit through. There are casualties -- and this most certainly is not a crowd-pleaser in the typical sense of the word. By eschewing what many others in his field are doing with similar comic properties and seeking out his inspiration elsewhere, Nolan shows that mature thematic material can have new life when adapted for even the most beloved heroes of the printed page. Critically, he does overshoot things a bit by bringing in slightly heavy-handed messages into the final chunk of the film -- and it seems that a few characters really get the short end of the stick (Scarecrow, anyone?). Perhaps the rumored three-hour cut would iron out a few of the film's issues, including rushed character arcs and especially one seemingly needless late set piece. The action, while improved in this installment, also is a bit hampered by some confusing techno-gadgetry (in one of the only moments where the action is dictated by fantastic spectacle). Still, with its virtuoso vision and near avant-garde score from James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer fueling the picture's ever-growing dread, The Dark Knight stands on its own in a world full of easy entertainment. Perhaps someday someone will be able to happily marry the best that both Nolan and Burton have brought to the screen -- until then, this remains an impressive feat of studio-backed artistry. Like its own crime-fighter, the movie is a symbol that aspires to greater things; where it will lead is anyone's guess.