DARK KNIGHT ENDING DISCUSSION. *SPOILERS

I can see why they have Robin, and sidekicks in general. They can be a useful tool to:
Make the hero vulnerable(gets in trouble, needs rescue)
Add to the hero's responsibility(make him a mentor to the sidekick)
Act as support(moral compass to hero if his judgment is clouded)
Best of all, to make the hero seem that much better. Wow, the sidekick can do something cool? Whoa, wait a second, the hero just did something even cooler!

That said, I'd rather they didn't have Robin.
 
Okay guys, I gotta admit I was disappointed with twoface and the ending a bit. I will be watching it a 2nd time soon, so hopefully my sentiments will change. But here's how I feel even a few days later after reading/talking/posting about this film nonstop.

Before I start, let me tell you I have had a hard on for this film since the end of Batman Begins like so many others. Nolan is one of my favorite directors, and absolutely loved what he did in BB, keeping it feeling real and grounded.

Nolan has done a superb job of this, especially with the villians. That is, up until we see the cartoon come to life in twoface and his ridiculous in tact eye ball after nearly being burned alive. IF Nolan HAD to show this, he should have had just burned skin where his eye was, that would have been more convincing and less ridiculous looking, despite what he looked like in the comic. Did it look like he did in the comic? Yes. Did it look real and fit into Nolan's batman franchise? Absolutely not.

The transition from Dent to twoface was EXTREMELY sudden, and expecting ANY actor to be able to pull this off is asking a lot, and it shows. His acting was forced and laughable at the end, suddenly becoming a cold blooded killer with tourettes syndrome at the flip of a coin. By the point where he flips the coin in that town car and shoots the driver and just screams names and lines randomly to show his inner pain and hurt, I about had enough and had almost completely forgotten the amazing film between Joker and Batman, Batman's inner struggle, and Gotham turning on him that I had seen before it.

We ever even needed to see that side of twoface. Nolan should have left the bandages on. We know he got burned. We know how traumatizing it was to hear Rachel get blown to bits. We know what's coming. That scene with him and the Joker in the hospital was so well done...that was the BEGINNING of the Joker turning his "white knight" into his "dark knight." That should have been the last time we saw Dent untl the final monologue by the Joker when hanging upside down.

What a perfect ending that would have been cross-cutting between Joker's dialogue and the soon to be twoface in the hospital with the bandages still on...stewing, brewing, taking in everything Joker had said to him, realizing what has gone on...a new monster BEGINNING, not happening overnight like we saw. Then showing him getting out of the hospital bed, tearing off his IVs and storming out with the gun in his hand would have made a huge impact and been very effective I think, especially while cutting back and forth to the Joker. We could have had a long shot down the hopsital hallway, seeing someone in the hospital try to stop him...have Dent stop for a second, flip the coin, and then boom. Never seeing his *beep* up face. That would have had the same impact with us knowing and seeing the Joker succeeding in transforming Dent, without all the ridiculous situations that we saw as Eckhart tried to pull off a miracle of a performance. Instead what we got was something very unconvincing and forced.

We didn't need to see the Joker blowing the hospital up...although it was hilarious when he was leaving.

Him using the hand sanitzier was enough. He was washing his hands clean of Dent, knowing his mission was accomplished and there was nothing left for him to do

Gordon and Batman could have found out about the murder Dent committed and they could have put him away, then we could have had that same ending we did. Batman taking the blame for the murders and them keeping Dent's image intact.

AND given the ending with the Joker literally hanging there while the SWAT team ran up to him, and with twoface also locked up, what a crazy 3rd installment we could have been in store for if Ledger was still alive. RIP.

I just feel Nolan tried too do too much in this 2nd installment at the end. The incredible dualism between Joker and Batman was PLENTY, we didn't need to see that last half an hour with twoface on his rampage.

Thoughts?
 
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