Well Done

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2005)

This movie does an extremely good job of delving into the character of Batman and his establishment. I found the dialogue to be very sharp and crafty, and the main title actor Christian Bale to fit perfectly. Bale is handsome, charismatic and also has acting ability. You see small flashes behind his eyes that communicate a tremendous amount. That coupled with the memory flashes give you a tremendous amount of empathy to the establishment of Batman. The supporting cast of Liam Neason, Michael Cane and Morgan Freeman turn in a superb performance, and they help make this movie rise above the rest. As far as the villains go, the one who stands out the most is Cillian Murphy. Murphy brings a certain strangeness to his character that is unlike anything seen in the Batman movies. He is not archetypal at all - and as Crane he brings an odd feminine quality that helps add to the subtext of the role. There are two minor complaints that keep me from making this movie a 10. The first is the Batmobile: it is way too tank like. It fits the story, yes, but it is also very indicative of our times that Batman would be driving a Hummer-type vehicle (as compared to Adam West's cool 'normal' car) While the chase scenes are cool, it is distracting to me as the viewer. Secondly, I found some issues with the (over)-use of hallucinogens in the story. It just did not fit with my expectations. Otherwise, the film was wonderful to watch. I highly recommend.