The Dark Knight's Depraved Success

The most striking thing about the new Batman movie, now smashing the all-time box office records, is its emphasis on sado-masochism as the animating element in American culture these days. It must appeal to the many angry people in our land who want to hurt others, even while they themselves feel deserving of the grossest punishments. In other words, the picture reflects the extreme depravity of the current American sensibility. Seeing it all laid out there must be very validating to the emotionally confused audience, and hence pleasurable, in all its painfulness.

In the 38 reviews of " The Dark Knight" by Rotten Tomatoes' "top critics," 90% of which are favorable, readers will find 40 references to the film's darkness, most of them admiring. Reviewers speak of the feature's "dark vision" (Christopher Orr, the New Republic) and the way it "turns pulp into dark poetry" (Richard Corliss, Time). In this paper, Kenneth Turan praised the film for its "darker-than-usual themes that have implications for the way we live now." Manohla Dargis of the New York Times observed that "Knight" "goes darker and deeper than any Hollywood movie of its comic-book kind," and Newsday critic Rafer Guzman called it "a dark and highly complex drama [with] more brains than any other movie this summer."

If "dark" is the new "smart," what do critics mean when they laud a film for its darkness? A number of things, to be sure, beyond aesthetic gloom to moral complexity and psychological depth; they're welcoming the material's serious exploration of primal impulses and clear-eyed depictions of corruption and amorality.

The oppressive, visceral power of "The Dark Knight" is rooted in such timeless themes but also taps into an urgent, of-the-moment despair that has resonated with critics. "Things are worse than ever," a nameless reporter in the film declares with no small amount of anguish. And the official response he receives -- "The night is darkest just before the dawn" -- echoes with all the hollowness of today's newscast sound bites.

"The Dark Knight" remained the number one movie at the nation's box offices this weekend, and is now the third-highest-grossing movie of all time.

Only "Titanic" and "Star Wars," have sold more tickets than the latest Batman movie, according to Media By Numbers, an Encino firm that tracks box office receipts.

"The Dark Knight" is estimated to be on track to sell $26 million in tickets this weekend, Media By Numbers reported, bringing the Warner Bros. release up to an estimated $441.5 million in business in the United States and Canada alone by the close of business Sunday night.

At this rate, "The Dark Knight" appears to be on track to surpass 1977's "Star Wars" and all its re-releases over three decades, which have grossed an estimated $461 million in sales. "Titanic," released in 1997, remains in the number one all-time spot, having sold $600 million in tickets.