Mes Amis
Batman Begins... In Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, no matter how kooky Michael Keaton was a Bruce Wayne, there was only one reason to watch: the grandstanding Nicholson as the Joker. For all the gothic design and crazy camera work, 1989's Batman was still not quite right. There was a depth missing from the whole, a reality that the comics always capture but no one, not even Burton, seemed to get right on film. The problem was, I suppose, that the films presumed everyone knew the story of Batman and simply played off the broad strokes of an established mythos, relying on audience familiarity to fill in the blanks.
2005: Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia) reboots the Bat franchise. And he really goes to town. This isn't a comic book movie. This is a fuckin' epic. This is the first time on fim we learn the real origins of the Batman. No more is the origin reduced to a spooky flashback to a mysterious mugger and a deadly bat crashing through a window somewhere. Sure, all of that is present, but now we see Bruce's eastern training, his years of searching for a direction, the dedication he puts into finding some means of revenge on the man who killed his parents. Sure, liberties have been taken with the Joe Chill character (Joe Chill being the mugger who killed Brucie's parents - something Burton ignored so he could give the Joker some personal connection with the big, black bat) and there's a stupid childhood friend introduced so Wayne can have a later love interest with Katie Holmes, but for the first hour of this film there is no bat costume. There is Bruce. Growing, learning, confronting his fear and his weakness, becoming the bat. And its a fascinating study, which pays off in spades later in the film. This film is about grounding itself in the reality of its situation before introducing those spectacular elements that make shit blow up.
This is a comic book movie for real comic books fans. There is no pandering the kids in the audience. This is a comic book picture for adults. This is about pain and fear. This is about loss. This is about the scariest fuckin' Batman committed to celluloid ever.
Because as long as it take for Bruce to become the bat, when he does appear on screen he is a terrifying presence. He is a supernatural force, a terrifying apparition in black. That voice, straight from hell, rumbles through your bones. Never mind the fear gas that makes him into a monster, he'd scare you shitless regardless, because Bale gives his Batman a presence none of the previous fellas (especially George Clooney) had. He captures the essence of fear that Bruce wants this symbol to have. Is he a hero? Yes, he is. But he's not a safe hero. He may not kill, but he'll leave you crying in pain and fear.
But this isn't a one character film. Like I said this is more of an epic than any other comic book movie ever made. Every character is given a solid, real grounding. The Scarecrow, a villain who could be handled so badly, is played with chilling perfection. Jonathan Crane doesn't need that mask to freak you out. Just look at his sharp, blue eyes and tell me this isn't a man gone mad. See the pleasure in his face when he doses up someone with the fear gas.
Ra's Al Ghul, a shadowy presence throughout the film is given the respect such an ancient character deserves. Liam Neeson as Ducard is the perfect twisted mentor. Sergeant Gordon, played with unrestrained glee and pitch-perfect cynicism by Gary fuckin' Oldman is the one good cop stuck in a whole city of bad apples. Even Michael Caine as Alfred injects a gravitas to the proceedings that I never expected. All of these characters are given something to do, an arc that brings them out as flesh and blood characters you actually give a damn about.
And then there's Gotham itself. No longer a fantastic gothic hell or a horrific neon eyesore (thanks, Joel fuckin' Schumacher for that particular rendition of the city) this city feels real. Amazing transport system aside, this could be easily any modern metropolis. An amazing mixture of old school architecture and glass n steel modernism, you feel like this place exists.
But I've gushed long enough. The basic fact is. Go see Batman Begins. Just don't take the fuckin' kids. I don't care if its a 12A, they won't like it. They'll be bored because this is a film that treats its audience seriously. That said, when the shit hits the fan in Gotham, it really hits the fuckin' fan...
Anyway, mes amis, this has been a Batman special (and I know the header's from 1989's Batman, but I loved that line) from your man on Gotham's streets...
Au revoir
Russel
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