Written by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, based on a story by Goyer, based on characters created by Bob Kane
Directed by Christopher Nolan
As soon as Adam West put on the cape and donned the pointy bat ears, it was all over. Well, maybe that's not fair; the Comics Code poisoned Batman first. But Batman's image as a dark, gothic vigilante prowling the moonlit streets and meting out justice on his own terms in complete disregard for the law was forever destroyed in the public eye once Adam West appeared with those big, splashy, "POW!" and "ZAP!" balloons. Then all signs of the Dark Knight actually being dark were eradicated from the comics for well over a decade, until the character re-evolved some time in the 70's. Batman paid years for what Adam West and Burt Ward did to the characters (it's still a toss-up between Adam West using Batshark-repellent or Chris O'Donnell shouting, "Cowabunga!" in Batman & Robin for the franchise's lowest point). Then Frank Miller finally reconstructed the public's view of Batman with his landmark 1986 comic book miniseries The Dark Knight Returns, which is perhaps the best comic book ever written. However, Miller quickly had his progress erased by Tim Burton's ridiculously over-the-top set pieces, and Joel Schumacher's keen eye for absolute trash.
But they've done it. They've finally done it. In Batman Begins, Batman is, once and for all, the dark, menacing figure he was always meant to be. It's too bad that Batman's late creators, Bob Kane and Bill Finger, aren't around to see their creation, always doling out justice for the rest of us, finally given justice to himself. Christopher Nolan's new Batfilm, the first to utilize Bruce Wayne as a mutli-layered, three-dimensional character, finds, at its opening, the young, wealthy Mr. Wayne (Christian Bale) locked up in an unspecified region of China, suffering horrible nightmares about a traumatic childhood incident in which he fell into a cavern flooded with bats as well as the cold-blooded murder of his parents. In his quest to leave behind his life as a billionaire playboy and to destroy the common thief, he has become one himself; something he doesn't seem to mind as he dispatches numerous inmates in a brawl and still manages to shoot venomous quips at the guards. This quickly changes when he meets Ducard (Liam Neeson), a mysterious stranger who offers him a position in the League of Shadows, headed by the infamous Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe). He accepts, and Ducard quickly puts him on a vigorous, rigid training course so that he learns the lesson, "to conquer fear, you must become fear."
Bruce is eventually cured of his fear of bats and returns to his hometown of Gotham City, a metropolis still suffering from the fallout of the Great Depression. He plans to wipe out Gotham's incredibly high crime rates and to show that the city will not be run by the corrupt. He of course does this with the aid of his loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), as well as technical expert Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), who remains a key member of Wayne Electronics, though much to the behest of Earle (Rutger Hauer), who took over the entire Wayne estate once Bruce left for China. Bruce, Alfred, and Lucius design an entire high-tech battle machine that eventually manifests as the famous Batman costume (sans yellow shield). After Bruce settles back into his life and rebuilds his facade of the spoiled rich kid, he begins to wage a one-man war on crime...and, specifically, mob boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) and twisted psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy) who, as the demonic Scarecrow, plans on infecting Gotham's water supply with a fear-inducing drug that will lead the city to devour itself.
Batman Begins is a breath of fresh air after the Burton and Schumacher films; in those, our hero was overshadowed by his villains...a gleefully manic Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer as a sexy leather goddess, a deranged circus freak in Danny Devito, a rather brilliantly insane Jim Carrey, a wildly over-the-top Tommy Lee Jones, and really really terrible puns from Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Those days, thank the Warner Bros., are long gone. Batman Begins is all about its title character, and director Christopher Nolan, along with co-screenwriter David S. Goyer, dig their talons into Bruce Wayne's mind, analyzing every ounce of his person, and offering the intriguing notion that Bruce Wayne may not be masquerading as Batman, but that Batman may be masquerading as Bruce Wayne. Please write to me, inked in blood, if you got that from any of the previous Batflicks, along with substantial evidence. I will pay you handsomely.
Batman is such a complex, deeply fascinating character that I can't believe these traits of his have been completely left by the wayside excepting his comic book page origins until now. I think that if the character had been treated seriously in the past, audiences would've overlooked even the infamous rubber Batnipples. In the end, it's not what Batman does that makes him so interesting, it's who he is and why he does it. This is the same reason that Marvel Comics' recent film successes, such as the X-Men and Spider-Man movies, have worked so well. Also, notice that they have all been made by independent filmmakers, for it is they who understand the characters the best; in short, thank God for someone like Christopher Nolan.
Nolan was offered the role of new Batdirector, and specifically told Warner that he would make a movie about the person underneath the mask instead of the persona that is the mask. Surprisingly, they let him, and interfered not at all; the proof that Nolan knows what he's doing and how to make an epic superhero film is on the screen. His film is richly textured with golds and blacks, his Gotham a massively impressive cityscape overflowing with grim and grit. Gone are the bright neon flourishes of Burton and Schumacher, replaced by a soft, muted tone that provides exactly the right look and feel for a scarred avenger such as Batman. Nolan also knows how to stage brilliant, elaborate action sequences without losing focus on those participating in them. This is most effective in the absolute best car chase sequence since The Blues Brothers offered up hundreds of simultaneous pile-ups: A nervous, jittery, and suspenseful rampage in the crazy cool new Batmobile (though it is only referred to as "the Tumbler"). There is also a stunning sequence near the end involving Batman, a certain villain, and the total destruction of an entire train. If you are not blown out of your seat by Nolan's inventive action set pieces, you're probably dead.
Another key to Batman Begins' success is the amazing cast. The thing is studded with stars; a more diverse, beautiful cast will be hard to find this year. Christian Bale is by far the best actor to ever sport the cape and ears...in fact, he's more interesting when he's out of them, an important step that each previous Batman movie has missed. Bale's Bruce Wayne is broken into three separate faces: The scarred soul that wants revenge despite knowing better, the bratty billionaire that spends too much time and money on women and booze (there is an hilarious scene where Bruce shows up at a party with two beautiful women), and the person that Batman is...Bruce's interior personality promoted to the exterior; a violent, unmerciful, mean son of a gun that is perhaps the truest side to Bruce's shape-shifting personality. Katie Holmes co-stars as Bruce's friend since childhood, the lovely district attorney Rachel Dawes, and though she is in a film where romance does not have much of a foothold and in which it is suggested that its male lead deserves his loneliness (as accused by the female lead), Holmes leaves an indelible impression upon the audience as a gifted, sexy actress who deserves more big roles like this one.
The rest of the cast is also genius. Michael Caine delivers a wry, immensely magnetic and heartfelt performance as Alfred, being a better Pennyworth than even Michael Gough could hope to be. Morgan Freeman likewise portrays Lucius Fox, a character never given screentime in any previous Batman incarnation, but who is here immediately likable and hugely appealing. Liam Neeson is in fine form as Ducard, his second aging mentor role this year alone, though he does best every previous performance of the like that he has given. He is a vibrant, mysterious, even kind of dangerous personality here. Cillian Murphy gives perhaps the best and definitely the most electrifying performance in the film as the seriously disturbed Crane, and he is sure to send many chills up your spine. Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, and Ken Watanabe are all good, though they simply do not have much to do.
I must reserve special comment for Gary Oldman as Sargeant (future Commissioner) Gordon. He gives one of the most endearing performances I can remember seeing, more likable than Caine and Freeman put together and more heartwarming than Jimmy Stewart. This is not to say that Oldman's work here outdoes any of Stewart's work, but Oldman here performs in the same kind of vein that one of Stewart's all-American "aw, shucks" personalities fits into. When Bruce Wayne's psychological analyses get too heady, Oldman provides the warm human center of the film; this is some of his best work in quite some time.
Batman Begins is, by far, the best film so far this year. It's a love letter to Batman fans; Christmas has come six months early this year. What have we done to be so lucky?
After the screening, which I took my father to, considering I would never go without him, being the humongous Batfan he is, I turned to him, and he uttered simply, "That...was powerful."
