We all know the story. We’ve seen it on the big screen and small screen, with everyone from Keaton to Kilmer to Clooney to West, with sarcasm, moderate darkness, some humor and let’s face it, some real hilarity and idiocy at times. But, every version has picked Batman up in his prime. What about “before” Batman? Thankfully, Warner Brothers elected to take a trip on the dark side and go where not even the comic books have gone, with “Batman Begins.”

And return to Gotham he does. As suddenly as he disappeared from Gotham City, Bruce returns and begins his work as the Dark Knight aka Batman. But what he finds on his return distresses him even more. The city is rotting decay. Organized crime is running rampant. And his bread and butter, Wayne Industries, is being ripped away from him. Back on the grounds of Wayne Manor, Bruce heads underground - literally - with old family friend Lucius Fox. (Lucius also assists in running Wayne Enterprises. Hmmmmm!!) With the discovery of a cave beneath his mansion, the development of a prototype armored suit and Lucius’ help, Bruce becomes his alter-ego - Batman. Determined to turn things around, Bruce befriends a rising young cop who shares the same ideals as Bruce, Jim Gordon, who ultimately becomes one of his greatest crime fighting allies. As self-appointed guardian of the people of Gotham, Batman squares off against the likes of Jonathan “The Scarecrow” Crane and the Mafia don, Falcone. But while Batman is making the streets once again safer for the City’s good citizens, a dark and mysterious foe familiar with the Wayne family is waiting in the wings for the opportune moment to strike with a force greater than any Batman has met.

Batman fans around the world have talked about Christian Bale as a potential Batman for years. Their wishes come true now as Bale finally dons the suit and does an impeccable job with the transformation from the traumatized youth Bruce Wayne into Batman. His facial expressiveness and demeanor speak volumes, telling of an innocence and vulnerability masked with pain, from which an inner strength and confidence exudes. As he transforms into the Dark Knight, Bale’s stance and voice alter into something tough, commanding and even to be feared. The character is quite fascinating to watch. Michael Caine is superb as butler Alfred Pennyworth. Calling on his own experiences with butlers, Caine adds a freshness and authenticity to the character not previously seen, but still just as endearing, charming and fatherly as ever. Thankfully Alfred is finally given something to do rather than just “butle” and it is refreshing to see him side by side with his still young charge, working together in developing the armored suit and various other gadgets. This one performance fills a vacuum that has stood for years. Up until now, Alfred was just “there” and had somehow become an important part of the Bruce-Batman legacy but readers and film-goers never knew the backstory. Thanks to writer/director Christopher Nolan and co-screenwriter, David Goyer, we not only see the relationship develop, but we are essentially given privy to seeing a character develop and take shape. And Caine, with his ever present calm and stoicism is beyond reproach.

Morgan Freeman steps in as Lucius Fox while Gary Oldman makes an interesting choice for Lt. Jim Gordon. Each has a great rapport with Bale (be he Bruce or Batman) and although their roles are solidly written and their performances charismatic, integral and intriguing, Freeman and Oldman are both so good, that you find yourself wanting to see them more. Undoubtedly, this desire will be satisfied in sequels. Ken Watanabe is another masterful casting choice with his turn as Ra’s Al-Ghul. Liam Neeson is also a stand-out as Detective Henri Ducard, another one of Bruce’s mentors.

What sets this Batman apart from other that we have seen is the believability of the character. No super-human strength here. Just intelligence, integrity, a conscious and a helluva lot of money that makes way for some really cool gadgets and gizmos and of course, a top flight suit and Batmobile. And as explained by screenwriter David Goyer, this Batman gives the belief that with some hard work and training “anybody could become Batman.” Goyer’s script is detailed, tightly written with no superfluous fluff, adding a terseness to the overall grittiness and darkness of the vision of director Chris Nolan.

We’ve previously seen Batman as dark and over-the-top a la Tim Burton, but here, Nolan’s darkness is much humaner, more realistic, more tangible to the moviegoer. His imprint is on every aspect of the film from casting to the warm, earth-toned color palette. Crisp sharp editing, unparalleled continuity and one of the most perfectly paced films I have ever seen, only add to the intrigue of this well known character and leave the viewer wanting more. Top it all off with Wally Pfister’s cinematography and - - -wow! This is definitely not a check-your-watch-every-5-minutes film!

Key to the tone and palette of the film and the character is the work of production designer Nathan Crowley and costumer designer Lindy Hemming. With a system that included working side-by-side with co-scriptwriter/director Chris Nolan, Crowley designed the set and Batmobile as the script progressed, incorporating the screenwriters’ visions with his own and often giving the script an alteration based on Crowley’s work. Both the design and the script were synergistically developed. Hemming had a vast palette to work with given the period jump from the time of Bruce Wayne’s disappearance to his return and the exotic around the world locations. From the plains of Africa to the mountains of Tibet, Hemming had carte blanche to spread her wings - especially since our hero was a millionaire with money to burn.

With a phenomenal cast, technical work that is beyond reproach and attention to detail that is generally only seen in works by Spielberg or Lucas, “Batman Begins” is a perfect way to begin the summer movie season.

Christian Bale: Bruce Wayne/Batman Michael Caine: Alfred Morgan Freeman: Lucius Fox Gary Oldman: Lt. Jim Gordon Ken Watanabe: Ra’s Al-Ghul Liam Neeson: Henri Ducard

Directed by Christopher Nolan. Written by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer based on a story by David S. Goyer and characters by Bob Kane. A Warner Bros. release. Rated PG-13. (140 min)

Photos © Copyright  Warner Bros Pictures 

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