Chick Flick Fan Who Liked "Batman Begins"

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2005)

I'm a chick flick / foreign / old movie fan, one of those people who think that American cinema began dying the year "Jaws" was released.
I go to see these comic book movies because I study / teach popular culture. Usually, they bore me. I really, really enjoyed "Batman Begins." I don't care about the movie's comic book pedigree.
I just enjoyed the movie.
The movie's best offering, hands down, better than the car or the costume or the villains: Christian Bale.
Usually superhero characters are pitched so hard at teenage boys that they don't come across as sexual at all. Not so with Bale. When he pops out of bed, bare chested, and immediately starts doing push-ups on the floor, the female portion of the audience is rewarded for showing up.
Bale is also an admirable actor. If you haven't seen photos of him in "The Mechanic," please do so. Bale lost a considerable amount of weight to play a disturbed insomniac in "The Mechanic;" some reports say sixty pounds.
He was in that famished state when he auditioned for "Batman." He then preceded to add the muscles visible here.
One could argue whether gaining muscle and/or losing weight makes for a better actor, but Bale's dedication is evident in his performance in "Batman." He brings a freshness and earnestness to his role that I've never seen in any of the other comic book movies.
As far as Bale's performance is concerned, he could be acting Shakespeare. His earnestness serves the movie well. The viewer gets the feeling that "Batman Begins" really *is* about the eternal struggle between good and evil, not just the box office wrestle to see who has the best special affects. That is largely thanks to Christian Bale.
Bale's best support is offered by Liam Neeson, who is revelatory here. I've never seen Neeson so compelling, not even in "adult" entertainment like "Schindler's List." He seems to have broken through to a whole new level as a deeply ambiguous figure who "needs to be watched," both as a performer and as a character. Comic book movie or no, Neeson's is an Oscar-worthy performance, and real food for thought long after the movie ends.
The movie itself offers a take on the IL' "struggle between good and evil" that has fueled comic book movies for generations. I felt genuinely challenged and intrigued by its plot twists.
Some details didn't work for me: Katie Holmes seemed too young, and not fiery enough. Cillian Murphy, as scary Dr. Crane, was entirely too young; One can't take him seriously as a medical professional who has amassed great power.
Bruce Wayne has an almost laughable surplus of mentors. He's got Michael Caine, Liam Neeson (who seems to be making a career of this, as in "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Star Wars,") Linus Roach, Gary Oldman ... at a certain point I thought, well, at least they haven't trotted out Morgan Freeman, and, sure enough, they trotted out Morgan Freeman.
Tom Wilkinson, who was so adorable in "The Fully Monty" and "The Governess" as a vaguely sexy older English guy, was never believable as an Italian crime lord, and, aren't Italian crime lords a bit of a Politically Correct cliché in our day and age?
It's a bit weird that the action is meant to take place in America; almost all the male leads, except Morgan Freeman, are British. Why not just move the action to London and let everyone speak in their own, natural accent?