Not The Hero Gotham Needs – The Dark Knight
Both haunting and chilling, the epic conclusion to The Dark Knight is a standout moment of the film, for many reasons.
Batman’s humility and good virtue is shown in full here as he tells Gordon that the Joker can not win, stating that the city can’t know what Harvey has done.
“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” growls Batman. He realizes that he has to be whatever Gotham needs him to be, fully accepting the fact that he must take the fall for Dent’s actions in order to give hope to Gotham. “Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded,” he continues on, as we see Lucius shut down the Bat Cave. It’s a very symbolic moment and one that fits beautifully into Nolan’s universe.
As the scene progresses, Hans Zimmer’s epic score kicks in as the chase for Batman gets underway. The police and their dogs move in as Gordon watches, knowing that their actions are futile as the Caped Crusader is long gone.
“He’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now,” Gordon tells his son. “So we’ll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he’s not a hero, he’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a dark knight,” Gordon continues. And with that, we see Batman speeding off on his Bat Pod and the end credits roll.
Can you feel the shivers running down your spine? Has an ending ever been so poetic, fitting and beautiful? Can Nolan ever top this ending scene?
Believe it or not, in his next film, he does.
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