The Dark Knight (2008) Synopsis
//Summary - Level-B2//
Batman and Detective Gordon team up with District Attorney Harvey Dent to fight Gotham's mafia. Bruce Wayne admires Harvey and supports him, while both men love Rachel, Bruce's childhood friend. The Joker appears, killing officials and demanding Batman's identity. Harvey sacrifices himself by claiming he is Batman, but the Joker traps them: Rachel dies, and Harvey is horribly scarred. Manipulated by the Joker, Harvey seeks revenge. Meanwhile, the Joker terrorises Gotham with a plan to blow up two ships, but the people resist. In the end, Harvey dies, and Batman takes the blame for his crimes, becoming a fugitive—the Dark Knight.
1)
Detective Sergeant Jim Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department and Batman were working together, dedicating themselves daily to eradicating the mafia.
District Attorney Harvey Dent then offered to assist in the fight against organised crime.
As district attorneys in America are elected, Bruce Wayne—Batman and a billionaire—is moved by Harvey's conviction and offers to support his election campaign.
2)
Rachel Dawes is Bruce's childhood friend and Harvey's colleague.
In truth, both Harvey and Bruce harbour feelings for her.
Rachel, however, remains undecided about her own affections.
3)
Amidst this, the Joker appears before the mafia. He leaves a demand: hand over half their funds, or he will kill Batman, who seeks to wipe out the mafia. He then departs.
Meanwhile, Bruce apprehends Lau, the mafia's treasurer and a Chinese businessman, and hands him over to Gordon.
Through Lau's testimony, given in exchange for a plea bargain to avoid conviction, the Gotham City Police arrested the mafia members.
Realising Batman's power and that they stood no chance, the mafia formally commissioned the Joker to kill Batman.
4)
The Joker promptly declared loudly, ‘I'll keep killing citizens until Batman reveals his identity!’
He further declared he would kill Commissioner Loeb, the judge, and Harvey.
True to his word, he blew up the judge in a booby-trapped explosion. Loeb was poisoned.
Next, the Joker crashed a party hosted by Bruce, targeting Harvey.
But Batman thwarted him.
5)
Later, the Joker shot and killed two other citizens named “Harvey” and “Dent”.
He then issued a death threat against Mayor Garcia.
During Chief Lobe's funeral ceremony, the Joker's gang, disguised as police officers, attempted to assassinate the Mayor. However, Gordon shielded the Mayor and was struck down by the bullet.
Then, astonishingly, Rachel was targeted too. Cornered, Bruce was about to reveal Batman's true identity, but at the next day's press conference, Harvey declared, ‘I am Batman!’
6)
Harvey was immediately arrested and placed in a vehicle to be transported to the detention centre, which the Joker attacked.
However, Batman arrived on the scene, and together with Inspector Gordon—who had actually survived—they arrested the Joker.
But this was the Joker's trap.
Harvey and Rachel were each held captive. Batman and Gordon rushed to the locations the Joker had revealed, but Batman arrived at Harvey's location instead of Rachel's, while Gordon went to Rachel's.
7)
Yes, they had been thoroughly duped by the Joker.
Batman rescued Harvey at the last moment, but Harvey suffered severe facial burns.
Gordon failed to reach Rachel's location in time; she was blown to pieces... she died.
8)
Meanwhile, the Joker detonated a bomb he had planted in the abdomen of a subordinate arrested with him, escaping from the detention centre.
From here on, it was the Joker's show.
This time, he threatened to blow up the hospital.
Disguised as a nurse, the Joker visited Harvey's room and ignited his thirst for vengeance.
9)
Incidentally, the Joker's demeanour and mannerisms while dressed as a nurse (an old-fashioned nurse, mind) are incredibly memorable.
Heath... your performance was incredible...
Harvey begins his revenge against those involved in the death of his beloved Rachel.
Then the Joker declares he will take control of Gotham itself.
10)
Detective Sergeant Gordon decides to transfer prisoners by ship, but after departure, another vessel carrying civilians sets sail.
This, too, is the Joker's trap – detonators have been planted on both ships.
He then handed over the detonators, declaring that if one ship blew up before midnight, the other would be spared.
11)
Meanwhile, Batman finally tracks down the skyscraper where the Joker is holed up. He corners and captures the Joker, but then realises the trap that had been set.
The Joker had imagined both men pressing their detonators, killing each other. But the ships did not explode.
The Joker declared, ‘Harvey is the trump card to plunge Gotham into despair,’ before being handed over to the police.
12)
Meanwhile, Gordon, summoned by Harvey, was at the building where Rachel had died.
Unable to forgive Gordon for failing to save Rachel, Harvey aimed a gun at Gordon's son Jimmy, intending to make him suffer the same fate.
Batman arrived just then. Harvey lamented the unfairness, saying, ‘Of the three who fought together, I alone have lost the one I loved.’ Batman was shot through the stomach and fell.
13)
But Batman somehow got up, lunged at Harvey, and managed to save only his son Jimmy, who was about to fall out the window.
However, Harvey fell and died.
14)
Detective Sergeant Gordon realised that if the citizens learned that Harvey, who had been their hope, had actually become a demon of vengeance, it would play right into the Joker's hands.
He decided that if the citizens fell into despair, Batman would take all the blame.
Thus, Harvey was sent off as a hero, while Batman became a fugitive from the police, hunted as a murderer.
15)
Seeing Batman flee, Jimmy Gordon, the son of Inspector Gordon, demanded, ‘Why did he run away after saving us?’ His father Gordon replied:
‘He must do so now.’
‘He is no hero. He is the silent guardian, the watchful guardian. The Dark Knight.’
The Dark Knight Synopsis
https://note.com/ayupipi/n/n78cfaea4791c
