I have watched this movie, the second installment of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, on July 18th every year since 2008 in honor of a friend’s birthday. Today, preparing for my eighth annual viewing, I thought I would share some of my favorite lines from this film.
Batman: Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.
Bozo: I believe whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you… [takes off his mask, revealing the Joker] …stranger.
Harvey Dent: The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.
The Joker: Oh, you. You just couldn’t let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible, aren’t you? You won’t kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won’t kill you because you’re just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.
Harvey Dent: You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
Batman: [as Joker is holding Rachel out a window] Let her go!
The Joker: [giving him a look] Very poor choice of words…
Two-Face: You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time. But you were wrong. The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance. [holds up his coin] Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair.
The Joker: Don’t talk like one of them, you’re not! Even if you’d like to be. To them, you’re just a freak, like me. They need you right now. But when they don’t, they’ll cast you out, like a leper. See, their morals, their code… it’s a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. I’ll show you, when the chips are down, these… these civilized people? They’ll eat each other. See, I’m not a monster, I’m just ahead of the curve.
Alfred Pennyworth: You hammered them and in their desperation they turned to a man they didn’t fully understand. Some men aren’t looking for anything logical. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
James Gordon Jr.: Batman? Batman! Why’s he running dad?
Lt. James Gordon: Because we have to chase him.
James Gordon Jr.: He didn’t do anything wrong.
Lt. James Gordon: 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.