Friday, August 15, 2008

The Dark Knight - not a movie for children

I took my eldest yesterday to see "The Dark Knight" - the new Batman movie. And you know what? They're right. It really shouldn't be rated 12A. It's certainly an action packed movie, but it's too dark, too brooding, too forbidding for the British Board of Film Censors to grant it a 12A rating right in the middle of the school holidays.

At 152 minutes, it's very long, and there are at least two occasions when you think it's over. Christian Bale in the lead role almost takes a back seat to the late Heath Ledger, who as the Joker, is the epitome of psychotic maniac - as Michael Caine, who plays Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred says "some men just want to watch the world burn".

My daughter enjoyed the movie, but the thing that stuck in her mind was the "social games" played by the Joker - deeply disturbing acts of violence initiated by the choices made by the innocent victims. Great cast - Bale, Ledger and Caine are joined by Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman - great story, great visuals.

But it's not a movie for children nor should it be rated as such.

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