The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the second installment of Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale and supported by Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhard, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman. In the film, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale), Police Lieutenant James Gordon (Oldman), and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart) form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City, but are menaced by an anarchistic mastermind known as the Joker (Ledger), who seeks to undermine Batman's influence and throw the city into anarchy.
Discussion Questions:
- How does this movie present evil? How realistic is the portrayal of evil in the character of the Joker? What does the Joker want?
- What happens to Harvey Dent?
- What kind of hero is Batman in this movie?
- The movie ends with: “Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.” - What does this mean?
- Alfred tells the story that "some people just want to watch the world burn" - what does this tell us about the world we are in?
Here's a link to a printable pdf.