Amazon.com: The Dark Knight: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman: Amazon Instant Video

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight reunites Christian Bale with director Christopher Nolan and takes Batman across the world in his quest to fight a growing criminal threat known as The Joker .

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Runtime: 2 hours 33 minutes
Release year: 2008
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Synopsis: The Dark Knight reunites Christian Bale with director Christopher Nolan and takes Batman across the world in his quest to fight a growing criminal threat known as The Joker .

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine

Supporting actors: Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Runtime: 2 hours 33 minutes

Captions and Subtitles: Details

Release year: 2008

Studio: Warner Bros.

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace

ASIN: B001I189MQ

Rights & Requirements

Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details

Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

365 of 424 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Film - Buy the Single Disc Version! December 9, 2008

By Jeremy

Format:DVD

What has been said about the Dark Knight cannot be elaborated on - so I won't. The film is muscling its way into my #1 favorite comic movie adaptation of all time.

The reason for my review is in hopes of saving you some money. This double disc Special Edition doesn't deliver the price you pay for it. There isn't even deleted scenes!!! I would save your very hard earned dollars and buy the single disc version and wait for the inevitable ULTIMATE re-release that will come later on down the road.

But nonetheless, a great film - you will not be dissapointed; I just wish the studio would have given a better Special Edition release than what we have here. So enjoy!

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623 of 742 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dark Masterpiece Surpasses the Hype October 11, 2008

By Justin Heath

Format:DVD

Christopher Nolan has a vision. And whether you agree with it or not, he undeniably completes it in "The Dark Knight"--a vicious, engrossing, overwhelming, intelligent event- film that re-defines 'comic-book-flicks'. In Nolan's grim, dark-depiction of Gotham-City (the crime-ridden hell protected by legendary superhero Batman), the director strives to make everything real (something he began in the well-received "Batman Begins"). He makes it plausible, possible. And yet there's more to it: just as 'Begins' was a dissection of myth, the nature of symbols and heroes, 'Knight' is the escalation of that notion. It's a biblical- confrontation of 'good-and-evil', yet as 'good-and-evil' really exist: a conflict of ideals, something that can't be purely-defined but that is relative to a viewpoint. In Nolan's world, the line of villainy and heroism isn't crossed... it's non-existent. The bad-guys don't see themselves as bad-guys, and as such something so unnervingly-real comes across it might fly past some people's minds (no insult to anybody, it's just common that people don't look deep into 'popcorn-flicks'): the battle is a complete ambiguity.

The film runs at nearly 2.5-hours, yet never ceases to lose interest or momentum. It doesn't waste a scene or moment; every event is utilized and necessary. 'The Dark Knight' tells a story worth telling and it takes the proper amount of time to tell it. Action-sequences are frantic, old-school, eye-grabbing stunts (vastly superior to 'Begins') and in their chaotic intensity we see that they serve purpose to the story, yet more interesting are not played for pure entertainment-value: we are meant to watch, petrified, simply hoping that the outcome will go the hero's way.... Attention is never lost because we are immersed in a breathtaking, almost completely-unpredictable story (it packs many a shock), that makes us think and more importantly gains our emotional-investment. We come to care for the characters, because they are believable, developed, and personified fully.

Everyone has great-chemistry together. Maggie Gyllenhal is a more mature Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes. Morgan Freeman provides his authoritative presence to the role of bad- gadget-inventor/Wayne-Enterprise CEO Lucius Fox, and under anyone else's portrayal, the part would be less-memorable. Gary Oldman underplays his world-wearied lawman with such honest-nobility, you never feel for a second any of its forced-acting. The irreplaceable Michael Caine makes a gentle, reassuring, father-like presence as Alfred, and the movie would surely fail without his strong-presence and interjected-moments of light-humor.

And while everyone (rightfully) pours the praise unto Bale and Ledger, I think most are glancing-over Knight's breakout-performance. As Harvey Dent, Aaron Eckhart does more than hold himself in the company of such a renowned-cast. He makes his presence known, whether he's playing on the easy-going charisma of Gotham's 'White-Knight' or the broken and damaged, twisted-soul of Two-Face. He achieves a full-impact with the tragedy that comes unto his character, and so closely connects with Dent, that he makes his pain tangible for us: we sympathize even as we become terrified. He captures both facets of each personality flawlessly.

Now, some people cite that 'Knight' has a potential fatal-flaw in the supposedly wooden- acting of Christian Bale. Admittedly, his development is not as grand as in 'Begins' (yet that film gave us such a good psychoanalysis of Wayne, we hardly need more), yet what Bale pulls off is admirable. Wayne is not an eccentric personality. He is a disillusioned man who can hardly find any joy in having no family, giving up his love-interest and spending his life fighting a battle that may never end. He's dark and conflicted, and Bale plays up on that brooding-mood by making Wayne look as though a thousand dark-things were on his mind. He's not wooden...he's a humorless, quiet individual. Even when Wayne is acting as a frivolous playboy for the public, every now and then Bale offers us a powerful glance that reminds us its all a fa�ade; that deep down, something more disturbed irks him. Occasionally he offers a broken-smile when exchanging banter with Alfred, letting us know that beyond the dour depression of the Caped-Crusader lies a damaged human-being. It is only in the guise of a growling masked-man, that he can unleash his true, ferocious personality.

Finally, who could forget Heath Ledger. Now, when he was first-announced for the part, I was (along with many other people) asking myself: "Why?". Mr. Ledger had proved with 'Brokeback Mountain' he could deliver a potent performance. But he hadn't before. It is only, after seeing this film, that I know the answer to 'why?': I see the significance of his loss.

When Heath appears in this movie, he is completely unrecognizable. His voice is distinctly-altered; a near-whiny, pedophile-like tone that sends shivers down the spine. His face is completely splattered with makeup that renders him both freakishly-nightmarish and strangely-funny. And when you see him, you don't think it's him. In this, his final performance, Ledger proved he was a chameleon. His two iconic performances in this, and 'Brokeback', could not be more different. I am convinced he could have been anything in his career. He commits so intensely to character that the line of actor/portrayal dies. His every tick and gesture only further-enhances his character. Heath never hams the role up or goes for something cheap: he delivers a fully-immersed display of psychotic madness...or do we just label him that to feel safer? The movie writes the character brilliantly; blending terrifying truth into his every social-accusation, and making us question why we laugh at his sick-jokes.

'The Dark Knight' has had an incredible-amount of hype running for it, from the get-go, mounting ever-higher, until Heath Ledger's too-soon death. And the finished-product does more than exceed all of the near-impossible expectations placed on it. It becomes something much richer than a super-hero-franchise-saga. Christopher Nolan has opened a new door in cinema: allowing action-flicks to become more serious, capable of intelligence. He has transformed this into a piece of artwork, full of beauty, terror, moral-conundrums. This movie has changed things...forever.

There's no going back. 10/10 Read more ›

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65 of 79 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A little batpod & case info December 2, 2008

By Damon

Format:Blu-ray

Ok, the movie is a 5 star, this is a little info on the case and bat pod if anyone is curious about it size. We have it at work and I have already seen it. It is actually VERY small, the case and the bat pod. The bat pod is maybe 4"-5" long, and the case is just a bit larger then the blu rays. I was expecting a bat pod the size of the one available at in the toys at most stores which is 10"-12" long.
AT $50+ dollars, I would get the Bluray 2 disc and the $20 12" bat pod, which s a much better bat pod and value in my opinion.

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96 of 119 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Batman channels Plato's Republic July 22, 2008

By smarmer VINE™ VOICE

Format:Theatrical Release|Amazon Verified Purchase

First of all, this is a GREAT film, not just a great Batman film.

Others have compared Christopher Nolan's two Batman films to the Tim Burton Batman films, so I won't repeat their observations. Let me simply say that everything about this movie, from the script to the casting to the CGI to the acting and ultimately the directing is superb.

Now to Plato. The meta-message of The Dark Knight is a meditation on the nature of good and evil, the veneer of civilization, the virtues of principle and the necessity and the danger of bending principle in emergencies, the differences between evil for gain or power and evil for mere destruction and chaos, and the tension between public duty and private loyalty. Finally there is the question of the place for facts and the place for "sacred" myth.

(Caution: this review refers to specific scenes and characters.)

The mafia in Gotham is evil for gain and power. They want money and they want influence. They also want order. When the manager of the bank objects to the robbery he complains that the usual rules and courtesies among criminals are being violated. The corrupt police officers are evil for gain as well. They too need general acceptance of rules and procedures.

The Joker is evil for evil's sake. He sows chaos and disorder and wants to expose the thin veneer of civilization. He seeks only to unmask what he sees as contradiction and hypocrisy in human nature and to demonstrate that so-called good citizens are really evil underneath.

Scarecrow, who was featured in Batman Begins and has a minor role in the drug bust scene in The Dark Knight, is a deranged psychiatrist whose evil comes from desire for power over others as he uncovers the weaknesses in the minds of others.... Read more ›

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48 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Info on the Bat Pod December 9, 2008

By turtlex

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is just some information regarding the Bat Pod. Please be aware, the Bat Pod and the display stand are 100% plastic. The Bat Pod is also not removable.

In my opinion, they are not worth the extra money.

Get the film, but don't splurge on this plastic toy.

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75 of 93 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT BUY 2-DISC "SPECIAL" EDITION DVD - MAJOR RIPOFF December 28, 2008

By Leif Fellague

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

There is nothing more to be said about this movie - probably the best superhero film ever made, with a mesmerizing performance by Heath Ledger as the embodiment of chaotic evil - this is a 5-star DVD if ever there was one. But there is a LOT to be said about this awful, feature-free, completely inadequate 2-disc set.

On Disc 1, the movie itself provides no alternative soundtracks, no director/cast/technician commentary, no "music only" version, no alternate versions, no deleted scenes, nothing. You may as well watch it on Amazon Unbox given the utter absence of extra features.

On Disc 2, things get much, much worse. There are exactly two mini-documentaries - one on the design and implementation of the new Bat-suit and the quasi-motorcycle Bat-pod, one on the evolution of the Joker's "theme sound" for the movie soundtrack. Both are interesting as far as they go, but in the immortal words of another Warner Brothers hero, "That's all, folks!" Everything else on the disc is worthless. I'll list here and you can decide for yourself:

- A gallery of movie posters, production stills, and trailers. The posters and stills are not even presented full-screen - pathetic.

- IMAX scenes - The major action set pieces for The Dark Knight were filmed in IMAX, which I had the opportunity to see for myself at an IMAX theater. The effect in the theater was interesting - when the action took off, the somewhat over-sized widescreen image suddenly exploded into full IMAX. But what exactly is the point of this feature on DVD?... It's NOT IMAX, obviously, so all we're really seeing is how these scenes looked in their original IMAX-style framing (which is, um, pretty close to 3:4 "full TV screen", kids) before being trimmed down to the "widescreen" format of standard movie screens and newer televisions. I guess this "feature" might be of interest to fanatics who worry about what they missed at the top and bottom of the screen during those scenes, but to the rest of us, this is a complete snooze-fest (unless you just like the idea of watching all the action scenes back-to-back).

- "Gotham Tonight" - the most inexplicable feature of all is this collection of 6 episodes of the fictional "Gotham Tonight" show featured throughout the movie as background and/or commentary on the action from the perspective of local TV news. Not sure where these came from, or why they were produced, but whatever value they might have had as "deep background" (if that is indeed why they were made), in this context they're just DVD shovelware.

Folks, THAT IS *IT*. The above is *everything* on Disc 2. Not even a *mention* of the late Heath Ledger, much less the sort of documentary a lot of us would love to see, perhaps featuring recollections of cast and crew about how he created the character that made it onto the screen. Given this, the fact that the picture used to label Disc 2 is a close-up of the Joker's face just adds insult to injury.

I share the opinion of many other customer reviewers I've read here - this is clearly a holiday season rip-off, a quick-and-dirty scheme to rake in a few extra bucks from unsuspecting clods like me who expected WB to release a package worthy of this great movie. Instead, what we have is an insult to the fans and the film makers. Save your money and get the single disc if you must, but better still wait for the proper "deluxe edition" that's sure to come next year. As it stands, the current "special edition" is really, really sad.

UPDATE: I hope we ARE getting a true deluxe edition of this movie on DVD, but you might want to take a look at the product description of the Blu-ray disc. Apparently, WB has decided (at least so far) to save all the decent supplemental material for Blu-ray customers. There's no technical reason for this - a 2-disc DVD set has all the capacity needed to carry the extra documentaries, etc., included on the Blu-ray edition.

Blu-ray and its flaky BD+ anti-piracy technology have given many of us pause. 1080p's nice, but not if it doesn't work, and until I'm convinced that the dust has settled on the stability and compatibility problems, I'm sticking with DVDs (assuming I still have a choice). If WB's handling of "The Dark Knight" is a harbinger of things to come, if the studios are going to try to force us to buy Blu-ray by needlessly withholding material from DVD editions, the most significant effect may just be to kill the "deluxe" DVD business. I know that from now on I will wait to read some detailed reviews to see if "special edition" DVDs are worth the premium before buying - no more pre-orders! Read more ›

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