Several critics have called The Dark Knight more of a crime film or a modern noir thriller than a superhero movie, drawing comparisons to contemporary films like The Departed, Heat and L.A. Confidential. To be sure, The Dark Knight is very much a modern-day noir thriller. Released by Warner Brothers, the studio most closely associated with gangster and noir films of the 1930s and 40s, The Dark Knight has much in common with the films of that past era. Drenched in shadows and deftly exploring the nether regions of moral ambiguity, the crime films of Hollywood’s past often featured sociopath criminals going up against two-fisted champions of justice. These forces of good and evil often squared off against each other in the back alleys of cities crumbling under the decay of crime and corruption, while average citizens cowered in fear for their safety. (more…)