Batman Begins

“Batman Begins,” is not so much the promised prequel but rather a re-imagining of the entire bat franchise. While the film is bound to incite purists of the 1989 film directed by Tim Burton (and even Frank Miller’s Year One) it’s also certain to delight comic fan boys and casual movie goers alike who stopped paying attention to the heroics of the caped crusader when the franchise skidded off a cliff after the disastrous “Batman and Robin”. “Batman Begins,” is by far and away the best installment to the franchise thus far.

The film begins with a young Bruce Wayne in a South Asian prison. Feeling lost after the death of his parents young Mr. Wayne has decided to explore the criminal mind so he might one day, be in a position to destroy it. His exploits win him the attention of the mysterious Samurai like group of vigilantes who refer to themselves as ‘the League of Shadows.’ He’s pulled out of prison and mentored by Liam Neeson (whose resume after roles in ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ and ‘Phantom Menace,’ is just as likely to say shaman as actor.)

As a young man Mr. Wayne delights in his vigilante exploits, but struggles to draw the line between justice and revenge. This vanishing line is at the center of the film’s conflict. Pure revenge is not possible in this installment. “Batman Begins,” rewrites the origins of Mr. Wayne’s nocturnal exploits. While the original Batman held the man who would become the Joker responsible, a mafia informant performs the mugging/slaying of the Waynes. The informant is then disposed by his former employer Carmine Falcone (played by Tom Wilkinson) before he can testify to his employer’s dirty dealing in exchange for leniency. As a result, Bruce’s hope for vengeance will forever go unsatisfied.

Here, the role of Bruce Wayne is played by Christian Bale (American Psycho). Mr. Bale is the most effecting Bruce Wayne to date, because he’s the one most able to give himself over completely to the role. While many of the previous Bruce Waynes (Michael Keaton included) have often sacrificed the larger then life persona to showcase their own movie star personalities, Mr. Bale has no such desires. He approaches the role as an actor rather then a movie star, and as result is able to resonate the darker dimensions of the caped crusader where others have failed.

Director Christopher Nolan (director of Memento) allows the dark themes of the original comics to dictate a naturalist visual style for his Batman. Tim Burton often brought his own gloomy expressionistic flair to Gothom City, before Joel Schumacher traded that in for the campiness of an Old Navy add. Mr. Nolan’s however feels the most authentic. While Gothom still has its share of gloom for the first time it feels like a real city. Something hidden just beneath the surface of any American metropolitan city.

Mr. Nolan and Mr. Bale succeed so completely here because they are able to find the man beyond the bat. Like any great epic story teller Mr. Nolan is able to nimbly navigate the narrative balance of his character’s very human desires with the responsibilities of very great power. Batman, after all, unlike most super heroes is just a man in a suit. Something Mr. Wayne in the film readily acknowledges, “any guy who dresses like a bat clearly has issues.”