Batman Begins

"Batman Begins"

USA. 2005. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Story by David S. Goyer. Based on comic book characters created by Bob Kane. Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman.

Rating: ★★★★

“Batman Begins” finally gives one of the most seminal American mythic heroes the soulful cinematic treatment it has deserved for years. Gone are the flatulent flamboyance of cartoon-like villainy and needlessly garish and flashy pyrotechnics of the previous films. What we get at last is a full understanding and depth of Bruce Wayne, the man who dons a mask as a symbol to clean up the crime-ridden streets of Gotham City.

I must admit that I never thought any of the Batman films were really any good. Even the first two Batman movies by Tim Burton, I felt, were not successful in congruously fitting the cartoon superhero with the noirish atmosphere. And the next two by Joel Schumacher were so awful that you feel all those dollars could have gone for a better, more humane cause.

Now, here is director Christopher Nolan propelling the story with compelling force and ease and, along with co-writer, David S. Goyer (the “Blade” films), treating the narrative with appropriate dramatic weight and gravity while seamlessly integrating visual effects so well that none of it ever seems excessive and really disappears into the atmosphere. Nolan is a great storyteller, as we have seen with the great “Memento” and the effectively chilling remake, “Insomnia.” It’s a wonder how the producers got the idea to tap on him to make the next Batman movie but with such a risky bargain to resurrect the Batman franchise, they wisely picked the right man for the job.

From the opening scene, where we see Bruce (Christian Bale) waking up in a Tibetan prison, we know that this is going to be much darker and unlike any Batman movie we have seen. In fact, Bruce does not even don the costume until halfway through the movie. Instead, Nolan, once again realizing on nonlinear storytelling, gives full dimension to how, in his anger and desire to avenge his parents’ murders, he lives among felons to understand the criminal underworld.

Eventually, he is found by Ducard (Liam Neeson) who is a part of the League of Shadows, a group that vows to maintain justice for the rest of the world. He learns martial arts there and the necessary skills to become an effective crime fighter. However, when he does not carry out a membership assignment to execute a prisoner, he breaks away in a daring escape.

This back story, which takes up the first half, is sensibly and powerfully told from the prism of Bruce Wayne’s thought processes as he flashes back and grows from his past to ultimately define what compels him to become the Dark Knight. Once he returns to Gotham, he, with the help of Alfred (Michael Caine), vows to become a symbol of fear for the criminals of Gotham to clean up the crime-ridden streets. Since his own fear was of bats, as we see in the first frame when he fell into a pit and was swarmed by bats, he chooses this as his symbol of instilling fear in the enemy.

When he finally dons the outfit, Bruce does have quite a number of villains to deal with including Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), a mobster who controls much of Gotham City ’s organized crime, Dr. Crane aka The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), a psychiatrist who gets off criminals on insanity pleas and a surprise mastermind in the end. Once the action starts, the film resorts to classical filmmaking such as effective sound design to build on the dread and fear Batman builds on his villainous enemies. And, although the action could have resorted less to quick-cutting, the action is grounded in reality and fierce and furious.

It is easy to see why so many great actors such as Bale, Caine and Neeson were attracted to this material. Also populating this comic book atmosphere with tremendous support are great actors such as Morgan Freeman, who is taking it light and breezy playing Lucius Fox, the loyal technology expert who provides Bruce with the gadgets to become Batman, and Gary Oldman who takes a break from playing smarmy guys and surprisingly completely disappears and morphs into a sane, moral and decent character as the only honest cop in Gotham, Lt. Gordon. Caine is also excellent as the butler who finally seems like the father figure that was only hinted at in the previous Batman movies. Katie Holmes, who provides Bruce with a love interest and conscience, does not quite match up to her veteran male counterparts, but nonetheless presents the moral heart of the film well.

And Bale, whom I’ve always thought as one of the best and most underrated actors of his generation, perfectly captures the various complex nuances of the dual identities. Bale has always been attracted to characters with dark and mysterious weathers and he brings his considerable talent to the character of Bruce Wayne who has never seemed more three-dimensional as we acutely feel the pain he feels for his loss and his channeling it into his hatred of crime. And as Batman, he lends the appropriate amount of menace to instill dread on his enemies.

With all these exquisite details the film ensures that the hero always remains at the center of the story despite that this film has more villains than any other Batman movie. And the villains are devoid of any flamboyance and are developed to be truly frightening figures who mean business. Some scenes with the Scarecrow inducing panic with his toxin could induce nightmares in small children (and this movie is really made for the mature, adult audience).

The other nice detail in the film is how it shows Bruce really reinventing Batman as he goes along. The Bat cave is really a cave underground outside his house and the Bat mobile is in its primitive stage. The relationship between Gordon and Batman subtly builds from skepticism from the former to mutual partnership. And the police are distrustful of the Dark Knight, which leads to an impressive chase sequence where the Bat mobile finally gets to show its awesome features as it escapes away from the police.

As said earlier, even the visual effects are seamlessly integrated into the narrative. We can see the money on the screen as we see various shots of the monorail, which was digitally modified from shots of the elevated train in Chicago . And yet, they are immersed into the dark atmosphere of the film and never stand out as set pieces.

All of this leads to a climax that is one of the best ever to end a comic book adaptation. You can always trust Christopher Nolan to introduce various story threads and connect them all without a blink and this film is no exception. It also has a train crash sequence that may be the best of its kind since Harrison Ford narrowly escaped the oncoming train in “The Fugitive.”

“Batman Begins” is a dark, brooding masterpiece and the great Batman movie everyone has been waiting for. Its superb craftsmanship displays once again that real entertainment relies on appreciating the intelligence and feelings of its viewers. Roll on, "The Dark Knight."