Two Face Reviews

12. Two-Face

Posted : 1 year, 12 months ago on 29 May 2022 01:14

In many ways The Dark Knightarticulated and demonstrated the importance of Harvey Dent better than we ever could. Dent is, in so many ways, the biggest failure of Batman's career, and is a constant reminder of the price that can be paid in the battle against evil. Two-Face is a character that has been best served by time, evolving throughout the years from a relatively simple gimmick (similar to many of Batman's foes) to one of the most layered, tragic figures in superhero fiction.

Despite having a dark past, Dent rose through the ranks of Gotham to be a respected District Attorney, working with Jim Gordon and the Caped Crusader to wage a war on crime. Dent falls to a plot organized by the criminals he had been breaking down, and thus was born a new crime figure, one who can't distinguish between right and wrong without the help of his lucky coin.

Like many on this list, Two-Face isn't always a criminal. Several storylines have healed Dent's madness, and scarring, only to have him pulled back into the darkness. These struggles between "Dent" and "Two-Face" only serve to demonstrate the loss Gotham has suffered. The first major victory of organized crime may have been the only one it ever needed. Without Dent consistently on the side of light, Gotham might not stand a chance - Batman or not.

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Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape

Posted : 15 years, 1 month ago on 21 April 2009 09:38

Having previously been so dismissive of the movie ‘Behind Enemy Lines’, I thought it only right and proper to review the 1988 movie ‘Bat*21’, which I highly recommend as a much better alternative.

This film is supposed to be loosely based on the real-life rescue of Lt. Col. Hambleton by U.S. Navy SEAL Thomas R. Norris and team member Nguyen Van Kiet, a South Vietnamese SEAL. It isn’t, but don’t let that fact spoil your enjoyment of this entertaining escape and evasion movie.

Set during the Vietnam War, Bat*21 tells the tale of Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton [Gene Hackman], a weapons expert whose aircraft is shot down whilst travelling over enemy territory. With no ground combat experience, Hambleton must evade the People's Liberation Armed Forces using his wits alone, until American Forces can safely extract him from danger.

Because of Hambleton’s knowledge, it is crucial that he be rescued before the Vietcong get their hands on him, so it’s not long before American eyes are in the sky desperately searching for Hambleton. He is spotted by reconnaissance flyer Captain Bartholomew Clark [Danny Glover], however the task of getting Hambleton to safety is made all the harder because the enemy is listening to Hambleton's radio transmissions, and he knows it. With restricted radio contact between Clark & Hambleton, the daring pilot attempts to assist Hambleton to safety before the area is carpet-bombed.

Racing against both the clock and the enemy, this is an edge of the seat viewing experience. Gene Hackman gives an excellent performance and even Danny Glover is believable. There aren’t any plot twists or surprises, but at the same time this isn’t your typical gung-ho war movie either, enemies are not dehumanised beyond all recognition and killing isn’t glorified. An example of this comes when an air strike is called in by Hambleton and he sees for himself the result, which the character has never seen close-up and he is clearly affected by the tragic loss of life and human suffering.

At times this movie can make you hold your breath with suspense and then get your heart pounding with excitement. Even the now slightly dated cinematography doesn’t let this movie down, if anything it actually helps place this movie in the recent past and builds on the already strong atmosphere that it successfully creates.

This is not a date movie, but a recommended war movie, and far superior alternative to the drivel that is ‘behind enemy lines’.

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