Amazingly, it took me this long to mention the late actor’s name in The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger’s iconic performance Warner Bros. Yet, these homages do not feel like blatant rip-offs because of Nolan’s creative direction and captivating screenplay. The interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker is Nolan’s diner scene between De Niro and Al Pacino. The Joker walking down the street with a shotgun is a stand-in for Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley during a shootout against the police. Nolan’s use of masks and trucks, along with his inclusion of loud gunfire and chaotic energy, can all be attributed to Mann’s Heat. The opening scene heist and the car chase from The Dark Knight were inspired by the armored truck heist and bank shootout in Heat. Speaking of Heat, Nolan’s homages to Mann’s action thriller are littered throughout the film. These practical effects, along with the sweeping shots of the city, add to the authenticity and grittiness of Gotham. This is not a film that was shot on a soundstage. Nolan filmed The Dark Knight in a real city with real people and real effects. Nolan did the same with Gotham, filmed in Chicago, for The Dark Knight. Nolan told GQ how Mann turned Los Angeles into an “epic playground” in Heat. Did Nolan actually say that? No, probably not, but the filmmaker has stated in numerous interviews that Heat inspired The Dark Knight. It’s like Nolan said “What if I make a remade of Michael Mann’s Heatset in Gotham City?” as he envisioned his Batman sequel in the mid-2000s. It’s not interested in fan service instead, it simply wants to weave an elaborate morality play with the main players being comic book characters. The Dark Knight is a neo-noir disguised as a comic book movie and that’s what makes it so good. However, Nolan used The Dark Knight as an excuse to make a crime drama. There are comic book principles he followed, such as Batman’s unwillingness to kill or use guns. When adapting the source material, Nolan viewed the comics as a guide, not a map. No filmmaker better understands spectacle and the process of “eventizing” a film than Nolan. Thanks to his commitment to originality and prowess in practical effects, Nolan is one of the few filmmakers who can sell a movie on his name alone.
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