Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with David S. Goyer. Taking a darker and more realistic approach to Batman than previous adaptations, it depicts Bruce Wayne's journey to becoming a vigilante and his battle with the League of Shadows.
The movie was one of the highest-grossing films of the year, and has been celebrated over the years as one of the best superhero movies ever made, and one of the most influential on Batman media and the superhero film genre as a whole. It was the first film in the Dark Knight Trilogy, and was followed up by The Dark Knight three years later.
Synopsis for "Batman Begins (Movie)"
The film opens with a young Bruce Wayne playing with his childhood friend, Rachel Dawes. In the course of a game, Bruce falls down a well where he is attacked by bats as they fly up and out of the well into the sky. Years later, Bruce awakens from a nightmare of these events and is revealed to be a prisoner in an unnamed Asian country. After being attacked by six men in the breakfast queue, he is put into solitary confinement and gets approached by Henri Ducard, who speaks for Ra's al Ghul-leader of the League of Shadows. Henri claims to understand what drives Bruce, as well as offers the younger man - who, in his relentless pursuit to understand the criminal mind, has lost his way - a purpose in life. Released the next day, Bruce travels to the top of the a mountain to reach the headquarters and begin his training with the League of Shadows. Earlier, the 8-year-old Bruce is rescued by his kindly father, Thomas Wayne. Bruce begins having nightmares about bats. One night, the Waynes go to a production of the opera Mefistofele, where Bruce is frightened by the portrayals of bat-like demons. After begging his father, Bruce and the family exit into an alley where they are confronted by an armed mugger, Joe Chill, who shoots (accidentally) and kills both the Wayne parents, Thomas and Martha. Moments later, Bruce is comforted by James Gordon when Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb enters the scene to tell Bruce that Joe Chill has been arrested for the manslaughter ("murder") of his parents. Bruce is taken home by the family butler Alfred Pennyworth, who raises him in the absence of his parents.
When Bruce becomes a young man, he drops out of his first year at Princeton University and returns to Gotham. Joe Chill is murdered immediately after agreeing to testify against mob boss Carmine Falcone. Bruce had been planning to kill Chill, but was robbed of the opportunity when Chill was killed by a female mob operative passing as a reporter. He reveals his intentions to Rachel, who is interning with the Gotham District Attorney Carl Finch. She gives a lecture on the difference between justice and revenge. After realizing his own naivete to the differences between justice and vengeance, Bruce confronts Falcone in his restaurant, but he gets taunted for being unprepared and beaten. He then steals away on a cargo ship and travels the world for nearly seven years, seeking the means to fight injustice, but he is immediately mistaken for a criminal by Asian police. After Bruce's training in the League of Shadows, Ra's and Henri tell Bruce his purpose: that he must lead the League to destroy Gotham because it is so consumed with crime. Bruce refuses to become a murderer and battles Ra's before making his escape. Ra's is killed in the battle, but Bruce manages to save an unconscious Henri and return to Gotham City.
Things have gotten worse in Gotham however: Falcone's crime syndicate dominates the city in an evil, vicious, ruthless, tyrannical reign of fear and terror. Sgt. Jim Gordon is one of the few honest police officers in the city. Bruce stealthily enlists the help of the reluctant Gordon, as well as befriends an unequitably demoted senior company researcher, Lucius Fox of Wayne Enterprises, recruiting him as his armorer in order to gain body armor that makes up his costume and a prototype armored car. That night, a drug shipment overseen by Falcone is smashed apart by a presence who easily overpowers the thugs employed by Falcone. Falcone, terrified and alone, is trapped in his car, only to be brutally dragged out - and thus becomes the first person to come face to face with Batman. The police then arrive and arrest Falcone, who is helpless as he is tied to a light that in the night sky, shows a bat-like shadow. Later, easily overpowering one of the assassins targeting Rachel Dawes, he provides Rachel with evidence capable of indicting Falcone. While Falcone is in jail, his deal with the district attorney goes raw. Dr. Jonathan Crane meets with Falcone to inform him that Rachel Dawes has concerning evidence against him, that could get him convicted. Falcone suggests buying her out but Crane states she will not agree to that. After an argument, Crane infects Faclone with "fear gas" that has the potential to make someone so afraid and panicked that he or she goes insane- seeing their worst fears take form through hallucinations. While investigating the "unusual" drugs in the shipment, Batman is stunned by "The Scarecrow" (Dr. Jonathan Crane) - who sprays him with a highly potent fear nerve gas. Bruce is saved by an anti-toxin developed by Lucius. Crane later summons Rachel to Arkham Asylum and shows her the now psychotic Falcone along with that the panic and fear inducing toxin has been introduced into Gotham's water supply from Arkham for weeks. Once Rachel is infected, Crane demands to know who else suspects him. Rachel is saved by Batman, however, after administering the antidote. He later gives Rachel a vial for Gordon.
Later at his birthday party, Bruce is confronted by the League of Shadows and Ra's al Ghul, along with Henri Ducard, who reveals himself to be the real Ra's Al Ghul, with the other man a mere decoy. He has arrived in Gotham personally to destroy the city - conspiring with Crane (who had no idea of the true plan) to poison Gotham's water supply with the toxin, vaporizing it with a stolen device from Wayne Enterprises. As such, Ra's intends to spread the panic across Gotham. Bruce and Ra's fight while Ra's henchman begin to burn down Wayne Manor after Bruce tricks everyone to leave after being rude, pretending he was drunk to save them from being killed. Meanwhile, the other henchmen of Ra's Al Ghul release all the inmates at Arkham. Although Wayne Manor is destroyed, Bruce escapes the inferno thanks to the help of Alfred. Rachel and Gordon - both inoculated - quickly become the only two people in the Narrows not driven psychotic. Before going for Ghul, Batman lets Rachel know he's Bruce Wayne, by quoting a phrase she told him before. Then he enlists Gordon to drive the Batmobile to the central hub of the Gotham subway - Wayne Tower. Ra's has already boarded the train: his objective is to send the water vaporizer on the train to a major water hub almost right under Wayne Tower, then vaporize nearly all of Gotham's entire water supply. Bruce confronts Ra's on the train as Batman. They battle and Batman eventually defeats Ghul, as Gordon destroys the subway line - thus preventing the hub of the water supply from being vaporized. Batman escapes the subway car, leaving Ghul to crash into the tower and Ra's is (presumably) killed in the explosion. Following the battle, Batman becomes a public hero. Meanwhile Bruce gains control of his family's company and installs Fox as the CEO, firing William Earle, the previous CEO who was highly corrupt. However, Bruce is unable to hold onto Rachel, who, despite having fallen in love with Bruce, cannot reconcile him with being Batman. Gordon still expresses some reservations about Batman's role as he may lead to a form of escalation in the type of crime that Gotham will face, even though Gordon made a Bat-Signal for Batman. To prove his point about his reservations, Gordon explains about a new criminal that has "a taste for the theatrical" like Batman. He leaves a Joker playing card at all of his crime scenes. Batman promises to look into it.
Appearing in "Batman Begins (Movie)"
Featured Characters:
- Batman (Bruce Wayne) (First appearance) (Flashback and main story) (Origin)
Supporting Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
- Rachel Dawes (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
- Gotham City Police Department
- Lt. James Gordon (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
- Commissioner Gillian Loeb (First appearance)
- Lucius Fox (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- League of Shadows
- Ra's al Ghul / Henri Ducard (First appearance; dies)
- Decoy Ra's al Ghul (Single appearance; dies)
- Gotham Organized Crime
- Falcone Crime Family
- Carmine Falcone (Single appearance)
- Victor Zsasz (Single appearance) (Cameo)
- Detective Arnold Flass (Single appearance)
- Judge Faden (Single appearance)
- Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane) (First appearance)
- Falcone Crime Family
- Joe Chill (Single appearance; dies) (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
- District Attorney Carl Finch (Single appearance; dies)
- Wayne Enterprises
- Thomas Wayne (First appearance) (Dies in flashback)
- Martha Wayne (First appearance) (Dies in flashback)
- Fredericks (Single appearance)
- Jessica (Single appearance)
- William Earle (Single appearance)
- Joker (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Narrows
- Arkham Asylum
- Wayne Manor
- Wayne Tower
- GCPD Headquarters
- Gotham Opera House (Flashback only)
- Himalayas
Items:
- Utility Belt
- Batarang
- Batrope
- Bat-Signal
- Batsuit
- Joe Chill's gun
- Martha Wayne's pearl necklace
- Mask of Tengu
- Fear toxin
Vehicles:
- Tumbler (Origin)
Cast
- Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Gus Lewis as Young Bruce Wayne
- Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth
- Liam Neeson as Ra's al Ghul/Henri Ducard
- Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes
- Emma Lockhart as Young Rachel Dawes
- Gary Oldman as Lt. Jim Gordon
- Cillian Murphy as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow
- Tom Wilkinson as Carmine Falcone
- Rutger Hauer as William Earle
- Ken Watanabe as Decoy Ra's al Ghul
- Mark Boone Junior as Det. Arnold Flass
- Linus Roache as Thomas Wayne
- Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox
- Larry Holden as Finch
- Gerard Murphy as Judge Faden
- Colin McFarlane as Commissioner Gillian Loeb
- Sara Stewart as Martha Wayne
- Richard Brake as Joe Chill
- Rade Serbedzija as Homeless Man
- Christine Adams as Jessica
- John Nolan as Fredericks
- Vincent Wong as Old Asian Prisoner
- Charles Edwards as Wayne Enterprises Executive
- Shane Rimmer as Older Gotham Water Board Technician
- Jack Gleeson as Little Boy
- Sarah Wateridge as Mrs. Dawes
- Tim Booth as Victor Zsaz
Notes
In September 2003, director Christopher Nolan was reported to be considering Billy Crudup, Jake Gyllenhaal, Christian Bale, Hugh Dancy, Joshua Jackson, and Cillian Murphy for the role of Bruce Wayne. On September 11, 2003, Warner Bros. Pictures announced by press release that Christian Bale had been cast as the next Batman. Director Nolan said of Bale, "He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for." Since he had lost a great deal of weight in preparation for his role in The Machinist, Christian Bale hired a personal trainer to help him gain 100 pounds in the span of only a couple of months to help him physically prepare for the role of Bruce Wayne / Batman. This effectively shattered the record of 70 pounds set by Vincent D'Onofrio in 1987 for his role in Full Metal Jacket. At first he went well over the weight required (taking literally Nolan's instructions to "get as big as you can"), and when he was first introduced to the crew there was concern over whether he'd look right for the part. However, Bale worked hard to lose the excess weight, and was ready in time for filming.
Nolan decided against Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, Red Eye) for Batman, but instead cast him to portray villain Dr. Crane/The Scarecrow. On the same day of Murphy's announcement, Michael Caine said in an interview that Nolan was considering Viggo Mortensen for the role of the film's villain, not yet announced. Actor Chris Cooper had been offered the role of Jim Gordon, but turned it down since the character did not meet his expectations.
See Also
- Characters from Batman Begins (Movie)
- Other things related to Batman Begins (Movie)
- Movie Gallery: Batman Begins (Movie)
Links and References
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