Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
"Becoming one with your fears"
Dark, mysterious and visceral, maverick director Christopher Nolan has single handedly reinvented the Batman franchise, and almost certainly set a new standard for the superhero cinematic genre. Batman Begins is an astonishingly beautiful film, full of richly nuanced and powerful performances, and marvelously orchestrated special effects sequences that never overwhelm the gritty integrity of the story.This is an enigmatically introspective and meditative film, a dark exploration of grief, loss, and anger, as the wealthy Bruce Wayne (an engrossing Christian Bale) faces the demons of his past and comes to accept the senseless murder of his parents. He's a divided hero, a man torn by guilt and fear, who seeks a way to turn these negative emotions into a positive force for fighting evil.The film begins by showing us, plausibly and pragmatically, how Bruce Wayne becomes Batman - the dark, shadowy retaliator of the night. It's a journey that is fraught with conflict and pain: from the terrible experience of witnessing his parents' murder, to traveling through the underbelly of Gotham City and educating himself in the art of the criminal mind. Only through acknowledging his anger and grief can Bruce rise above the criminal underworld that has so irrevocably surrounded him.Sent to a hellish prison in the Far East, Bruce is eventually rescued by Duncard (Liam Neeson), a mystifying warrior, who sends him to a rooftop sanctuary high atop the Himalayas. He instructs Bruce how to master his emotions and gives him the mental and physical discipline to fight his enemies. In reality, Duncard wants Bruce to join the League of Shadows, an underground vigilante movement headed by the stoic Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe). Bruce refuses and becomes the League's mortal enemy.Bruce returns home to take up residence in his parents' country manor, with the family's intrepid butler Alfred (Michael Caine) assuming the role of manservant and tutor. Bruce finds his father's once charitable and altruistic Wayne Enterprises now in the hands of a voracious, and malevolent CEO Richard Earle (Rutger Hauer), and Bruce's beautiful childhood friend Rachel (Katie Holmes) has become an assistant D.A.Meanwhile, the city of Gotham is being torn apart by corruption and vice. Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), a malicious drug lord has infiltrated and paid off the upper echelons of the City. There's only apparent honest cop, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), but he's up against a brick wall; know one has the fortitude or incentive to round up the bad guys.Gradually Bruce, who sees a landscape of sleaze and wickedness lying before him, begins to morph into Batman with the help of the resourceful Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). Lucius has developed all the tools Bruce will need to fight crime. The impervious body armor, the Batmoble and the Batcave are all featured, but they're presented literally and are totally realistic in their design.As Batman begins his campaign to root out corruption in Gotham, he finds that there are much more sinister forces at work. Gotham City is actually on the edge of extinction. A terrifying and frightening force has infiltrated the city, fronted by cunning psychiatrist and medical experimenter Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy).This is a role that the beefy Christian Bale was born to play, and he looks just great. Instilling his character with just the right amount of angst and gutsyness, Bale's Batman is a man who becomes the caped crusader through careful planning and psychology.Fights and chases occur in a gloomy, rainy, fear-drenched landscape of urban anarchy. The primary weapon everyone uses is fear, but Batman effectively turns this fear back on the criminals, not through superhuman abilities, but through intelligence and cunning. There's certainly nothing-comic book about this Batman.Boasting one of the most memorable music scores that I've ever heard, and cinematography that is absolutely unsurpassed in contemporary film, Batman Begins is a perfect ode to the juxtaposition of good and evil. Gotham is a nightmarish place that reeks of despair, but you can sure count on Bales' Batman, who is more than up to the task of saving this city from the brink of destruction. Mike Leonard June 05.