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
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Plot Synopsis:
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The film's story is divided into three time-lines:
-Blue represents the present
-Red represents close flashbacks, which deal with Bruce Wayne 3 years earlier
-Green represents distant flashbacks, which deal with Bruce Wayne aged 8 years old
In the present and close flashbacks, Bruce Wayne is played by Christian Bale and Rachel Dawes is played by Katie Holmes. In distant flashbacks, Bruce Wayne is played by Gus Lewis and Rachel Dawes is played by Emma Lockhart.
A large swarm of bats fly from left to right of shot. Back-lighted by a reddish sky, they make the shape of Batman's symbol.
Distant flashback: Bruce Wayne and Rachel Dawes are playing in the Wayne Manor garden. Bruce falls down an sealed up well and fractures his arm. He is then attacked by a swarm of bats emerging from a large gaping crack at the well base.
Present: Bruce wakes up from the nightmare in a Chinese prison. It becomes apparent that Bruce is regularly attacked by other inmates who brawl with him 6 to 1 at breakfast. Having beaten the majority of them, Bruce is punished with solitary confinement by the prison guards. In solitary, Bruce is approached by a man called Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). Ducard displays a great deal of knowledge and authority by getting an audience with Bruce from the prison and by stating that he knows who Bruce is. Ducard then offers Bruce a place in the League of Shadows -- a collective of vigilantes and assassins. He deems that the League can offer Bruce a path to true justice instead of 'locking himself away with criminals to take them on one at a time.' Ducard arranges for Bruce to be released in the morning, when he will have to decide whether he will accept Ducard's offer. Should he do so he must pick a rare blue flower from the eastern slopes and carry it to the top of a nearby mountain.
Bruce is released, as promised, and carries out his task. After carrying the flower to the top of the mountain, Bruce finds himself at the door of the League of Shadows headquarters. Inside he meets Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), the head of the League, and is confronted by Henri Ducard once again. Bruce hands over the blue flower and in doing so completes his test for membership. Ducard then suddenly attacks him, warning the exhausted Bruce that 'death does not wait for you to be ready.' Although Bruce fights back he is easily beaten and collapses.
Distant flashback: Bruce is still in the well after being attacked by the bats. His father, Dr. Thomas Wayne (Linus Roache), comes down to rescue him and sets Bruce's fractured arm with the help of the family butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine). Thomas Wayne comforts Bruce by asking 'Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up'. Later on Bruce admits to his father that he was scared of the bats and is now suffering nightmares. After being comforted further, Thomas shows his son the pearl necklace he'll give to his wife as a gift.
That night, Thomas and Martha take Bruce to the opera via monorail. While on the train, Thomas confides that the city is in an economic downturn, and his company Wayne Enterprises funded the construction of the trains, routing them into the center of the city. Thomas, however, leaves running of the company to more interested people, prefering to work as a doctor at the hospital. While watching the opera Mefistofele Bruce is frightened by the bats in the production, which remind him of the bats that attacked him and asks his father if they can leave. Outside, in an alleyway, a man named Joe Chill (Richard Brake) accosts them with a revolver and demands the pearl necklace Thomas gave to Martha. A fight breaks out, and in the struggle, both Thomas and Martha are shot and are mortally wounded. Chill runs away, leaving Bruce alone with his parents. Before dying, Thomas manages to tell Bruce, "Don't be afraid...."
That night, Bruce is watched after at the police station by officer James Gordon (Gary Oldman). Midway through, police commissioner Gillian B. Loeb (Colin MacFarlane) comes in and informs Bruce that the police have caught Chill.
Bruce is put into Alfred's care. After the funeral, Wayne Enterprises CEO William Earle (Rutger Hauer) tells Bruce that the company will be looked after until Bruce grows up. Alfred tries to console Bruce when the boy confesses that his parents' deaths were his fault because he asked to leave the opera early.
Present: Ducard asks Bruce if he still feels responsible for the death of his parents. Bruce responds that his is far too angry to feel guilty. His training with the League of Shadows begins. He is trained in the arts of ninjutsu, stealth, combat theatricality and deception. Bruce is trained not only to fight 6 men but to 'engage 600.'
Ducard enforces his belief that all forms of crime must be fought without mercy and pity. Ducard explains that his wife was murdered and that he joined the League when he achieved his vengeance. Bruce reveals that he can't claim his vengeance.
Close flashback: 14 years after his parents were killed, Bruce arrives at Wayne Manor from Princeton University; he's come home for Joe Chill's parole hearing. Alfred still manages the house and expresses his concern over Bruce. Rachel is now an Assistant District Attorney and takes Bruce to the hearing. Unknown to her, Bruce is concealing a revolver, with which he plans to shoot Chill down if he is released.
In the hearing, Chill expresses remorse for the murder of Bruce's parents and is given parole should he testify against his cellmate, gang boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson). However, before Bruce can act, a female assassin posing as a reporter comes up with a pistol in hand and shoots Chill. Bruce watches as Chill bleeds to death and the assassin is arrested.
Driving away after the incident, Rachel lectures Bruce afterward on the difference between justice and revenge and reveals that Gotham City is still suffering because of Falcone's illegal drug empire. Rachel then slaps him harshly when he reveals that he was planning to shoot Chill. She tells him that his father would be ashamed of him.
Bruce, convinced that he has nothing to lose, makes his way to a bar in the Gotham underworld to confront Falcone. Falcone brags about his control over the city's police and judges, even pointing out who he has in his pockets who is present. He then threatens Rachel and Alfred to prove that Bruce does have a lot to lose. His thugs beat up Bruce and he leaves. Left no other choice but to run away, Bruce stows away aboard a cargo ship leaving the port.
Bruce is then shown in China stealing food to survive and eventually getting involved in gangster operations in order to infiltrate them. He is then arrested - ironically, in the act of stealing Wayne Enterprise crates - and sent to the prison Ducard discovered him in at the beginning.
Present: When Bruce reaches a skill level in which he is an equal to the majority in the League, he faces Ducard in combat. However, he is exposed beforehand to the vapors of the blue flower he brought up to the mountain earlier. The smoke distorts his senses and makes him hallucinate about bats, his greatest fear. Bruce overcomes his phobia and employs a clever trick to best Ducard in a sword fight, passing the trial.
Ra's al Ghul sends for him and Ducard. Ra's puts Bruce to one final task before becoming a full member of the League. The task is to execute a prisoner of the League -- a man who has stolen his neighbour's land and killed them. Bruce refuses. Ra's reveals to Bruce that he has been trained in order to lead the League to Gotham City, which is corrupted by evil to such an extent that it must be razed. Bruce sets a diversion, and lighs the League's headquarters on fire and is forced to fight al Ghul while the the rest of the League escapes the wreckage to safety. Ducard is knocked out by Bruce who then manages to fend off Ra's, who is killed instantly when a roof beam collapses on him. Bruce picks up an unconscious Ducard and rescues him from the building as it explodes. Bruce leaves Ducard in the care of a villager.
Bruce contacts Alfred, who arrives in a private jet to pick him up. Alfred reveals that Bruce, who has been away for seven years, has been legally declared dead by William Earle so that Earle can take Wayne Enterprises public. Bruce says it's a good thing he willed everything to Alfred, who jokes that Bruce is welcome to borrow the Rolls-Royce....so long as he brings it back with a full tank. Bruce explains to Alfred a plan he has to fight the Gotham underworld by taking on a new persona, which all criminals will fear.
In Gotham, a serial killer named Victor Zsaz (Tim Booth), who is allegedly insane, is being transferred from a regular prison to the Arkham Asylum on the opinion of Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy). Rachel challenges this as Zsaz is yet another one of Falcone's thugs that Crane has had moved to the Asylum and away from prison, and goes unnoticed due to Falcone's corrupt influence. Dr. Crane meets with Falcone later on that night and demands that Rachel be dealt with. When Falcone refuses, Crane threatens him with the knowledge that his unknown boss is coming to the city.
Holed up in Wayne Manor, Bruce begins to work out what has happened since he has been away. While doing so he spots a bat flying around the ceiling. He goes back to the abandoned well and climbs down. Through the crack in which the bats appeared when he was attacked in his childhood, Bruce finds a huge cave filled with bats, which is connected to the lowest foundations of Wayne Manor. Coming to terms with his fear he establishes the cave as his base of operations.
Bruce decides to announce his return and reports to Wayne Enterprises, where he makes a dramatic entrance to his own company's building by seducing a secretary into playing office golf. Earle, clearly shocked, warns him that he cannot prevent the company from going public at this later stage. Bruce explains that he is not bothered by this and that all he wants is a job, preferably in Applied Sciences.
Earle sets this up and Bruce goes to meet his new 'boss', his father's best friend Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). Fox explains to Bruce that the Applied Sciences Department is a dead end, where Earle can reassign employees he considers troublemakers. Fox introduces Bruce to some of the equipment he's invented, that Bruce finds worthy. One is a special bulletproof Nomex survival suit, a Kevlar suit that will stop knives and any gun but a straight shot. It was meant for military use, but it apparently never caught on because the Army didn't think soldiers' lives were worth the $300,000 cost. Other items Fox shows to Bruce include a grappling gun and a safety harness. Bruce casually asks Fox if he can 'borrow' the gear for spelunking. Fox allows it, considering all the equipment to belong to Bruce anyway, though he is curious why Bruce is expecting to run into a lot of gunfire in the caves he's exploring.
Bruce continues to explore the cave where he and Alfred find the lower foundations of the southeast wing of Wayne Manor and an old elevator shaft leading back up the house. Bruce also begins to modify the battle suit he borrowed adding bat-shaped gauntlets and spray-painting it a dark black.
A few nights later, Bruce dons a ski mask and the grappling gear, goes to the police station, and breaks into Gordon's office, recognizing Gordon, who since we last saw him has been promoted to sergeant, to be one of the city's few uncorrupted cops. By threatening him with a staple gun behind his back, Bruce questions Gordon on what it would take to bring Falcone to justice. Gordon responds that leverage on the corrupt Judge Faden and a D.A. brave enough to prosecute will be needed. Bruce tells him to watch for his sign, then escapes by jumping off the roof across to the next building, injuring himself in the process. Gordon tries to give chase, but it proves worthless to chase a random nut.
Bruce realizes now that he needs a lightweight fabric to make a glider wing or parachute. He goes back to Fox and asks if there is any technology there that would suit him for 'BASE-jumping.' Fox shows him a special material called memory cloth, which is designed so that the molecules realign to form any type of rigid shape when an electric current passes through it. Bruce then takes interest in a tank-like transport called the Tumbler. As he drives it around an open warehouse floor, Fox explains that it was built as a bridging vehicle for the army. It is able to accelerate to high speeds, is tricked out with a variety of gadgets and weapons, and has a booster rocket that can send the vehicle into a "rampless" jump. At the end of the session, Fox asks Bruce what he thinks of the Tumbler. Bruce only has one question: "Does it come in black?"
Back in the cave, Bruce adds further modifications to his suit, adding a radio transmitter, a cowling, the memory cloth, and a utility belt. He makes steel shurikens in the shape of a bat. He explains to Alfred that he has chosen the bat as his symbol because bats frighten him and it's time that his enemies shared his dread.
At the docks, Falcone and a corrupt police officer, Arnold Flass (Mark Boone Junior), are watching Falcone's thugs unload a shipment of drugs from an inbound cargo ship. The drugs are concealed in toys -- stuffed bears and rabbits. The bears are to go to the drug dealers and the rabbits to a mystery man in the Narrows -- a poverty-stricken area of Gotham overrun by crime. However, three of the thugs mysteriously vanish leaving nothing but a loud scream as they vanish into the darkness. As the others investigate, more disappear. The Batman quickly disposes of the remaining thugs and attacks Falcone.
Gordon and his officers arrive to find the drugs and disarmed thugs at the scene and Falcone bound to a searchlight with his coat cut in such a way as to produce the shadow of a bat in the night sky.
Meanwhile, Rachel is getting off a monorail train, while being shadowed by two thugs. She notices one and threatens him with a taser. He runs in fear when he sees Batman beating up the second thug. As Rachel turns she screams at the sight of Batman. He produces photographs compromising Judge Faden and then disappears as a police officer shows up.
The news the next day of a 'Batman' has the whole city talking. Rachel and the D.A.'s office decide that there is enough evidence to put Falcone on trial despite it been given to them by a vigilante.
Alfred wakes Bruce up at 3:00pm in the afternoon, despite Bruce's pleas for more sleep, and then frets over the bruises and injuries that he has taken the previous night. He informs Bruce that he must live the life he would normally in public in order not to raise suspicion - doing such things as drive exotic sports cars, date movie stars, buy things that are not for sale, etc.
Earle is informed that a Wayne Tech Enterprise weapon, a microwave emitter, has been stolen from one of their cargo ships. The emitter is another military weapon, which uses focused microwaves to vaporize an enemy's water supply.
Bruce takes Alfred's advice quite to the extreme. His first night, he attends a party at a hotel with two female escorts, who almost get Bruce kicked out by bathing in the decorative fountain. Without hesitating, Bruce gets out of the situation by writing a check and purchasing the hotel on the spot. There he meets Rachel for the first time since returning from China. Although he tries to convince her that the way he is acting isn't really him, she tells him that "it's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you."
Falcone has cut his wrists in prison to bolster his insanity plea and enable a move to Arkham Asylum. Dr. Crane is brought in to assess his "insanity". Once they're alone, Falcone demands that Dr. Crane move him or he will tell the police to have a closer look at the drugs Falcone has been trafficking for Dr. Crane. Dr. Crane asks Falcone if he wants to see the mask he uses in his experiments at the Asylum, which he says the patients can't stand. He pulls a burlap-sack mask out of his briefcase. He releases gas from his suitcase and puts on the mask, which acts as an air filter. Falcone screams with fear at the hallucinations caused by the gas. Dr. Crane is next seen leaving the room with his masked stored away, while Falcone's screams can still be heard. Dr. Crane tells the warden that Falcone isn't faking and should be moved to the Asylum.
The following night Batman visits Gordon and tells him that only half the drugs brought in on Falcone's ship were to be sent to the dealers. He and Gordon conclude that it would help to interrogate Flass, who Batman identified at the docks making his escape. Flass is pickpocketing money from a food vendor on the street while being served falafel. As he walks away into a narrow alley, he springs a trap and is flown upside-down to the rooftops, suspended from Batman's grapple cord. Threatened by Batman, Flass tells him about the bear and rabbit shipments, that the rabbits make their way to the Narrows, and that there is some other substance hidden in the rabbits. Batman returns Flass to the ground and disappears. Meanwhile, Rachel's boss, the district attorney, is shot and killed by an assailant disguised as a police officer when he finds Wayne Enterprises' missing microwave emitter in one of Falcone's containers.
Batman makes his way to the Narrows and finds an apartment stuffed with cuddly rabbit toys stuffed with the drugs. At that moment Dr. Crane and two of his men enter and Batman hides. At Dr. Crane's orders, the thugs douse gasoline around the apartment. Batman comes out of hiding and beats the two thugs. Dr. Crane, wearing his burlap mask, emerges and gases him with the same gas he used on Falcone, using gas cylinders hidden in his shirt cuffs. Batman falls helplessly to the floor and scrambles around hallucinating bats and his parents' death. Dr. Crane douses him in gasoline while taunting him. He then lights a cigarette lighter and throws it at Batman's chest, causing his suit to burst into flames. Batman throws himself out of the window into the rain swept streets of the Narrows and hits the street with a thud. Desperately rolling around he puts out the flames, to the shock of the on-lookers, and then stumbles about trying to get his grapple gun. He fires the gun upwards and is carried to to a nearby rooftop. From there he grabs his communicator and calls for Alfred to help him. He's still suffering from the hallucinations. Alfred arrives and takes Batman into the car and drives him to the Manor. Batman tells him to 'take poison...blood...blood poison', before passing out.
Hearing his father's voice asking 'Bruce, why do we fall?", Bruce wakes up in his bed as if from a nightmare. Alfred reveals that he has been unconscious for 2 days and that today is his birthday -- 'many happy returns.' Bruce tells him that he has felt the effects of whatever Dr. Crane used on him before but not as strongly. Fox comes in and warns Bruce that he's been 'hanging out in the wrong nightclubs.' Alfred explains the he called Fox to help treat Bruce. Fox, after making a point of how hard he has worked to save Bruce, explains that he has created an antidote to the toxic gas. When asked if he could make any more of the antidote, Fox expresses concern that Bruce is willing to 'go back to the same club' and gas himself again, but he promises to bring what he has. He also explains that the antidote will inoculate people against the toxin.
Rachel turns up at the Manor to give Bruce his birthday present and to apologize that she can't make his birthday party that night. Her boss has been missing for two days; she jokes bitterly about searching the river for his body. She cuts away from the conversation as she get a message informing her that Falcone has been moved from prison to Arkham on Dr. Crane's orders. She rushes off to challenge Dr. Crane's decision. Knowing the she is in danger from Dr. Crane, Bruce changes to Batman, despite the guests who will soon arrive for his party.
Rachel arrives at Arkham and watches Falcone -- now genuinely insane -- mumbling the word "Scarecrow" over and over. When she questions Dr. Crane on the meaning of scarecrow, Dr. Crane explains that a significant number of inmates focus their paranoia on an external tormentor, such as a scarecrow. Both are unaware that Batman is listening from outside. When Rachel demands that Falcone be evaluated by Dr. Lehmann, the court's psychiatrist, Dr. Crane leads her into the lower floors of the Asylum. To her horror, Dr. Crane brings her to the basement where inmates are pouring a toxin into the water pipes below. Rachel runs for it but Dr. Crane catches her, now wearing his burlap mask, and gases her with his toxin. A terrified Rachel is interrogated by Dr. Crane in the basement. Suddenly the lights go out. Dr. Crane acknowledges that the Batman has arrived. He tells the guards not to worry about Rachel as she has been given a concentrated dose and will not last long, but to phone the police. He explains that the police can't stop the toxin, but Batman might -- unless the police stop him first.
Although Dr. Crane's henchmen are prepared, Batman appears in the basement and overcomes them all easily. He gasses Crane with his own toxin. He interrogates Dr. Crane, who lets slip that he is working for Ra's al Ghul before passing out. Batman picks up Rachel and takes her high up on the landing before the huge stairway at Arkham's entrance. The police arrive. Not willing to wait for backup in the form of a SWAT team as Flass is, Gordon goes into the building and is grabbed by Batman. The SWAT teams arrive. Batman explains to Gordon that he needs to get Rachel to his hideout so he can give her the antidote to the toxin. But Batman can't escape the Swat team while carrying Rachel, so he asks Gordon carry her to the alley outside on the Narrows side. He then activates a device in the heel of his boot, which emits a high-pitched scream. Gordon takes Rachel down the stairway as SWAT raids the building. As they begin to set up, a huge swarm of bats breaks into the building in response to Batman's signal. With bats everywhere distracting the SWAT officers, Batman drops from the stairway using his cape to land safely. He breaks into the prisoners' area, courteously apologizing for disturbing the inmates, and uses explosives to break outside. There he meets Gordon and takes Rachel from him.
Batman refuses further help from Gordon, knowing he can't take him too, and gets into the Tumbler. He heads back through Gotham pursued by police cars and helicopters. A very dramatic car chase ensues as Batman weaves through parking garage ramps, over church roofs, underground tunnels, and highways, destroying multiple police cars with evasive manuevers and caltrops to blow out their tires, and makes it back to the cave. He finds that Fox has delivered three vials of the toxin antidote, one of which he uses to save Rachel.
Gordon gets a report from the detectives studying the toxin in the water. Gotham's whole water system is laced with the stuff; it must have taken weeks to prepare the material. No one has noticed anything up to now because the toxin apparently has no effect unless it's inhaled.
Meanwhile, Rachel wakes up inside the cave and Batman explains what has happened. He tells her he is going to sedate her and when she wakes up she will be at home with the two remaining vials of the antidote. She must get them to Gordon -- one for him to inoculate himself and one for mass production. He sedates her and gets changed for his party.
Bruce tells Alfred about Rachel and asks him to take her home. He goes to the party downstairs to a chorus of Happy Birthday. He meets Earle ,who tells him that the stock offering was a success; the buyers were mostly trusts and brokerages. Bruce finds Fox and thanks him for the antidote vials that he delivered. Bruce then tells him what has happened. Fox interrupts that the water won't help disperse an inhalant. He stops and thinks. He says the stolen the microwave emitter could vaporize all the water in the mains, releasing the toxin. He reveals that he has been fired by Earle for asking too many questions about it. Bruce asks him to break into Wayne Enterprises and begin making more antidote.
Bruce is carted off unwillingly to another section of the party by Mrs. Delane. When she insists that he must meet a man called Ra's al Ghul, she suddenly has Bruce's attention. As the figure turns around, it is clearly not Ra's. Bruce whispers that he watched Ra's die. A familiar voice from behind asks 'but is Ra's al Ghul immortal? Are his methods supernatural?' Bruce turns around to the sight of Henri Ducard. Bruce thinks slowly before figuring out that Ducard is the true Ra's and the man Bruce fought back at the League of Shadows HQ was a decoy. Ra's muses that they both have double identities. He then lectures Bruce on the weakness of compassion. Even though Bruce had saved his life, he will still destroy Gotham.
Ra's gives Bruce a chance to get the innocent guests out of the house, which he does by acting drunk and insulting them. After Bruce demands his guests leave him in peace, he and Ra's walk together. Ra's explains that Crane's fear toxin is derived from the blue flowers back in China and that he found a way of weaponising it. Crane, however, is not a member of the League of Shadows and his idea of the plan was that they would hold the city to ransom. Ra's explains that Gotham must be destroyed because of how corrupt it is -- which he illustrates by explaining that the League of Shadows has infiltrated every level of its infrastructure. The scene is intercut with a series of shots showing members of the League disguised as officials and police officers releasing people from Arkham -- including Victor Zsaz and Crane, who, still under the effects of his own fear toxin, only mumbles 'scarecrow.'
Back at the Manor, Ra's offers Bruce one last chance to join and help the League, which Bruce refuses, claiming that there are still good people in the city and that Gotham isn't beyond saving. Ra's nods to other League members, who set fire to the mansion. Ra's explains that Gotham has been attacked by the League before through economics, which caused the depression when Bruce was a child. Ra's hoped that the city would destroy itself through the unequal distribution of wealth, however certain members of the rich families, such as Bruce's parents, donated money to help Gotham recover. But Ra's is back to the finish the job. With this Ra's attacks Bruce and pushes him in the way of a falling beam which pins an unconscious Bruce to the floor. With Wayne Manor burning around him Ra's says 'Justice is balance. You burned down my house and left me for dead. Consider us even.'
Meanwhile the Narrows is in a state of panic as hundreds of rapists and murders are freed from the Asylum. Rachel wakes up in her bed with the two vials of antidote.
Alfred arrives back at Wayne Manor and uses a golf club to knock out a League member guarding the house. Praying that the man was not a member of the fire department, Alfred rushes into the burning house and rouses Bruce. Managing to free himself, Bruce is led to the cave by Alfred as the house collapses.
Alfred inspects Bruce for injuries as Bruce is torn about the destruction of his father's house. Alfred tells him that the Wayne legacy is more than bricks and mortar and quotes Thomas Wayne: 'Why do we fall, sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.'
Police in full strength are moving from central Gotham across the bridge to the Narrows island. Rachel, being a D.A., is allowed to pass. She finds Gordon and gives him the antidote. Gordon explains that they are going to raise the bridges to the island and they need to get Rachel off before they do.
One last SWAT van is allowed over to the Narrows secretly carrying Ra's, a handful of his henchmen and the microwave emitter. A train, on the overhead Wayne line is stopped by the League where the Microwave emitter is being prepared to be hoisted up to it. While the drawbridges are raised, Ra's sets off the machine causing all of the water in the pipes below the streets to vaporize and blow the pipes open in the Narrows. The toxin is released and affects everyone in the Narrows including the escaped convicts and the police alike. Gordon inoculates himself with the antidote and finds a fearful Flass ready to shoot two innocent and equally frightened teenagers. Gordon knocks him out and handcuffs him to a railing. Meanwhile the few remaining people of the Gotham Police force wonder what is going on.
The Narrows begins to tear itself apart. In the streets, people violently attack one another. Rachel is confronted by Crane on a horse whose previous rider, a riot cop, is dragged behind. Wearing his burlap mask, Crane announces to her his new alias, 'the Scarecrow.'
Gordon requests reinforcements but to his dismay he is told that all of the riot police are already on the island and there is no one left to send. Suddenly the Tumbler shoots across the gap from Gotham to the Narrows. Batman explains to Gordon that Ra's intends to use the train to carry the microwave emitter to Wayne Tower. When the train reaches Wayne Tower at the center of Gotham, the microwave emitter will vaporise the contents of all the water mains, covering the whole city with the toxin. He asks Gordon for help and gives him the key to the Tumbler.
The Scarecrow is about to run down Rachel. She fires her taser and hits him in the face. His horse carries him away screaming. Rachel is surrounded by a dozen inmates from Arkham, including the serial killer Mr. Zasz, carrying a knife. Batman jumps from above them, cracking Zasz over the head, picks up Rachel and carries her to a rooftop and to safety. As Batman leaves her she asks him who he is. He replies 'It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me' -- quoting her own words back at her. She says 'Bruce?' as he jumps from the rooftop and uses his memory cloth cape as a glider. As he seemingly flies in the air, the fearful people below shriek in terror as their hallucinations warp the sight of him. Gordon orders the main bridge to be lowered and starts up the Tumbler.
Ra's is overseeing the madness below as his men fasten the microwave emitter into place on board the train. He spots Batman gliding towards him. Batman lands on the train platform. Ra's comments that he took his advice on theatricality a bit too literally and boards the train. Four members of the League appear and prevent Batman from pursuing. During the fight, Batman tries to uses his grapple hook to secure himself to the train but it is knocked out of his hand. The fight takes all participants down to the street floor where Batman manages to overcome all four League members. However he is ganged up on by dozens of terrified and angry citizens. As Ra's starts the train overhead, Batman finds his grapple gun and fires it at the train. He's dragged behind the train. Gordon meanwhile is following the Tumbler's GPS system toward Wayne Tower.
As the bridges are lowered, Ra's's train breaks the water pipes, releasing the toxic gas. The Tumbler is not far behind. Batman manages to pull himself to the train. He smashes through one of the train windows and engages an infuriated Ra's. Batman takes Ra's sword and breaks it in two with his gauntlets. Distracting Ra's, he stabs the sword into the braking controls of the train. Gordon arrives at Wayne Tower. He arms the Tumbler's defense systems and fires missiles at a train rail foundation. With the train approaching Wayne Tower, Ra's gets the upper hand over Batman and taunts him: 'Don't be afraid, Bruce. You are just an ordinary man in a cape. That's why you couldn't fight injustice, that's why you can't stop this train.' Batman replies, 'who said anything about stopping it?' Ra's looks up and notices a half of his sword sticking in the brake control. As this happens Gordon destroys the foundation and breaks the railway line. With this distraction, Batman regains the upper hand and pins Ra's. Batman explains that he won't kill Ra's -- but he doesn't have to save him, either. He blows out the back end of the train car, throws himself out, and glides away. Ra's can only look up to watch the train propel itself off the line and into the street below. The microwave emitter gets damaged by the impact and explodes, destroying the whole train.
The next day, Earle arrives at Wayne Enterprises to chair a meeting. He'd shocked to find that the meeting has already begun -- and is led by Fox, who reveals he has Earle's job.
Bruce is in the back of his car reading a newspaper: Batman has made the front page and Bruce is on page 8 under the headline 'Drunken Billionaire Burns Down Home.' He takes a call from Earle, who asks on what authority Bruce can decide who runs Wayne Enterprises. Bruce states that he is the owner. Earle reminds him that the company has gone public. Bruce explains that he bought most of the shares through various trusts and brokerages. Fox agrees with Bruce's words, and asks Earle, "Didn't you get the memo?" in reference to the words Earle told him when firing him from AS.
Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce is nailing boards over the old well in the garden when he is approached by Rachel. He apologizes for not telling her about his identity earlier. She apologizes for slapping him the day Chill died and for the horrible things that she said before he disappeared. Bruce tells her that what she said was true and that he was just a coward with a gun. He thanks her. She says that when she heard that he was back she began to hope. She moves closer towards him and kisses him. She then explains that she then found out about his mask -- his actual face. She explains that his true face is the cowl of Batman and that the boy she loved long ago never came back. But maybe one day they can be together when Batman is no longer needed. Bruce nods. Rachel tells him that she was wrong and that Bruce's father would be proud of him, just as she is.
Alfred is walking through the rubble of the Manor and Rachel asks Bruce about what he will do. Bruce replies that he'll rebuild it just the way it was before. Rachel turns to leave. Alfred wonders if it's a good time to improve the foundations of the south-east corner. Bruce agrees and they walk off.
That night, Batman meets Gordon, who reveals that he has recently been made a lieutenant. Gordon has also made a version of the signal that Batman had made with Falcone. Gordon talks about the escalation between law enforcement methods and criminal methods such as the police wearing Kevlar leading to criminals buying armor-piercing ammunition. He expresses concern that the city's dependence on Batman may have negative consequences. Gordon uses a recent case as an example. A criminal with a taste for theatrics has killed two people. The suspect leaves a calling card at the scene of each crime. Gordon gives Batman the evidence: a Joker playing card (see The Dark Knight). Batman says that he will look into it. Batman then assures Gordon that they can make Gotham safe again and he jumps from the roof and glides away.
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tenten76 from London
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Christopher Nolan (and cast) have pulled off what I hadn't dared to dream - a Batman every bit as good as Burton/Keaton's vision - and eradicated the camp, feverish memories of Clooney, Kilmer and (cough..) O'Donnell.
The story is as good an origin story as you'll find - covering all the major (true-to-the-comic) events, and not wasting ages on them. We see Wayne's all-important training period (previously ignored), and his connection to the Tibetan shadow-ninja clan led by Ra's Al Ghul. We see Bruce come up with ideas for his symbol, his costume, his gadgets, his car, his cave - IT ALL FITS SO PERFECTLY.
That's not all - Liam Neeson is perfect (as ever, when Lucas isn't writing his lines), Batman's first mad nemesis (the Scarecrow) is genuinely frightening; with some outstandingly scary 'fear' effects.. Gary Oldman looks just like a young Commissioner Gordon (and doesn't dominate), Morgan Freeman and Rutger Hauer give solid heavyweight support to the boardroom machinations at Wayne Enterprizes. I love Michael Gough(?) but Michael Caine is great as Alfred. It's only Katie Holmes who didn't ring true for me - not because of her performance, but simply because she looks all of 15 years old (sorry Katie). I am always blown away by Christian Bale, and this is no exception.
The fights are great, the Bat-gadgets all there, the car is amazing, the plot is thorough and exciting, Gotham looks great, Batman really is frightening & menacing (and lethal!).. And the scenes with the bats themselves FINALLY get across the idea of how scary they can be.
There is some humour, but it's fairly dry. The soundtrack, like all the best original soundtracks, is excellent - you hardly know it's there, but the emotions of the scene are enhanced and boosted. For the most part this is a serious Batman film, with plenty for long-time fans. This NEW Batman is one I'd like to see again. Bravo Mr Nolan, bravo.
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motta80-2 from London, England
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I had fearful reservations about this one. I loved Tim Burton's Batman - 12 years old when it came out I was the perfect age for it and I also enjoyed Batman Returns. The franchise went so wrong under Joel Schumacher that I wasn't sure I wanted it resurrected. Not least because Batman was one of the few comics I read and enjoyed as a kid and was always my favourite superhero. I grew up reading the comics, watching reruns of the Adam West TV show and then getting Burton's celluloid vision. I was spoilt for choice as a kid but as an adult now I was concerned revisiting the franchise, especially given Warner's record over the last decade of screwing up summer blockbusters with potential all over the place (dare I bring up the Matrix sequels?)
However, I am pleased to report I could not have been more wrong about how great Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins is. This is better than Burton. Sacrilege, you say?! Well Burton was still cartoony in many elements, he wasn't churning out the bilge of Schumacher but Burton's Batman was still over the top. As a kid this was ideal but Nolan's Batman is real. Everything in this world seems plausible and it is therefore a world that draws you in. Characters' vulnerability is that much more present. Every bruise, every scare, every concern, every emotion seems real.
Part of this is that Nolan has assembled an exemplary cast. Again, this concerned me prior to seeing the film. I wasn't sure a cast of big name legends like Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman and well known names like Liam Neeson and Katie Holmes wouldn't detract and distract from Batman. I was always sure Christian Bale could be the great moody Batman he's been waiting his career to be but the others I wasn't so sure about.
That said Bale is not just good, he's superb. I never thought I'd really be able to envision anyone other than Michael Keaton as the definitive Batman for me but since seeing Batman Begins a couple of days ago Bale has cemented himself in the position. Perhaps Keaton will now be able to escape the spectre of Batman he hasn't truly shaken off for 13 years.
The rest of the cast is also pitch perfect. Cillian Murphy is creepy as hell, Liam Neeson is authoritative and imposing, Katie Holmes is strong and sexy (I particularly thought she'd be insipid, she should jettison Tom Cruise and let her talent - which she does have naysayers just watch Pieces Of April - speak for itself) and Michael Caine is an Alfred you've never seen but in fact far more likely as a butler than the aristocratic pomp with which he is usually portrayed. Gary Oldman is also superb in a rare wholly decent character for him as Lieutenant Jim Gordon who gets far more to so here than Gordon has ever had to do before. Only Tom Wilkinson is a little off with a slightly comedic wise-guy American accent that never really convinces.
The emotional bond between Bruce Wayne and Alfred is actually a wonderful human heart to the film than Nolan and Goyer have written perfectly.
Don't let that make you think the action is not front and centre though. From Wayne's training through the early stages of the film to his early missions as Batman at about the half way point to a thrillingly choreographed chase sequence and an edge of your seat finale this film delivers the cool quotient in bucket loads.
Great villains (especially Murphy), great story, great cast, great action... put simply, great film. Probably the best comic-book movie ever made (that's excluding the genius Sin City which I consider a moving comic-book rather than a comic-book movie, that will never be bettered but Batman is a different beast and the best of its kind).
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Shinra78 from United Kingdom
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Finally, after the previous 2 outings of the caped crusader, the Batman franchise is back on track. Having been a big comic collector over the years and a long time fan of the Dark Knight, I was especially disappointed by 'Forever' and 'Batman and Robin'. To me, these film lost the essence of what drives Bruce Wayne to do what he does and turned Batman into more of a pop star than misunderstood hero.
Thankfully though, Nolan has gone back to the roots of the character, portraying a confused and angry Bruce Wayne, who ultimately rises to become Gotham's greatest champion. Don't expect to see loads of shots of Batman in this film though. It is the story of Wayne and focuses mainly on his years of training and preparation for becoming Batman. You are almost teased throughout the first half of the movie, waiting to see the excellent Christian Bale in the costume, as it keeps holding back to keep you in anticipation. When Batman does finally turn up on screen, it is well worth the wait. In my opinion, Bale was born for this role and for the first time when watching a Batman film, I enjoyed the scenes of Wayne being Wayne as much as Wayne being Batman.
One of the strongest features of the film, is the way that it manges to suck you in believe that a 'Batman' could be a reality one day. The technology is current, with no use of silly OTT weapons and gadgets, again making the film work by today's standards. Plus, we are not allowed to forget that Batman is still just a man under the costume and there are times when he gets a bit of a kicking and shows that he can be vulnerable too, something we sometimes forget when watching a superhero flick. Gone too, are the silly villains!!! Jack Nicholson was the perfect Joker but from there it went downhill. Thankfully, in this movie the bad guys are actually fairly 'normal' and manage to be menacing at the same time.
Which finally brings me to the cast. I always had high expectations for this film when the cast was announced. Let's face it, what a line up! Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katy Holmes, Ken Watanabe and Tom Wilkinson are not to be sniffed at. Even an old favourite of mine makes an appearance: Rutger Hauer! Awesome. Actors of this calibre would never have gotten involved in this project if they didn't have faith in Christoper Nolan's talents and thankfully they took the leap...
For the comic book fans out there, waiting to see this movie, let me assure you that you won't be upset. Imagine the darkness of the 'A Death In The Family' and the 'Year One' story lines. I have never met a fan of Batman who didn't love these books. Well, this is the kind of Batman you can expect from Bale: Dark, brooding and tortured by his past, yet the hero we have come to love. For those of you who are not comic fans, then just look forward to seeing how Batman should be. This film is a credit to Bob Kane's original vision and a testament to all the talented artists and writers who keep the legend of the Dark Knight alive in the comic books today....
Thank you Mr. Nolan and thank you Mr. Bale. In fact thanks to everyone who worked on this film. Batman finally Begins from here....
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streetsmarts101 from United States
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I got a chance to see 'Batman Begins' just this past Friday evening. I must say that before seeing the film, I felt in my heart this is the 'Batman' film we've been waiting for. Within ten minutes into the movie, I turned to my date and said to her, "This is it! This is the movie!" I just can't believe that after all these years, Warner Bros. finally got it right. For me the most intriguing part of the film, apart from the great script, and great acting, was Christopher Nolan's decision to base the film in reality. Deciding that Batman could really exist in our universe and our world was a stroke of genius. Another aspect of the film that's so refreshing is that instead of the focus being on the villain, Batman is the film's star. And rightly so. It's amazing what can happen when a studio leaves a respected director, and the creative team alone, and allow them to make the best movie possible. The only two negatives that I can think of is Katie Holmes and the fight sequences. Holmes does indeed look like a teenager playing grown-up. Her performance isn't bad per SE, it's just that you really don't buy her as an Assistant D.A. As for the fight sequences, I felt the cameras angles were too tight on the action, edited too quickly, and lit too dark so that you really couldn't tell what was going on and determine who was hitting who. Maybe we can attribute this to the fact that Nolan is not an action director. Hopefully the next film will open up the fight sequences so we can actually see Batman use the martial arts skills he developed during his exile. But apart from those relatively minor quibbles, the film is excellent, and I'm definitely going back on opening day June 15th, and seeing it a second time. A third and fourth viewing is definitely not out of the question.
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pyrocitor from Ontario, Canada
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It sickened me in the past to see the Batman movie franchise slowly digging it's way to an early grave. After the quality Tim Burton films, the series pretty much went down the toilet, beginning a horrifically campy age of 'Bat credit-cards' and an armored Arnold Schwarzenegger tossing cringe-worthy puns at a Batman who seemed to be trying not to be embarrassed by the fact that his costume had nipples. So what could Warner Brothers producers hope to do to resurrect the franchise? Pretend it never happened, and start the whole series over again with a talented director, compelling story and capable cast.
Enter Christopher Nolan, the mastermind behind 2000's 'Momento', widely praised as one of the most innovative films of the decade. As director/co- screenwriter, Nolan creates a richly dark, atmospheric world for Batman to inhabit, similar to that of the Burton films, but less cartoony. The film's screenplay, written by Nolan and David S. Goyer is quality stuff, it's true that some of the dialog exchanges can seem kind of contrived, particularly between Wayne and Liam Neeson's character, Ducard, but it sounds so classy you tend not to care.
Nolan also puts a lot of trust in his audiences to stay put while the first hour of the film comprehensively explores Bruce Wayne's backstory, with no cape donning and few fight sequences. Nevertheless, the pace never slows, and the story is so unexpected and fascinating (who would have expected a Batman film to begin in a prison in Tibet? only Nolan could pull it off!) there's little chance of us losing interest. And this way, we really get a sense of who Bruce Wayne is, a trait none of the past movies were able to capture, including the Burton films. We see what drives him, what leads him to become this iconic crime fighter, and the reasoning behind the mask.
Of course, to help the audience get under Bruce Wayne's skin, it doesn't hurt to have such a talented lead as Christian Bale. Bale has been emerging as one of the most talented actors of his generation, and he brings that talent to a peak here, playing the darkest of all superheroes. If you were to break down the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne, you would find that it is essentially three characters: Wayne as Batman, behind the mask; Wayne's public facade as the billionaire playboy; and the real, brooding Bruce Wayne. Bale plays all three of the characters to absolute perfection, and molds them together well enough to make it clear to show they are still the same person. He has been given tons of accolades for his performance already, and needless to say, he deserves every one.
And the sheer quality of the supporting cast is mind-boggling, if for the number of big names only. It's very hard to find a weak spot in the incredibly strong array of performances here, but if one had to be found, it would have to be Katie Holmes. It's not that she gives a bad performance, on the contrary, but just she seems too young to be convincing as a district attorney. For me, Michael Gough will always be the definitive Alfred, but Michael Caine does an excellent job of taking over the role, giving a very strong (and often funny) performance. Liam Neeson is sheer class as Ducard, Wayne's mysterious mentor, as is Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Wayne's arms manufacturer and provider of the Batman gear. It's wonderful to see the incredibly talented and much underrated Gary Oldman as Sgt. Gordon, the only decent cop in Gotham, and he truly makes the role his own. Even cult favorite Rutger Hauer makes an appearance as Richard Earle, the ambitious head of Wayne Enterprises. And (surprise surprise!) the villains are also actually menacing for once, as opposed to cartoony and corny. Cillian Murphy just about walks away with the show as the truly chilling Scarecrow (the sequences involving his 'fear gas' are surprisingly frightening) Ken Watanabe is mysterious and creepy as guild leader Ra's Al Ghul and Tom Wilkinson is very convincing as Carmine Falcone, head of the Gotham city mob.
Nolan's knack for realism also comes as a breath of fresh air in this age of CGI bloated blockbusters - there are next to no computer generated shots in the movie, even a sequence with Batman standing on top of a high building staring down at the city was filmed with a stuntman. And it really works, the Batmobile actually interacts with it's environment, and looks so much better real than computer generated. But don't think that the film will come across as too serious and stuffy because of Nolan's realism - true, Gotham seems too dark and dirty to come across as a fantasy world, but Batman Begins retains that unmistakable sense of fun that seems to only be present in comic book movies. We jeer and fear the villains, and cheer the hero as he lays his life on the line to vanquish evil and save the city. And that is how it should be. There's even a surprising twist near the end, which is doubly surprising because it actually comes as a shock. What's not to love here?
(and, further cudos to director Nolan for finally managing to make a swarm of bats actually frightening for once)
Overall, I'd have to label Batman Begins 'The must see movie of the summer' - it's a well written, authoritatively directed, impeccably acted (especially by Bale's powerhouse lead performance and Cillian Murphy's sickly menacing Scarecrow) and very high quality production. Indeed, most other summer blockbusters could learn a thing or two from Batman Begins. If the Batman franchise died under it's own gaudiness years ago, let us rejoice this glorious rebirth - Batman truly does begin here.
-10/10
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yeahindie from Los Angeles
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I just came back from a special screening of Batman Begins and I must say this is the best movie I have yet seen this year. All of the blockbuster movies I had seen this year with much expectation have been disappointing. But Batman Begins is not the typical corny action film; it incorporates all aspects of genre: action, fantasy, drama, and even comedy. I was at the edge of my seat from the thrills in some scenes and clapping & laughing from the humorous lines that director Christopher Nolan had written for the characters. I was really amazed by the acting performances from the new generation of actors, assuming that they wouldn't have been able to compete with and compliment the talented, veteran actors such as Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Liam Neeson. I mean you couldn't have asked for better actors!! Christian Bale was just perfect for the role: he had the intensity, physique, and charm you'd expect a Batman character to encompass. Every actor was casted perfectly for their roles. I even give props to Katie Holmes for playing a district attorney considering her previous roles consisted of "the young girl" or "girlfriend".
I hardly ever see action films nowadays because I don't want to waste my time watching a conventional, corny, over-digitalized,plot less film. To be honest, I gave this film a chance not because it was a Batman movie, but rather because of the talented veteran actors as well as being a fan of Christopher Nolan's previous films. Whether you're a fan of Christopher Nolan or just a Batman fanatic, you'll enjoy every single second of the movie. People of ALL ages will appreciate this film. The violence in this movie is not vulgar, but rather sends out a lot of great messages of loyalty, respect, and humility. Not only is "Batman Begins" the best of the Batman series, it is the most unconventional. This recommendation is coming from a person who mostly watches art-house/independent films.
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DPG311 from United States
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This film easily trumps any live-action incarnation we've scene of the Dark Knight before, borrowing heavily from both the comics and the Dini and Co. animated series. This is a hard, fast, driving, heartfelt epic that draws you into the character of Bruce Wayne and makes you damn well care. Batman doesn't play second-fiddle to the villains here like in the other films. It's his movie and that's the way it should be.
Much has been said of the film's "reality" quotient, and I'm here to say it works. Nolan talks about how Batman's strong because he does push-ups, he gets around because of his gadgets, and by introducing each of them with a plausible explanation, we forget to quibble and go along with it. The technology may be fantastic, but it's believable. And, unlike the "reality" of something like Daredevil, Nolan doesn't forget his ideals halfway though and start having Batman wire-jump thirty feet into the air.
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BigHardcoreRed from Calimesa, California
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Batman Begins is a well told story of the origin of Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale). It covers a lot of the same ground as Michael Keaton's original Batman, but goes much further in depth in many factors of his creation. It goes into great detail about subjects such as how he got his costume, what exactly it is. Same goes with the Batmobile. We also find out why he chose to be bat-like.
One of the more interesting aspects here is how it shows Bruce's father, Thomas Wayne (Linus Roache), and how he molded Bruce's life and instilled good judgment within him, a point which is misunderstood about him by most people he comes in contact with. Thomas, too, teaches Bruce valuable lesson, such as "We fall so we can learn to pick ourselves up". This is pretty close to the theme of the movie or motto Bruce Wayne lives by. The resemblance of the father & son is pretty good, too.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the training Bruce Wayne endured becoming "invincible". Bruce is trained by Ducard (Liam Neeson) in many ways like a ninja (The concept of Batman IS similar to a ninja). He is taught many valuable lessons in this temple and is shown no mercy. Eventually, we even see his first real enemy as a superhero/vigilante.
Although I am not positive as to how true to the comic book this movie is, I am sure it took a few liberties, as did Spider-Man. Most of the small examples I have noticed are for the better and make for a good story. The Batmobile is more believable as an expensive armored vehicle that the military would not spend the money on than a juiced up Corvette (or whatever that was). Same with the Batsuit.
Katie Holmes is excellent as Rachel Dawes, a D.A. who is not afraid to go after the big villains in court. Also worthy of mentioning is Michael Caine as Alfred the butler. I do not believe they could have found a better man for that role, although I could not get the image of Caine as Austin Powers' dad out of my head when he was on screen.
Finally, in my opinion, Christian Bale makes a much better Batman than the three recent previous ones in Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney. Something about him makes Batman darker and more mysterious. Hopefully, DC Comics and movies have learned from their mistakes and we will not have to worry about Batman picking up a sidekick in this newest installment of the Batman series. 9/10
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supercity from United Kingdom
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I've just come back from a preview screening of Batman Begins. I went in with low expectations, despite the excellence of Christopher Nolan's previous efforts. Talk about having your expectations confounded! This film grips like wet rope from the start. I won't give away any of the story; suffice to say it mixes and matches its sources freely, tossing in a dash of Frank Miller, a bit of Alan Moore and a pinch of Bob Kane to great effect.
What's impressive is that despite the weight of the franchise, Nolan has managed to work so many of his trademarks into a mainstream movie. The story does not progress in linear fashion for the first half, and there are some truly spectacular hallucination scenes. Parents thinking of taking their young kids along, think twice. When we left, a terrified 8-year-old boy was being comforted by his parents. Some of what's up there on screen really is the stuff of nightmares.
Of the cast of Brits chosen to bring this American tale to the masses, Christian Bale convinces in his dual role, while Michael Caine as Alfred comes up with the humour just when the film is in danger of taking itself too seriously. Gary Oldman and Tom Wilkinson provide able support, as does Morgan Freeman.
Most refreshing of all is the way that Nolan and co have come up with a way of bringing comics to the screen that does justice to the often adult source material in a way that, say, Daredevil, tried and failed to do (although the director's cut is better). If the Dark Knight doesn't return after this, there's no justice.
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btrocksyoursocks from New York
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BATMAN BEGINS (2005)
starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe.
plot: Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has lost his parents when he was young and trained with the great Ducard (Liam Neeson). He returns to Gotham and wins his parent's fortune, manor and business, Wayne Enterprizes. Now, with the help of an old friend of his family (Morgan Freeman), Bruce becomes Batman by night, a dark hero who fights crime in a city where the good people do nothing. Batman is thrust into a war with his first major enemy, The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), only to discover that the evil villain is working for someone much more powerful from Bruce's past.
the good: Wow, for the last 13 years I held Tim Burton's BATMAN RETURNS above every BATMAN film, and every film for that matter. It was a great film, and it still is. But it was not the true BATMAN that I thought it was. I have just came back from seeing this film, BATMAN BEGINS, and it beats BATMAN RETURNS by a long-shot.
As much as I love Michael Keaton's portrayal as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Christian Bale beats them all! He's great as the millionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, and also as the dark, bad-ass Batman. He treats Bruce and Batman like two completely different characters, even better than both Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer! He also sports the best costume, and an awesome bat mobile.
Michael Caine and Gary Oldman are also great replacements for Michael Gough and Pat Hingle as Alfred Pennyworth and James Gordon. Caine turned out just as great as Gough as the butler/father figure, but Gordon put a more humorous touch on the character which did not disappoint me!
Cillian Murphy is equally great as the villain, The Scarecrow, who freaks me out and leads to some creepy/cool trippy horror-like scenes. Katie Holmes is also here as the love interest, she was OK, not as bad as people say but still a little off. The rest of the cast also handles their parts perfectly!
Christopher Nolan's direction was the best because it managed to be dark and gloomy like Burton's, only a little more realistic!
The score and action are also honorable mentions for this film.
But in the end, what makes this the best is Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer were also great, but the way I see it, Bale is the definitive Batman!
****
Christian Bale's active dislike of his uncomfortable Batman outfit helped his performance as the Dark Knight as he was perpetually in a foul mood when wearing it.
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Christian Bale revealed in interviews in 2009 that in his first ever scene with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman (one involving Bale waking up in bed to find them waiting there), he fell asleep after getting ready for the scene. Bale described waking up to find Michael Caine poking him the ribs, saying "Look at that! He's bloody fallen asleep".
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The language used by actor Ken Watanabe is neither Japanese nor Tibetan, or in fact any known language at all. It's just some gibberish he says he made up himself for the role.
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Director Christopher Nolan is reputed to have been so fascinated with Cillian Murphy's bright blue eyes, that he kept trying to find reasons/ways to have Crane remove his glasses.
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When Christian Bale and Liam Neeson were fighting on the frozen lake they could hear the ice cracking beneath their feet. The next day, the lake was completely melted.
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While shooting on the streets of Chicago, a person accidentally crashed into the Batmobile. The driver was apparently drunk, and said he hit the car in a state of panic, believing the Dark Knight's vehicle to be an invading alien spacecraft.
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Although Christian Bale performed many of his own stunts, he wasn't allowed anywhere near the Batmobile.
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"Batman Begins" inspired James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccolli to reboot the James Bond franchise and reinventing the character of British secret agent James Bond and making him much darker and more realistic.
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The 2006 Forbes Fictional 15 ranks Bruce Wayne as the 7th richest fictional character with a net worth of approximately $6.8 billion.
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At the time of this film's release, Forbes Magazine did a breakdown of how much it would actually cost to become Batman. The magazine estimated that total expenses in US dollars would be around $3.5 million.
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An unforeseen problem with the ninja training academy was that Liam Neeson towered over the rest of the men. This was swiftly solved by putting most of the ninjas on wooden blocks.
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Both Tim Burton and Michael Keaton, from Batman (1989), have said they were impressed by this film.
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Before the shooting began, Christopher Nolan invited the whole film crew to a private screening of Blade Runner (1982). After the film he said to the whole crew, "This is how we're going to make "Batman"."
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Since Alfred's sense of duty and loyalty towards Bruce Wayne reminded him of the comradeship that exists in the military, Sir Michael Caine based his character's voice on that of a colonel he knew when he was in the army as an 18-year-old.
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Contrary to the previous Batman films, in which the Batcave was realized as a combination of a live set and matte paintings (done either by hand or computer), no visual effects were used in this film to show the Batcave. The entire Batcave is instead a massive full-scale set.
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According to DC Comics, Batman stands 6'2" and weighs 210 lbs. Christian Bale stands 6'0-1/2" (according to his IMDb profile) and at the time of filming weighed 210 lbs.
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In an interview with Moviefone, Christian Bale said that he became interested in playing Batman after a friend of his loaned him the graphic novel "Arkham Asylum" (by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean) in 2000. After he read it, he told his agent that if anyone was making another Batman movie, he wanted in.
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During interviews with Christian Bale whilst promoting the movie, he continued using the American accent he'd adopted to play Bruce Wayne/Batman. He explained that he didn't want potential moviegoers to be confused about why Batman, an American institution, was being played by an Welshman. However, this may not be the whole truth, as Bale rarely gives an interview in his native Welsh accent. It is believed that this is because Bale is always using whichever accent is required for his next role, which reflects his commitment as a method actor.
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Christian Bale lost his voice three times during filming after altering his voice while playing Batman.
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Only days before the role of Batman was cast, eight actors were asked to audition for the part. The actors were Christian Bale, Joshua Jackson, Eion Bailey, Hugh Dancy, Billy Crudup, Cillian Murphy, Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal. While Bale won the part, Christopher Nolan liked Murphy's audition so much, he cast him as Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow. Part of the audition process involved the actors wearing a Batman mask and an old mask used by Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995) was brought out of storage for this purpose.
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Christian Bale decided early on in the audition process that he didn't want to play Batman straight but to play him as a rage-filled monster, figuring that it might polarize Christopher Nolan. To his delight, Nolan was thrilled with his off-kilter interpretation.
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Much of Batman's gear and apparel, including his cape and suit, is based on actual military technology.
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Christian Bale's trailer didn't have his name on the door but said "Bruce Wayne" instead.
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In a 2012 interview, Christopher Nolan admitted that he invented the line "rub your chest, your arms will take care of themselves," spoken by Henri Ducard/R'as Al Ghul (Liam Neeson) after Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) falls into the frozen lake, and that it has no scientific basis, adding that he imagined "Boy Scouts everywhere freezing to death" because they took the advice literally thanks to Neeson's convincing delivery.
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Due to his part in The Machinist (2004), Christian Bale was vastly underweight (about 120 pounds on his 6 foot+ frame) when he was under consideration for the part. After being cast, he was told to become as "big as you could be" by Christopher Nolan. Bale underwent a 6 month dietary and exercise regimen and ending up weighing about 220 pounds (about 40 pounds above his normal weight). It was decided that Bale had become too large (friends of his on the film's crew dubbed him "Fatman") and he quickly shed about 20 pounds to have leaner, more muscular frame. Bale described the experience as an unbearable physical ordeal.
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David S. Goyer mentioned in an interview that his favorite pre-audition choice for Batman was Jake Gyllenhaal, but that he was won over by Christian Bale after seeing his test.
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Hans Zimmer named the tracks in the soundtrack after types of Bats. The first letters of tracks 4-9 in the soundtrack, spell "BATMAN". ("Barbastella", "Artibeus", "Tadarida", "Macrotus", "Antrozous" and "Nycteris")
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Christian Bale had read some of the graphic novels long before he played Batman. He said that in the year 2000 a friend lent him a copy of the graphic novel "Arkham Asylum," which he thoroughly enjoyed and made him wonder why that version of Batman hadn't been portrayed on screen. In preparing for the role Bale said he made a conscious effort to avoid watching the performances of previous Batman actors so he could approach the character from a fresh perspective.
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This marks one of the first times the Keysi fighting style has been showcased on film.
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First live action appearance by Scarecrow, a villain dating back to Batman's earliest comic stories. While considered for the 1960s TV series he was never used, and was to be the main villain in the fifth Burton/Schumaker film that was shelved.
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Marilyn Manson, Christopher Eccleston, Ewan McGregor and Jeremy Davies were considered for the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow.
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The first day of filming that Christian Bale tried on the Batsuit, he stayed in it all day in an effort to get used to it.
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All the big name cast members were initially not told that the movie was a Batman movie as the script they were sent was titled "The Intimidation Game". Michael Caine commented that when he first saw the title, he assumed the script was some kind of gangster movie.
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The cape was made with a technique called electrostatic flocking, taught to the crew by the British Ministry of Defense and normally used to decrease the night-vision visibility of objects. Nylon parachute fabric was brushed with glue and covered with fine hair-like material. An electrostatic current was then passed under the material, creating a dark sheen while maintaining the billowing appearance.
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A pair of Batman pajama bottoms can be seen hanging from the line in the scene where Batman talks to the little boy in the Narrows.
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Ashton Kutcher was in heavy considerations for the role of Bruce Wayne and was reportedly the studio executives' choice for the same. Nolan however, was not enthusiastic about the idea of casting Kutcher in the role which prompted Warner Bros. studio heads to drop the idea. Kutcher's casting would have lead to a controversy similar to the one that sparked the 1989 Batman movie when Michael Keaton, a comic actor, was cast as Batman (see Batman (1989) trivia).
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"Batman" is said only 10 times throughout the film.
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The movie references the comic, Batman Year One by Frank Miller with Detective Flass, the corrupt cop, being partnered with James Gordon. It further follows the storyline by showing Gordon refusing to turn in the corrupt cops.
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Ra's Al Ghul is Arabic for "The Demon's Head". This refers to his position at the height of the Brotherhood of the Demon, also called the League of Shadows.
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Director Christopher Nolan originally didn't want to give Scarecrow a mask. Screenwriter David S. Goyer was able to talk him into it.
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Director Christopher Nolan decided that there would be no second unit, and so for the whole of the one hundred and twenty nine shooting days Nolan oversaw every shot of the film personally.
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Christian Bale was the first actor to meet with Christopher Nolan about playing Batman.
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Filming was temporarily delayed on the London soundstage due to the sound of amorous pigeons in the rafters above.
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This is the only Batman movie (both live action and animated) to celebrate Bruce Wayne's birthday. He turns 30 - you can see a big '30' in the background when Rachel comes by to give him his present.
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When the prisoners are all released from Arkham, briefly visible is Mr. Zsasz, a serial killer from the comics with tally marks scarred into his skin, representing each of his victims. Mr. Zsasz also appears in the courtroom in the beginning of the film where he is being transferred to Arkham Asylum by Dr. Crane.
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The "daylight" coming through the windows of Wayne Manor was created by a single 100,000-watt floodlight which weighed nearly 400 pounds.
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First Batman movie in which Gotham City scenes were filmed on location in an actual city as opposed to on a set, or images via stock footage. While the on location scenes were filmed in Chicago, Gotham City of the comics is based on New York City, and in fact the name Gotham is a colloquial for New York.
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The film's marketing costs - $100 million - were at the time the most ever spent on one film.
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The title went through many changes. First, it was known as "Batman 5". It became "Batman: The Frightening" for a while. To prevent script leaks, they were titled "Intimidation Game" to throw off the public, before settling on "Batman Begins".
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A significant portion of the main cast consists of European actors performing American accents for their parts. Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman) is Welsh; Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon) is English; Cillian Murphy (Dr. Jonathan Crane) is Irish; Tom Wilkinson (Carmine Falcone) is English; Rutger Hauer (Earle) is Dutch; Linus Roache (Thomas Wayne) is English.
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The wide-shot of the house of the League of Shadows was entirely computer-generated.
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The house which served as the setting of "Wayne Manor" in the film was Mentmore Towers, the former Rothschild estate located in Buckinghamshire, England. The mansion served as the O'Connells' home in The Mummy Returns (2001), and has also been featured in such other films as Brazil (1985), Slipstream (1989), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Quills (2000), Ali G Indahouse (2002), and Johnny English (2003).
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The Batmobile, 9 feet wide and 16 feet long, has a top speed of 106 miles per hour and can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6 seconds. The engine is a 5.7 liter V8 Chevy. It runs on unleaded gas and can do about 7 miles per gallon. It has four 44-inch tires at the rear, made by Interco Tire Corp, while the front is covered in jagged plates of armor. It was designed and built by Chris Corbould and Andrew Smith at Shepperton Studios in England. This Batmobile was built from the ground up and is estimated to be worth half a million pounds. It was designed by mashing together several different off-the-shelf model kits; its construction was so exacting to the model that they even duplicated the blobs of excess glue.
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In the previous Batman films, the Oscar winners played the villains. In this one, the Oscar winners are on the heroes' side: Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.
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Christopher Nolan would generally shoot the fight scenes with the actors doing as much of the stunts as physically possible (in the case of Christian Bale and Liam Neeson, that was pretty much all of them). He would then shoot the same fight sequences with the stuntmen for coverage.
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Unlike most characters on the movie, Rachel Dawes, played by Katie Holmes, doesn't exist in "Batman" or any other DC Comics' series. She was created by director Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David S. Goyer. The role was written expressly for Katie Holmes, with Claire Danes and Reese Witherspoon as backup considerations.
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During filming of the scene where Batman is being towed by a train through the streets of Gotham, so much steam was used that it would "rain" on the cast and crew for several minutes after each take.
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On the set, the costumed Christian Bale constantly had two people trailing him to keep the Batsuit smudge-free.
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This is the first Batman movie in which the name of Bruce Wayne (Batman) is not changed for the Spanish version to Bruno Daz. The name Bruno Daz has been used for the Latin American audience since the early Batman Comics that come to South America back in the 50's
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Early work on the script and the production design was conducted in the back of Christopher Nolan's garage. During the writing process, Nolan and David S. Goyer sometimes took walks near the site of the original Batcave from Batman (1966).
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Instances with just one or two bats in the shot (such as the single bat gone astray inside Wayne's mansion) uses real bats, but each scene with a flock of bats had to be done using CG bats, since it was decided too difficult to control that many bats at once.
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The first live action Batman film produced and released after the death of Batman creator Bob Kane in 1998. This is also the first film to not have Kane as project consultant.
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The writers considered having Harvey Dent in the film but inserting him would have been too unwieldy.
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The only film in Christopher Nolan's trilogy where Batman utilizes bats. Specifically, to overwhelm the SWAT Team to hinder their efforts in pursuing him.
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Over 20 prototypes of the Scarecrow's face were crafted before settling on the final piece.
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Laurence Fishburne was considered for the role of Lucius Fox.
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A quote from Christian Bale that some of the crew had on the back of their t-shirts (the wardrobe department did it as a joke) said: "It's hot, dark and sweaty and it gives me a headache."
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Initially Christopher Nolan wanted to cast Gary Oldman as a villain and Chris Cooper as Gordon. Cooper, however, wanted to spend more time with his family so Nolan hit on the unusual idea of casting Oldman as a character who was not a baddie.
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The first and only Batman film in the Nolan Trilogy to utilize "flash fighting". Christopher Nolan has said that the idea was to convey Batman's strikingly fast fighting abilities and make him seem quick and a formidable opponent. It was not however, utilized in the sequels.
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Anthony Hopkins was offered the role of Alfred but declined.
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In the movie, Bruce Wayne is shown arriving at a fancy hotel in a Lamborghini Murci lago. The word "murci lago" is Spanish for bat (although the car itself was named after a prized bull owned by Don Antonio Miura, who had nothing to do with bats).
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There were 5 Batmobiles made for the film in total.
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For the IMAX version, some of the theatres running older IMAX equipment, the credits for the movie wouldn't fit on the platters. IMAX and the theatres had to get special permission from Warner Brothers to show the movie without the credits.
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The 8th biggest grossing film of 2005 in the US.
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Christian Bale had to perform 16 separate fights in the course of the film.
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Batman's journey to Tibet, and his ninja training, were both elements introduced into the comic book by writer James Owsley in Batman #431 (March, 1989). The series editor, Denny O'Neil, made the issue part of the Batman Writers Bible that he would hand out to each new writer on the series, thus confirming the story's place in canon.
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Christian Bale's older sister, Louise Bale, portrayed Bruce Wayne's mother, Mrs. Wayne, in the 2003 short The Death of Batman (2003).
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The license plates for the Gotham related cars were designed in the same style as the Illinois state license plates. This was done to stay consistent with other vehicle license plates while filming the car chases in Chicago.
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The Gotham Police cruisers' color scheme is based on that of the New York Police Department. Gotham is meant by Bob Kane to be a caricature of New York City.
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There is no reference in Batman Begins to Ra's Al Ghul having any daughters; however, his daughter Talia is mentioned in the novelization by Ra's & Talia's creator Denny O'Neil.
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The first film directed and written by Christopher Nolan to be rated PG-13 in the United States.
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Before Christian Bale, David Boreanaz was the original choice for the role of Bruce Wayne.
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Amy Adams read for Rachel Dawes during Christian Bale's screen test. She would go on to play Lois Lane in _Batman vs. Superman (2015)_ ten years later.
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First live action appearance by Lucius Fox, who was created in the comics in 1979. Fox was previously depicted in the various Batman animated series during the 1990's and early 2000's.
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This is the only film in the Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy to not feature super-villains that previously appeared in the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher series.
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According to an interview with production designer Nathan Crowley, the waterfall guarding the entrance to the Batcave was originally meant to cover a solid rock wall, which Batman's enemies would slam into when attempting the jump in. The rock wall would have been opened with a button inside the Batmobile, but the sequence was cut before filming began.
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Before Christopher Nolan took over, director Darren Aronofsky was attached to make a Batman movie based on the graphic novel "Batman: Year One" and have the author Frank Miller write the screenplay. By 2003 there was a first draft screenplay with story boards, which are properties of AOL Time Warner. Warner's decision for not producing the film is unknown, but based on the details that have since leaked out, it would probably have to do with the screenplay, which strayed a considerable amount from the source material, making Alfred an African-American mechanic named "Big Al," the Batmobile being a souped-up Lincoln Towncar, and Bruce Wayne being homeless, among other things. This is all detailed in David Hughes' book "Tales from Development Hell."
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The only film in the Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy to incorporate the word "Batman" on its title. Its sequels, The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), however, use "The Dark Knight", one of the most known Batman nicknames instead.
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Viggo Mortensen turned down Liam Neeson's role. Daniel Day-Lewis was also approached.
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Sarah Michelle Gellar and Rachel McAdams were considered for the part of Rachel Dawes.
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David S. Goyer said that the graphic novels "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" by Jeph Loeb were a huge influence on his screenplay. When he was asked the question, "What about Frank Miller's "Year One"?", he replied, "Our story is not "Year One"." An early draft of David S. Goyer's script leaked onto the Internet in April 2004.
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During production, DC Comics commissioned well known Batman artists to give their interpretation of the Dark Knight. The results were shown to Christopher Nolan and the cast to help give them a better idea of where the comic artists were coming from. Among the artists were James Jean, Jock, Tommy Lee Edwards and John Paul Leon.
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A full city block of Gotham - much of it based on the slums of Kowloon in Hong Kong which were torn down in 1994 - was built in a converted aircraft hangar.
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When Christopher Nolan asked Hans Zimmer to provide the score, Zimmer asked him if he could also bring on board James Newton Howard. The two composers had been meaning to work together for some time and this felt like the perfect project for two composers with its bi-polar lead character.
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The name of Arkham Asylum is inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. It was first incorporated into Batman's comic books in the mid-1970s.
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Keanu Reeves was considered for the role of Batman and even expressed interest in the press when the project was in development.
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Crime boss Carmine "The Roman" Falcone was a prominent character in Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's comic book Batman: Year One. His story was continued and resolved in Jeph Loeb's comic book epic The Long Halloween.
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Broke opening weekend box office record for IMAX theaters.
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This is the first movie to use the new DC logo.
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Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski were approached to direct, and even wrote their own treatment based on Frank Miller's graphic novel "Batman: Year One", but turned down the offer and made The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003) instead.
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A second stage Scarecrow look was created for the hallucination scenes but was never shown on film. The mask was more organic and tighter around the actor's face.
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While filming in Lower Wacker Drive, in Chicago, Illinois, the filmmakers were so concerned for the care of the Batmobile, that they told the stunt driver to take as much time as he needed to make any move. Therefore, when it came time to back the Batmobile up, they went so slow as to cause traffic jams that had to be reported on the news. Simply moving the Batmobile around Chicago took numerous police as well as caused traffic jams where ever they went.
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The key "combination" that Bruce plays on the piano to open the secret entrance to the Bat Cave is comprised of three, two-note chords, starting three octaves above middle-C. The keys he presses are D-E, D-E (up an octave), and G-A. However, the tones heard in the soundtrack are actually a half-step down from the correct tones for the notes he plays. This may simply be a post-production soundtrack adjustment or variance, but could also be that the piano was tuned a half-step down, which is sometimes done on older pianos to reduce the 18-20 tons of string tension stress on their framing.
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On a converted parking lot at Shepperton, the film crew built an entire village of trailers where chemists and costume artists made neoprene-and-foam-latex Batsuits. The place was dubbed "Cape Town."
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A possible influence (apart from 'The Dark Knight Returns' graphic novel) in the Tumbler's design is the F-117 Nighthawk, sharing similar features, specifically the use of odd angles around the body used for stealth (although the Tumbler might use them to disperse kinetic energy from bullets and explosives) and almost jet-black color.
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Michael Caine took his screen name from The Caine Mutiny (1954), which featured Jos Ferrer, uncle of previous Batman George Clooney, and the first actor considered for the role of the Joker in the 1960s television series.
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The script was written by David S. Goyer in the seven weeks before he was due to direct Blade: Trinity (2004), which he also wrote. Director Christopher Nolan took over the writing chores from there.
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Wayne Tower is based on the Chicago Board of Trade Building.
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In Brazil, dubber Mrcio Seixas is the official voice of both Rutger Hauer and Michael Caine, and the regular voice of Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. Plus, he provides the voice of the character Bruce Wayne/Batman in many cartoons. For this movie, he voiced only Caine.
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The National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) which is based in Mill Hill, England is used for the outside shots and images of Arkham Asylum.
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Stuntdriver George Cottle went through four Batmobiles during the making of the film.
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At the time this film came out, Katie Holmes had become quite publicly involved with Tom Cruise. Ten years before, Cruise's previous wife, Nicole Kidman, appeared in Batman Forever (1995).
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The average length of a shot is 1.9 seconds.
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Kurt Russell, Chris Cooper and Dennis Quaid were considered for the role of James Gordon.
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The gun Bruce Wayne tosses in the river is a Brazilian six-shot Taurus.
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With this film, Christopher Nolan would begin the practice of showing all of his movie's credits at the end of the movie including the movie's title. Although Nolan's Following (1998) followed a similar practice of showing credits in the end, it did show the title of the movie at the start.
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Guy Pearce was considered for the role of Henri Ducard.
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In "Batman Begins" (2005), Batman rescues Rachel Dawes and is evading the police with the Batmobile/Tumbler on I-17 in Gotham City. The city fictitiously exists on the eastern starboard of the United States. The real I-17 is 146 miles long and exists entirely in the state of Arizona, linking Phoenix to Flagstaff.
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One of two comic book movies Rutger Hauer appeared in in 2005. The other was Sin City (2005).
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The UK censors, the BBFC, viewed the film at the request of the distributors during post-production. The sound mix was incomplete. Warners were keen to get a 12A rating (to match the US PG-13) and the BBFC advised them that in order to avoid a higher rating, "care should be taken with the final sound mix so as not to play up the sound of blows and to avoid more bone crunching sound effects" in a number of scenes. Because the BBFC examiners did not advise the distributors to specifically reduce any of the sound effects, as the sound mix was incomplete at the time of the viewing, this film was passed 12A with no cuts made. This same version was released worldwide, with the cuts discussed in full on the SBBFC website for students.
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Production designer Nathan Crowley said that the design of the Batmobile was largely influenced from the design seen in Frank Miller's graphic novel "The Dark Knight Returns". The incarnation of the Batmobile was given the nickname "The Tumbler" by both filmmakers and Miller.
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The character Ra's al Ghul was co-created by comic-book writer/editor Denny O'Neil and artist Neal Adams. O'Neil also wrote the Batman Begins (2005) novelization.
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Josh Hartnett turned down the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.
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When Warner Bros. was considering "Batman: The Frightening" as the title, a script was released online that was widely believed to be official. Two writers, Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias, were credited on the draft, but both denied writing it. The author was later discovered to be Brandon Gaines.
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Christopher Nolan planned his "Batman" reboot to be a trilogy. "Batman Begins" is the first installment.
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Andrew Kevin Walker was interviewed by Nolan to write the script.
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Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer and Nathan Crowley set up shop in Nolan's garage to work on the screenplay. They had to vacate the premises on the day that the cleaner came as the garage simply became too hot with the washing machine and drier going.
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Joe Pantoliano revealed in an interview that he turned down the role of Detective Flass citing him as an unimportant character.
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The name of the commissioner on the film is "Loeb". However, this is NOT a reference to comic book writer Jeph Loeb, author of the graphic novels "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory", but rather simply the canonical name of the Gotham City police commissioner when Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham. This is shown in Frank Miller's Year One, which actually influenced both "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" and was published nearly a full decade before either of these.
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The sets were built in the Admiralty Hangar No. 2 at Cardington, one of the largest hangars in the world. The floor area is the size of 16 Olympic-size swimming pools. The No. 2 shed was assembled at the site in 1928 to house the British airship R100.
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Henri Ducard was created by Batman (1989) screenwriter Sam Hamm. The character was in the movie's original script, however was dropped. Hamm later during his comic book writing debut on Detective Comics series incorporated the character into the Batman mythos.
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The boy who Bruce Wayne gives the fruit to, after he steals it at the market, is wearing an old Sheffield United shirt. This is the only time football is referenced in the movie.
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The opera that young Bruce attends with his parents is "Mefistofele", composed in the mid-1800s by Arrigo Boito.
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This film's origin sequence in Tibet, while present in some later 1980's comic books, ultimately derives from the Shadow's (Lamont Cranston/Kent Allard) oriental scholarship.
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Gary Oldman, who portrays Lt. James Gordon, is one of the few Gotham City Police Officers not on the take from mob boss Carmine Falcone. However, in "Romeo is Bleeding", Gary Oldman portrays a corrupt police officer who, not only accepts bribes from, but does bidding for a mafia Don, also named Falcone.
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This is the first Batman film to be shot in 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
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Contains 400 VFX shots.
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The Bat-logo for the crest on the suit does not match all the publicity posters, the subsequent sequels, or even the batarangs. The same thing happened on Burton's '89 Batman as the crest is not consistent with the Burton/ Schumacher films or with any other displays of the bat logo. Ironically, this was rectified with the suit during the sequels.
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As of 2014, the only feature length film directed by Christopher Nolan not released in an even numbered year.
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Bruce Wayne does not appear in full Batman costume until just over an hour into the running time.
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Heath Ledger was considered for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman during the film's early development before being cast as The Joker in the sequel The Dark Knight (2008), a role that won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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On 22 May 2004 filming took place at Senate House (a property belonging to the University of London, just off Russell Square). The front of the building was made up as the Gotham City courts, complete with New York-style taxis and Gotham Police Department cars.
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Early in the writing process, production designer Nathan Crowley was brought on board to spitball ideas.
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The license plate on Bruce Wayne's sports car is 375 4265.
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Alexandra Bastedo's last role in a theatrical feature.
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The only film out of either the Nolan series or the Burton/Schumacher series where none of Batman's vehicles are dismantled.
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In the mid 1999, Warner Bros. hired Darren Aronofsky to write and direct Batman: Year One, which was to be the fifth film in the Batman franchise. Aronofsky, brought Franck Miller to co-write Year One with him .Aronofsky collaborator Matthew Libatique was set as cinematographer ,moreover he wanted to shoot the film in TOKYO for doubling Gotham city. Aronofsky wanted to cast Clint Eastwood for the role of Batman.However, Warner Bros was not happy with the script due to the differences from the source materiel and did not green-lit the film.
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Was shipped to theaters under the name 'The Intimidation Game'. This is now the title of a movie featuring Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch (2014).
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John Nolan, Christopher Nolan: the birthday party guest who tells Bruce Wayne that "the apple has fallen very far from the tree."
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Lucy Russell: The female lead from Following (1998), Christopher Nolan's first film. She plays a guest in the restaurant, and has the second most lines of any female in the movie, second only to Katie Holmes (Rachel Dawes).
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Jeremy Theobald: The male lead from Following (1998), Christopher Nolan's first film. He plays the younger of the two Gotham Water Board Technicians.
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Larry J. Franco: police officer during the chase sequence.
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In the early minutes of each film in the trilogy the main villain (Ra's Al Ghul, Joker, Bane) disguises himself as one of his own henchmen and there is a conversation about said villain in each scene.
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The Joker playing card presented to Batman at the end of the film is replica of the Joker Card from the 1989 graphic novel "Arkham Asylum" by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. It carries an evidence label, this label reads that the officer who discovered it was a J. Kerr, one of the Joker's favorite aliases (Joe Kerr) in the comic books.
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Ducard's line "But is Ra's Al Ghul immortal?" is an in-joke, since the comic book version of the character is over 600 years old (and has been killed and resurrected many times) thanks to a device called the Lazarus Pit. Christopher Nolan chose to eschew all fantasy elements from his version of Batman.
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This is the only Batman film in the Nolan series that does not open with a criminal or supervillain committing some sort of crime.
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Body count: 27.
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Christian Bale is the youngest actor to play Batman, being 30 at the time he played the character. Michael Keaton and Adam West were 38 years old when they played Bruce Wayne in Batman (1989) and Batman (1966), meanwhile Val Kilmer and George Clooney were both 36 years old for Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), respectively.
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A clue to Ducard's true identity is given by the fact that his twin mustaches are the same shape as Ra's Al Ghul's trademark goatees.
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Despite not being "Year One", there are a few references to Year One. The line "You're a good cop. One of the few," Batman using sonar (hidden in his boot heel) to call on the bats while being attacked by police, and the ending (although done differently) where Batman's "next case" is The Joker).
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In the shot of the newspaper. the story about Bruce Wayne's mansion burning down is credited to Julie Ochipinti, the name of the movie's assistant set decorator.
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Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) and Batman's (Christian Bale) first encounter is more like Batman: The Animated Series: Nothing to Fear (1992) than the comics. Both titles feature Batman trying to foil Scarecrow's arson attempt, failing and being drugged by the villain's fear toxin.
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Before Bruce makes his speech at the birthday party, he knocks at a wine glass twice, producing two differently pitched tones. In reality, it should be the same tone, because the pitch is defined by the level of liquid inside the glass.
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Bruce Wayne's birthday party - the birthday song does not match the lips of the party-goers.
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As Ra's Al Ghul is placing the blue rose under Bruce's lapel, he says "Tell me, Mr. Wayne, what do you you fear?" The word "you" is repeated (presumably having been resynchronized).
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A newspaper article has the phrase "loose faith" when "lose faith" is meant. In the same article, the all-caps "METHAMPHETAMINE" is spelled "METAMPHETAMINE."
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The Gotham City police cars have a large "GPD" on the side but the abbreviation used on jackets is "GCPD".
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During his conversation with Rachel in the car outside Falcone's, Bruce's seatbelt is visibly fastened, but he later gets out of the car without unbuckling the belt.
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When Bruce is thrown off the truck after being released from prison, his bag is several feet away from him. In the next shot it is at his feet.
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When Bruce is hit by the burning wood, it rolls off him to his feet as he falls back and hits the floor. As soon as he hits the floor and is unconscious, its placed as if it landed on his chest.
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After Rachel slaps Bruce in the car outside Falcone's, his hair is messed up; the next shot it's nicely combed; and the next it's messed up again.
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When Bruce approaches Falcone in the restaurant, his hair changes between the shots.
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In the scene where Batman saves Rachel and the Little Boy from the released Arkham maniacs, the boy is seen holding his arms around Rachel with his face against her chest. Yet when the camera angle changes he is sitting and facing in a completely different direction.
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As Bruce is spraying the Batsuit with black paint, he first sprays down the arms and across the neck. In the next shot, we see him coating the chest, but the arms are bare of any paint.
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When Batman grabs one of the men unpacking boxes of 'toys' from the shipping container, another one of the men begins walking towards the container to check on him. The boxes seen through the doorway of the container change position from one shot to the next.
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After finding Falcone chained to the spotlight, Gordon says "Cut him down" to a nearby officer, who then disappears.
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During the wide shot depicting the batmobile sitting idle atop the parking garage, a swift sweep of the SWAT helicopter's spotlight reveals dozens of cast and crew packed into the elevator waiting area.
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There is a stunt ramp visible when the second police car flips during the city chase.
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You cannot open a water main and see water flowing through it. Water mains that feed uses including sprinklers are pressurized to over 150 psi. Opening a main in the fashion shown would have flooded the basement in minutes. Also, mains serving other areas do not pass though buildings.
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In the ending credits "supervising" is spelled "supervsing" missing an "i".
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The scenes set in Bruce Wayne's childhood and adulthood both feature 2000s-vintage automobiles. Similar time discrepancies are common in the DC Comics source material where it all exists in "Hypertime", an eternal present. This is done to keep universal appeal and prevent it from seeming dated. Comic books set in the "Universe" where Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman etc. live, have modern settings for both stories set in "Batman's 1st year" and stories set in "Batman's 11th year," for example. It is simply a convention that these characters are chronologically ambiguous.
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If the microwave emitter really evaporates all water in the vicinity, in theory it should also kill everyone standing near it, as human bodies consist mostly of water. However, it is mentioned earlier in the film that the emitter uses "focused microwaves" specifically designed to target an enemy's water supply. For the safety of those operating it, the device was presumably designed only to affect water at certain levels of pressure.
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When Bruce's parents die, his stance is inconsistent; in one shot he is standing up then sitting down in another. This may be a deliberate, as the scene is a subjective view of a confusing, traumatic moment, when memory can become unreliable.
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Ra's Al Ghul's name is pronounced "Rayshe Al Goole" as apposed to the "Roz Al Goole" spoken throughout the film. There are several interpretations of these characters and the film is no different. He is also not immortal. His name is simply pronounced the way it is spelled.
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The position of tree branches over the water well young Bruce falls in changes. The branches look one way (from the bottom looking up) when Rachel calls down, but it appears to be a different tree when Thomas Wayne lowers himself to rescue Bruce. This may be a deliberate, as the scene is a subjective view of a confusing, traumatic moment, when memory can become unreliable.
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Ducard should be unconscious while sliding down the mountain side, but he still keeps his head elevated away from the ice.
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During the roof jump part of the Batmobile chase there is a police officer who orders Batman not to move on the bullhorn. He is the same actor that later delivers the line 'Can you at least tell me what it looks like?' as the Batmobile whizzes past him. (In mitigation, they could be twins.)
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When the Batmobile fishtails in the tunnel you can see the tire tracks on the ground from several previous takes of the same action.
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During the 'criminal execution' scene, it is clear that the sword Wayne is holding has no edge. It has been squared off for safety on-set.
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In the short segue scene where Rachel Dawes is driving to Arkham Asylum, the street clearly has three lanes separated by white dashed lines indicating a single direction of traffic, yet traffic is flowing in both directions.
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When Bruce Wayne loads up his older model snub nose Taurus Model 605, the .357 Magnum rounds have dented primers, indicating they were already fired to turn the rounds into inert "dummy" bullets.
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When the S.W.A.T. officer goes to place the explosive charge on the wall, you can faintly see the outline of where the hole will be once it explodes.
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At the end, when Bruce is talking to Rachel, the angle is on her, Bruce is talking, but his jaw (seen from behind) is not moving. Not unusual in most movies, but this went on for quite a while.
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After the mansion has burned down, Bruce and Rachel are having a conversation on the property. At one point Rachel has her hand on the side of Bruce's face. In this part, the angle changes from being on Rachel to Bruce, etc. One angle, her hand is on his ear then in another angle, her hand is lower then when, the angle goes back on Bruce, her hand is not on his face anymore.
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During the discussion between Ducard and Wayne in the burning mansion, a member of the league drops behind Bruce and tries to kill him. Bruce quickly incapacitates him and then attacks Ducard. The league member just vanishes between the shots.
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After Bruce is hit by a burning piece of wood and Alfred comes into the house to save him, the fire decreases greatly
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When Alfred comes back to the burning mansion, the log holding Wayne down isn't burning. When the shot is up close on Wayne, it's on fire again.
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In the burning house scene as Bruce and Alfred escape, there is a burning table with a globe on it; moments later the table is not engulfed in flames.
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At the end of the movie where Lieutenant Gordon hands Batman the Joker's calling card, it's aligned straight with the edge of the evidence bag. Seconds later, it is slightly askew.
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Being that the toxin had been introduced to Gotham's water supply for weeks before the finale, any time someone would have boiled water for anything, mostly cooking, they would have been affected. There would have been tens of thousands of people admitted to the hospital daily and the source would have been discovered almost immediately. Nothing said such occurrences didn't happen off-screen.
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In the newspaper article about Wayne Manor burning down, several factual, grammatical, and spelling errors are present. The article states that Wayne Manor has been in the family for four generations, but earlier in the film, Alfred says it housed six generations of Waynes. The article says in the third column that if Bruce was responsible for the fire, he will 'loose' millions rather than 'lose' millions. The word 'tinder' is capitalized in the photo's caption when it shouldn't be. In the article's second column, Manor should be capitalized. And at the top of the third column, the article says 'If it is ,indeed...' The space should come after the comma, not before.
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gotham|fight|fear|scarecrow|training|cave|organized crime|ninja|deception|party|mafia|detective|revenge|murder|bat|mentor|mansion|manor house|critically acclaimed|security camera|surveillance|heavy rain|prisoner|loner|poetic justice|child in peril|cell phone|exploding train|drifter|kissing|first part|experimental technology|sack mask|riot|birthday|costume|gothic|masked hero|costumed hero|vigilante justice|drug dealer|docks|ghetto|social decay|gadgetry|armored car|news report|gangster|mafia boss|henchman|mixed martial arts|wiretapping|helicopter|kung fu|police corruption|corrupt cop|undercover cop|undercover|orphan|murder of family|death of family|snow|mountain|monastery|monk|race against time|water contamination|insane asylum|psychiatrist|bioterrorism|private jet|prison guard|prison fight|tough guy|action hero|court|trial|city hall|judge|lawyer|attempted rape|explosion|terrorist|cigarette lighter|hot dog stand|gasoline|terrorism|terrorist group|nonlinear timeline|sawed off shotgun|revolver|shotgun|silencer|hitman|assassin|2000s|1990s|1980s|21st century|20th century|stylized violence|drawbridge|mounted police|grand piano|singing happy birthday|injection|car rollover|eurocopter as350 squirrel|searchlight|birthday present|gasoline can|rescued|zippo lighter|raining|night cityscape|container ship|microwave generator|double barreled shotgun|ak 47|mp5|aerial shot|falling down a well|mortar and pestal|frozen lake|glacier|umbrella|elevated train|boy wearing a tuxedo|subjective camera|son seeing mother murdered|title at the end|husband wife relationship|violence|warrior|gas mask|shootout|vigilante|taser|machine gun|fistfight|car chase|ninjitsu|pistol|hand to hand combat|disarming someone|ninja army|showdown|one against many|jujitsu|masked vigilante|lifting a male into the air|lifting a female into the air|slow motion scene|character's point of view camera shot|train explosion|reboot of series|man with glasses|british actor playing american character|camouflage|recurring dream|falling into a well|character repeating someone else's dialogue|dark past|cult film|flashback|dream|chase|female lawyer|chiroptophobia|one man army|fictional city|terrorist plot|mountaintop monastery|altered version of studio logo|tragic villain|redemption|honor|no title at beginning|haunted by the past|disguise|neo noir|split personality|serial killer|secretary|psychopath|police officer killed|nail gun|limousine|killing spree|drugs|anti hero|cliffhanger|animal attack|no opening credits|shot to death|pearl necklace|train wreck|swat team|greenhouse|drug smuggling|blockbuster|tragic hero|vigilantism|urban setting|urban decay|secret society|secret passage|restaurant|rescue|push ups|psychiatric hospital|prison|political corruption|police detective|police chase|poison|parking garage|opera|mugging|horse|homelessness|himalayas|guilt|frozen river|flying|flower|falling through ice|face slap|elevator|el train|district attorney|crime boss|courtroom|cargo ship|brawl|body armor|billionaire|based on comic book|arson|antidote|airplane|stabbed in the chest|crushed to death|megalomaniac|destiny|evil doctor|police|fire|gadget car|strait jacket|shot in the chest|shot in the back|person on fire|hanging upside down|head butt|hallucination|car accident|broken leg|presumed dead|mob boss|loss of mother|loss of father|katana sword|exploding building|childhood friend|burning building|board meeting|birthday party|sword fight|martial arts|tibet|falling from height|origin of hero|based on comic|superhero|gadget|caped crusader|super villain|secret identity|mask|good versus evil|dual identity|dc comics|dark hero|crime fighter|butler|character name in title|surprise ending|
AKAs Titles:
Argentina - Batman inicia
Bulgaria (Bulgarian title) - ‘а‚ман в на‡ало‚о
Brazil - Batman Begins
Canada (French title) - Batman: Le commencement
Czech Republic - Batman Zacn
Germany - Batman Begins
Denmark - Batman Begins
Dominican Republic - Batman comienza
Estonia - Batman alustab
Spain - Batman Begins
France - Batman Begins
UK (copyright title) - Party In Fresno
Greece - Batman Begins
Croatia - Batman: Poetak
Hungary - Batman: Kezd‘dik!
Italy - Batman Begins
Japan (English title) - Batman Begins
Lithuania - Betmenas: Pradzia
Mexico - Batman inicia
Panama - Batman inicia
Peru - Batman inicia
Poland - Batman - Poczatek
Portugal - Batman - O Incio
Romania - Batman - Inceputuri
Serbia - Betmen poinje
Russia - ‘‚мен: а‡ало
Slovakia - Batman Zacna
Turkey (Turkish title) - Batman Basliyor
USA (working title) - Batman 5
USA (IMAX version) - Batman Begins: The IMAX Experience
USA (original script title) - Batman: Intimidation
USA (fake working title) - The Intimidation Game
Uruguay - Batman Inicia
Venezuela - Batman - El inicio
Venezuela - Batman inicia
Venezuela - Batman: El comienzo
Release Dates:
Certifications:
Argentina:13 / Australia:M / Austria:12 / Brazil:10 / Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) / Canada:13+ (Quebec) / Chile:Y7 / Czech Republic:12 / Denmark:11 / Finland:K-11 / France:U / Germany:12 / Greece:K-13 / Hong Kong:IIA / Iceland:12 / India:UA / Indonesia:Dewasa / Ireland:12A / Italy:T / Malaysia:U / Mexico:B / Netherlands:12 / New Zealand:M / Norway:15 / Peru:PT / Philippines:G / Portugal:M/12 / Singapore:PG / Singapore:PG13 (re-rating) / South Africa:13V / South Korea:12 / Spain:13 / Sweden:11 / Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) / Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) / Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) / Taiwan:PG-12 / UK:12 (DVD rating) / UK:12A (original rating) / USA:PG-13
Movie Details:
MOVIE
