In for the long haul

Rating: Null/10 (16 June 2005)

Batman is back, and for the long haul. Reports on an upcoming 3-year-interval trilogy are no longer news and The Joker is the villain next in line, as those who have watched BB know. This Batman, you could almost say, has been re-invented. This is not to say that any of the crucial details have been changed. What we have, however, is a meticulously constructed framework that takes Bruce Wayne/Batman out of the realm of comics, making him much more real, solid and human than any that we've seen. His skills are attributed to a Ninja type of training, a very clever touch. Supporting gadgets are given greater credibility through a Q-type character as in Jame Bond stories. Even the very origin of the Bat identity is logically explained. Most important of all, we have in Christian Bale the best Batman to-date.
This brave new world is further enhanced by the company of cohorts, in a well-assembled ensemble. Heading the company, in my view, has to be Michael Caine playing the loyal family butler who has become also a bit of a father substitute figure. It's with immense pleasure that I watched Caine bringing the stereotyped, stiff-upper-lip figure to real life, with nuances so perfectly delivered that your heart will resonant even when you fully recognise the cliché. Morgan Freeman plays Lucius Fox, the above-mentioned Q-type figure, with complete ease and grace. Gary Oldman playing Jim Gordon, the only good cop in town, makes you forget how capable his is of playing absolute villains and weirdoes. Katie Holmes (wonderful in "Pieces of April") playing sweetheart-from-childhood and now DA is no Margot Kidder, at least not yet. Maybe there are too many things to cover in this first movie on the new Batman to give her much scope. Hope she gets more to do in the next one.
With Chicago as proxy, this new Gotham City is not as Gothic or as surreal as the ones we've seen before, and this is consistent with having Batman more realistic and less of a caricature or campy figure. The plot is coherent and workable. Visual effect is good, and sound effect better than good. The thrill and excitement of the finale climax is something I haven't seen for a long time (just compare with the final shootout "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"  beautiful to watch, yes; exciting - forget it). Not intended to entertain by being funny, BB does have occasional treats of dry, cryptic humour such as the policeman trying to describe the colour and shape of the Bat vehicle on the intercom, "Black" and, after a short pause, "tank".
I should not omit mentioning the characters who are presumably for this episode only (but who knows?).
(ADDITIONAL SPOILER WARNING)
Liam Neeson, as the true villain whose identity is revealed only at the end, is very well cast (how else would it be with such a versatile actor as Neeson anyway?) Veteran Tom Wilkinson plays the underworld boss, another easy day in the office for him. Callian Murphy (best remembered as the hero in "28 day later") plays the evil doctor (secret identity "Scarecrow") with sufficient flair to leave an impression. Rutger Hauer, seen most recently in "Sin City", plays a corporate power seeker and Freeman's character's nemesis. The role given to Ken Watanabe is a bit of a cheat, to both the audience and the actor, who can really claim only a cameo appearance in this movie.