 Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan explores the origins of the legendary Dark Knight. After his parents' murders, disillusioned heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice. With the help of his trusted butler Alfred (Michael Caine), detective Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and his ally Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Wayne returns to Gotham City and unleashes his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and high-tech weaponry to fight evil. Storyline: When his parents were killed, millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne relocates to Asia when he is mentored by Henri Ducard and Ra's Al Ghul in how to fight evil. When learning about the plan to wipe out evil in Gotham City by Ducard, Bruce prevents this plan from getting any further and heads back to his home. Back in his original surroundings, Bruce adopts the image of a bat to strike fear into the criminals and the corrupt as the icon known as 'Batman'. But it doesn't stay quiet for long. Written by FilmFanUk Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Greg Maltz on July 10, 2008 -- Many actors have donned the mask and cape and stepped in front of the camera to fight criminals in Gotham City--from Adam West to Michael Keaton to Val Kilmer to George Clooney. But it was the director-actor tandem of Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale that finally hit upon the true essence of Batman in their 2005 blockbuster that reset the series. Batman Begins focuses on the darkest side of society and one man's drive to fight evil without compromise. True to his comic book roots, the Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) of Batman Begins is motived more by revenge than by justice, and learns important lessons from his faithful guardian Alfred (Michael Caine), criminal prosecutor Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) and his mysterious martial arts trainer Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). But lessons alone will not be enough to save Gotham City from certain destruction at the hands of Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy) and the evil boss who employed him. The story begins as Bruce finds himself in the far east after suffering a series of traumas as a child and young adult. The first of these experiences is his fall down a dry well on the grounds of Wayne Manor. Alone and injured, the boy is terrified to find himself in the midst of a swarm of bats. Shortly thereafter, Dr. and Mrs Wayne (Linus Roache and Sara Stewart) are murdered right in front of their son, compounding his fears and establishing patterns of loss, identity crisis and vengeance. After years of struggling with these issues, having left behind his parents' wealth and his college education, Bruce resorts to petty theft to try to survive in anonymity and understand the criminal mind. He is caught and incarcerated in a rough Asian prison. While in solitary confinement, he gets a visit from Ducard, who is aware of his identity and his past. Ducard invites Bruce to the mountain estate of Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) to join a gang of vigilantes and strike fear into those who thrive on the fear of others. Back in Gotham City, the criminal element is thriving. Mobster Carmine Falkone (Tom Wilkinson) controls half the city through his influence and underworld connections. Meanwhile, Alfred has declared Bruce dead, and Wayne Enterprises falls into the hands of its unscrupulous CEO, Earle (Rutger Hauer), who is taking the company public in an attempt to break all ties with the Wayne ideals of social outreach and fiscal responsibility. And a criminal mind is at work in the form of Dr. Crane, who is working with Falkone and a mysterious foreign boss to taint Gotham City's water supply with a dangerous contaminant. It is against this backdrop that a more confident, assured Bruce Wayne returns home. As the final step in establishing his identity, Bruce decides to make himself into a crime fighting symbol using the bat to strike fear into his opponents. With the help of Alfred and Wayne Enterprises scientist Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Batman is born in a way far more vivid, hard-hitting and accessible than previous incarnations. Part of what makes Batman Begins succeed is the way it focuses on Bruce Wayne's psychology and motivations. The film carefully and chronologically documents how he goes from frightened and orphaned child to the ruthless caped crusader. While Bale is excellent in his portrayal of Bruce Wayne, he seems tentative in becoming Batman. Bale admitted struggling to get Batman's voice and other mannerisms, and this seems apparent, but this just makes the caped crusader more endearing and believable. Unlike other superheroes, Batman does not have any superhuman powers. He relies on manmade technologies and his own martial arts training to outwit, overpower and defeat his enemies. So it makes sense that the confidence and character to become Batman should build more gradually. Bale's vulnerabilities are in-character. That is why his approach works. (Based on Comic Book) -- (DC) Cast Notes: Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne / Batman), Michael Caine (Alfred), Liam Neeson (Henri Ducard), Katie Holmes (Rachel Dawes), Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon), Cillian Murphy (Dr. Jonathan Crane), Tom Wilkinson (Carmine Falcone), Rutger Hauer (Earle), Ken Watanabe (Ra's Al Ghul), Mark Boone Junior (Flass), Linus Roache (Thomas Wayne), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), Larry Holden (Finch), Gerard Murphy (Judge Faden), Colin McFarlane (Loeb). IMDb Rating (10/27/12): 8.3/10 from 481,461 users Top 250: #105 IMDb Rating (01/04/10): 8.3/10 from 247,169 users Top 250: #103
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
