comparison of sub-genres. The films used are 'The Dark Knight' and 'Casino Royale'

1. Introduction
 I will be comparing two different films from the ‘thriller’ genre. However they will
be from different sub-genres.
 The two films I will be comparing are:
 The Dark Knight
 Casino Royale
 I will be comparing the themes, characters, devices, locations and the
props/costumes and how each of these represent the different sub-genre.

2. Theme
Casino Royale focuses on the
idea of greed, corruption,
control, power and betrayal.
With greed we see how quickly
you can lose the money that you
gain over gambling, just as the
saying “easy coming, easy go.”
Betrayal is a big theme in Casino
Royale, Vesper’s death
represents that nothing is a sure
thing and even if you think you
know someone, you never truly
do. These themes represent the
spy-thriller genre through the
betrayal of Bond through Vesper.
The Dark Knight focuses on the
idea of heroism, chaos/morality
and how evil triumphs over good.
This is portrayed through Harvey
Dent. The joker’s ability to destroy
Harvey’s life and turn him into the
evil he becomes is depressing. It
shows that human resilience is
limited. The Joker represents
chaos. The Joker represents what
batman is always in danger of
becoming. Chaos personified.

3. Characters
The characters in The Dark Knight all
represent something different. Batman
represents heroism, the Joker represents
chaos, and Dent represents good and evil.
The characters in The Dark Knight all have
different meanings and they all represent
different things. The characters themselves
are some of the best I’ve seen. The
characters in The Dark Knight represent the
superhero-thriller genre not just because of
batman, but also because of Harvey Dent
and The Joker combined.
The characters in Casino Royale also
represent hidden meanings, however not
to the extent of The Dark Knight. There are
many more characters in Casino Royale
and this restricts the amount of detail spent
put into one character. The characters
aren’t bad in Casino Royale, I just didn’t
really care about the characters as much as
I did while watching The Dark Knight. The
characters represent the spy-thriller genre
as there are obviously many spies and the
idea of betrayal represents this sub-genre
perfectly.

4. Locations
The location of The dark Knight is modelled after
New York City. However some of it is fictional.
Also, a part of the film is shot in Hong Kong.
The location of Casino Royale is portrayed in
many different locations. The majority of the film
being shot in The Czech Republic however, they
also filmed in the UK and around Europe.

5. Props/Costumes
The gadgets in The Dark Knight are extremely
extensive as you’d expect. They include grappling
guns, the batmobile, the batplane and many
more. The costumes and makeup in the Dark
Knight is extremely well done. To The Joker’s
signature makeup to Batman’s suit. All of it is
done to perfection. The brilliant props and
costumes represent the superhero-thriller genre
perfectly.
The gadgets in Casino Royale are also exactly
what you’d expect from the spy-thriller genre.
Cars with guns attached, watches with radar. It’s
typical props for a spy movie. The costumes
however, vary from The Dark Knight. Casino
Royale has a focus on tailored suits and dresses,
not superhero costumes.

6. Devices
The dark Knight is a very dark film, hence the
title. It was shot with the IMAX theatre in mind
and it utilises the entire screen. The establishing
shot for The Dark Knight is considered one of
the very best in film history. This film utilises
many ‘over the shoulder’ shots. Close ups are
used mostly when The Joker is talking. This
implies what he is saying is usually important.
The cinematography was done by Wally Pfister
Casino Royale consists of a variety of camera
shots, angles, movements and transitions. Most
commonly, Campbell (cinematographer) has
used a significant amount of long shots during
action scenes, for example, in Madagascar. This
allows the audience to get a full appreciation
for the event, perhaps highlighting danger. This
is how Casino Royale is in the spy-thriller sub
genre.