The Dark Knight Rises

Last weekend the Dark Knight Rises brought in an estimated 160 million in box office receipts. Undoubtedly it will be the most talked about movie this summer especially in the wake of the Colorado shooting. But what does the Dark Knight Rises reveal to us about our society?

The Dark Knight Rises is the third installment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. It begins with Bruce Wayne, Batman, now a recluse hiding in his Mansion. Outside, police commissioner Gordon delivers a speech honoring the fallen Harvy Dent. In the speech Gordon begins by pausing for a moment while pondering whether to reveal the truth about Harvy. He then describes the continuing need for the strong policing measures introduced in the Dent act and reminds everyone of how bad organized crime was prior to the Dent act. The first scene then ends with guests enjoying cocktails while Catwoman, disguised as a maid, furtively meanders upstairs to steal a copy of Bruce Wayne’s finger prints.

Thus two political dogmas, crime and feminism, are paraded before our eyes on the big screen. Gotham has strong anti-crime laws and they work. Women in Gotham are no longer confined to housework; they are now every bit as strong as men and are stealing from the men of Gotham. What are these, but the reflections of the dominant views of our time?

Later the villain Bain is introduced. Predictably, he is from the Middle East. Bain is a mercenary and a product of a third world prison camp. Bain is irrational, violent, suicidal, and bent on the destruction of Gotham. Bain carries out a faux revolution in Gotham where elites are given death sentences. The transformed Gotham is anarchic as Mr. Nolan believes this is the inevitable result of removing elites from society. Here, the “mainstream” view of the 99% movement is revealed; anarchic and doomed. Its leaders are nothing but violent, irrational terrorists.

It is on the screen that the mock representations of the real battles are played before the viewers’ eyes. In this respect Christopher Nolan’s third Dark Knight movie is indeed a dark reflection of society, but to quote from his second movie “it is darkest just before the dawn”.