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''Batman Begins'' (2005) is an American Superhero Film based on the Comic Book Character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger . The movie was first released on June 15 , 2005 , Directed by Christopher Nolan , and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer . Although it is the fifth live-action ''Batman'' movie since 1989, the movie is a neither a Prequel or a sequel to the previous Tim Burton / Joel Schumacher movies, but rather a re-start of the movie franchise. It more closely follows the darker psychological theme of the '' Batman '' comics and Graphic Novel s. It was a financial and critical success. PLOT SUMMARY ''Batman Begins'' explores the origins of the ''Batman'' legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham City . The movie opens in a brutal, dirty prison in an unnamed Asia n country (possibly Bhutan ), wherein is imprisoned Bruce Wayne ( Christian Bale ), held for an (as yet) unknown crime. Despite (apparently) being the only westerner present, Wayne is a dominant presence at the prison; proven when, after being attacked by six men in the breakfast queue, he manages to overpower and subdue all of them without sustaining any injuries - whilst simultaneously inflicting several upon his attackers. Thrown into Solitary Confinement (for the protection of the others, as opposed to himself), he is approached by Henri Ducard ( Liam Neeson ), who speaks for Ra's Al Ghul ( Ken Watanabe ) leader of the League Of Shadows , a shadowy group of fanatical Assassins much feared by the Criminal Underworld . Ducard claims to understand what drives Wayne, and 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, Wayne is dumped at the foot of a Mountain Range , at the top of which sits the headquarters of the League. Plucking one of the blue flowers that sit at the foot of the mountain, he carries it with him to the summit, thus fulfilling the requirements for study with the League. Ducard, warning him that death is sudden and gives no warning, attacks the weakened Wayne, but realises that although Wayne does not fear him, there is still an unknown terror in his heart... The movie cuts back to several years. A young 8-year old Bruce Wayne ( Gus Lewis ), while playing with his childhood friend, a young Rachel Dawes (Emma Lockhart), falls down a Well and is attacked by a flurry of Bat s. After his kindly father, Thomas Wayne ( Linus Roache ), pulls him from the well, Bruce begins having nightmares about bats, despite his father's assurance that the bats were more afraid of him than he was of them. One night, the Waynes go to a production of '' Mefistofele '' at the Opera where Bruce becomes scared at some of the dancers' portrayals of bat-like Demon s. Bruce experiences a Panic Attack and begs his father to leave the theatre early. The family exits into an alley where they are confronted by a Mugger , Joe Chill , who despite the calm submission of Thomas, shoots both him and his wife. Fatally wounded with a bullet in his chest, Thomas Wayne's last words to his son are, ''"Don't be afraid."'' Bruce is left physically unharmed, but in a state of total shock. After being comforted at the police station by police Sergeant Jim Gordon ( Gary Oldman ) and being told "good news" about Joe Chill being arrested, Bruce is taken home by family Butler Alfred Pennyworth ( Michael Caine ), who raises him in the absence of his parents. This flashback is interspersed with shots of Wayne's training with the League of Shadows, where under Ducard he learns the way of the Ninja - stealth, theatricality and deception proving far superior methods than the mere application of brute force. The two men having grown close, Ducard confesses his own past - the Murder of his wife, and his revenge on the murderer which allowed him to enter the League - and questions why Wayne cannot revenge himself upon the man who murdered his parents... We cut to roughly 10 years later; now a young adult, Bruce ( Christian Bale ) has returned from Princeton University for the Parole hearing of his parents' murderer which was arranged as part of a deal to testify against the Crime Boss Carmine Falcone ( Tom Wilkinson ). Rachel Dawes ( Katie Holmes ) is now studying to become a Gotham City Assistant District Attorney . The killer is granted parole, but is murdered immediately after the hearing by one of Falcone 's Mob operatives. Bruce Wayne was planning to kill him as well, but was robbed of the opportunity. When Rachel learns this, she angrily explains the difference between vengeance and justice to Bruce, and then tells him that his father would be disappointed in what he has become. Bruce becomes ashamed of himself and promptly goes to confront Falcone. Falcone, although impressed by Wayne's nerve, is dismissive of him - not only does he largely own the Justice System in Gotham (including several Police Officer s and the Judge who released Chill), but Falcone understands fear - something Bruce Wayne, who has never undergone hardship in his life, does not. After the fateful meeting, a disillusioned Wayne realizes that Falcone is right, and steals away on a Cargo Ship , and travels the world for seven years, seeking the means to fight injustice and "turn fear against those who prey on the fearful." Wayne explains his experiences in the criminal underworld - learning that life is not a simple matter of black and white morality when you're living poor and hungry, and that crime is itself an exhiliarting and exciting profession (we also see the cause of his imprisonment; ironically, he is arrested and jailed by Chinese Police for the theft of goods that belong to Wayne Enterprises , his own company). In Wayne's final test, he must find Ducard amongst a crowd of fellow ninjas whilst hallucinating under the influence of the Toxin of the blue flowers, which stimulates the part of the mind controlling fear responses. He manages to use Ducard's methods against him and proves his worth for membership to the League. However, after his training, Ra's and Ducard tell Wayne his purpose; that he must lead the League to destroy Gotham , a source of evil and corruption, as part of the group's mission to eradicate injustice and purify the Earth. Wayne, however, refuses to become a murderer, and vows to fight evil his own way without destroying the city, and battles Ra's before making his escape. Ra's is killed in the battle, but Wayne manages to save Ducard, who has been rendered unconscious. Later, after leaving Ducard in a village to be cared for, Bruce contacts Alfred, who flies in to bring him home to Gotham. Now fully wise and mature, a nearly 25-year old Bruce is ready to return. as Bruce Wayne.]] Things have gotten worse in Gotham, however; Falcone's organisation dominates the city, and insitutional corruption and vice run rampant. Rachel, one of the few incorruptible law officials in Gotham, must watch in frustration as Falcone's men evade the law through the corrupt influence of Dr. Jonathan Crane ( Cillian Murphy ), director of Arkham Asylum , who manages to have Falcone's men declared Legally Insane and sentenced to the asylum (in return for Falcone's assistance in the plans of Crane's unnamed employer). Elsewhere, Jim Gordon - now a detective sergeant - remains one of the few honest police officers in the city, and must watch his corrupt partner Flass steal and bully his way through the city as one of Falcone's enforcers. Things are not well at Wayne Enterprises, either; in Wayne's absence, he has been declared legally dead by the unscrupulous CEO , Richard Earle, who is taking the company in directions involving weapons manufacturing (including a Prototype Water vapourizer that has mysteriously disappeared). Wayne is practiced and prepared, however, and has decided to take the fear in his life and share it with those who would prey on the innocent. To that end, he stealthily enlists the help of the reluctant Gordon, and and befriends an unjustly demoted senior Company Researcher , Lucius Fox ( Morgan Freeman ), recruiting him as his Armorer . Fox uses his job as lowly caretaker to grant Wayne secret access to various unused company prototypes for his own use which includes Body Armor that makes up his costume and a Prototype Armoured Car . Thus prepared, when Wayne hears of a threat to Rachel's life, he goes to work. That night, a Drug Shipment overseen by Flass and Falcone is smashed apart by a stealthy, brutal presence who easily overpowers the Thug s employed by Falcone. Although Flass wisely escapes, Falcone is trapped. Terrified and alone, Falcone hides in his car with a shotgun, only to be brutally dragged out - and thus becomes the first person in Gotham to come face to face with the Batman , Wayne's alter-ego, a masked Superhero who uses his strength, intellect, and an array of high-tech gadgets to combat the sinister forces that threaten the city. Easily overpowering one of the assassins targeting Rachel (the other flees in terror upon seeing him), he provides Rachel with evidence capable of indicting Falcone, plus enough 'leverage' to ensure the corrupt Judge's cooperation. Gordon, meanwhile, is astonished to find the drug ring broken, the hoodlums caught - and Falcone, unconscious and surrounded with his product, tied to spotlight, his silhouette projecting The Image Of A Bat In The Sky . Infuriated by Batman's meddling in police affairs, the commissioner (Colin McFarlane) orders the police to apprehend Batman, despite Gordon's reluctant siding with the Vigilante . Investigating the 'unusual' drugs in the shipment, however, Batman is stunned by Crane - who sprays him with a highly potent Fear Nerve Gas of his own developing, causing Batman to relive the night of his parent's murder in Hysterics . Once he comes down (thanks to an anti toxin developed by Fox), Batman realises he recognizes the gas - it is an extract of the fear toxin he experienced in the League of Shadows. After silencing Falcone with the gas - sending the mob boss into a state of irreversible, terror-filled Psychosis - Crane kidnaps Rachel and shows her what is really going on. The toxin has been introduced into Gotham's Water Supply from Arkham for weeks, and once Rachel is infected, Crane demands to know who else suspects him and what else is happening. Rachel is saved by the Batman, however, who is now Inoculated against Crane's gas and subjects the psychiatrist to a 'taste of his own medicine', demanding to know who is behind Crane's plot. Crane, Hallucinating the Nightmarish image of a literal bat-man, reveals his employer - Ra's al Ghul, who is still alive. Managing to get Rachel out of Arkham despite being hunted by the police, he administers the antidote and gives Rachel a Vial for Gordon - something is coming, and they need to be prepared... That night, at Wayne's 30th Birthday Party , Wayne is confronted by his enemy - Henri Ducard, the real Ra's al Ghul, who has arrived in Gotham personally to destroy the city - he has conspired with Crane to poison Gotham's water supply with a toxin that would cause the inhabitants of the city to Riot in Panic , destroying each other and Gotham itself. Breaking open Arkham Asylum and unleashing the Psychotic inmates onto the people living in the Narrows , Ra's intends to spread the panic across Gotham. Although Wayne Manor is destroyed, Wayne survives, and determines to stop Ra's plan. As the city begins to tear itself apart, Rachel and Gordon - both inoculated, and thus the only two people Immune to the effects of the toxin - quickly become the only two people in the Narrows not driven Insane . Whilst Dawes confronts and defeats Crane - who, having lost his mind now declares himself to be the Scarecrow - with a Taser , Batman enlists Gordon to drive the Batmobile to the central hub of the Gotham Subway - Wayne Tower. As Ra's pilots a subway train to Wayne Tower (the subway positioned directly over the infected water mains, which are vapourised by the stolen vapouriser), Wayne confronts him as Batman. They battle and Batman eventually defeats Ra's, and as Gordon destroys the subway line - thus preventing the hub of the water supply from being vapourised thus covering Gotham in the toxin - Batman escapes the subway car, leaving Ra's to crash into the tower, apparently killed. Following the battle, Batman becomes a public hero, and Wayne - who has styled himself as an irresponsible playboy - gains control of his company and installs Fox as the CEO, firing Earle. However, he is unable to hold on to Rachel, who has discovered his identity as Batman and, despite having fallen in love with Wayne, cannot reconcile the two men. He also gains an ally in Gordon, now promoted to Lieutenant and armed with an official ' Batsignal ', who still expresses some reservations about Batman's role; although justice and hope are returning to Gotham, the Narrows is 'lost' to the effects of the toxin and neither the Scarecrow nor many other inmates of Arkham have been apprehended; and it is possibly that Batman himself will lead to a form of escalation in the type of crime that Gotham will face. To prove his point, Gordon explains that a new criminal, wanted for Murder and Armed Robbery and possessing "a taste for theatrics, like you," has left Calling Cards at all his Crime Scene s, one of which he gives to Batman as evidence - it is a Joker Playing Card . Batman promises to look into it, and assures Gordon - who nevertheless tries to thank Batman for all he has done - that his thanks will never be necessary. CAST
Of the main cast of Batman, which takes place mostly in America, only Katie Holmes , Morgan Freeman , and Mark Boone Junior are Americans. A large number of actors auditioned for the lead role, including Henry Cavill , Jake Gyllenhaal , Joshua Jackson , Cillian Murphy , Hugh Dancy , Christian Bale , and Billy Crudup . Although Bale got the part, Gyllenhaal was co-writer Goyer's first choice, while Nolan enjoyed Cillian's audition so much that he cast him as The Scarecrow . Chris Cooper turned down the role of James Gordon. Anthony Hopkins was offered the role of Alfred, but declined. Chinese actor Vincent Wong plays a bit part, as an old prisoner in this film. He also played a crimelord in the 1989 '' Batman '' film. REACTION Early reviews from professional Film Critics were enthusiastic, with Roger Ebert of the '' Chicago Sun-Times '' (who panned all the previous live action adaptations of the character) calling it one of the best films of the year. Manohla Dargis of '' The New York Times '' also gave it high praise, dubbing the film "the most successful comic-book adaptation alongside Terry Zwigoff 's '' Ghost World ''." The movie was also received quite favorably by audiences and many fans, earning the highest rating of any film released in 2005 by users of the ranked second. The film takes many liberties, despite being hailed for its more accurate portrayal of Batman as he is depicted in the ''. According to ''boxofficemojo.com'', the $135-million movie has earned $205.3 million during its '', '' War Of The Worlds '', '' Wedding Crashers '' and '' Charlie And The Chocolate Factory ''). However, taking ticket price inflation into account, ''Begins'' is only ahead of 1997's ''Batman and Robin'', which had an adjusted U.S. gross of $150 million. (The inflation-adjusted U.S. gross of the other movies would be as follows: ''Batman'' $403 million, ''Batman Returns'' $251 million and ''Batman Forever'' $271 million). The September 1, 2005 poll at IMDb marked the film as #1 as the best summer movie of 2005 with ''Revenge of the Sith'' at second. Another IMDb poll, the one of January 3, 2006, ranked the movie as the best of the top ten highest grossing movies of the year 2005, again with ''Sith'' taking second place. A list conducted by IGN FilmForce places the film as the number two Super Hero movie of all time, next to ''. The movie also solidified Christopher Nolan's capability of directing a major blockbuster. Before then, he was known for directing low-budget movies that focused mostly on dark themes, but had substance and depth, e.g. '' Memento ''. Hiring him for this kind of movie, particularly one of Warner Bros. 's biggest franchises, was a risky endeavour on the studio's part. But the movie marked a successful return of the Batman saga, erasing the legacy of its predecessor '' Batman And Robin '' and ensured the studio's plans to greenlight a sequel. Awards and nominations 78th Academy Awards
2005 American Society Of Cinematographers
2005 Art Directors Guild
2005 BAFTA Awards
2005 Costume Designers Guild Awards
2005 Golden Raspberry Awards
2005 Golden Trailer Awards
2005 Hollywood Film Festival
2005 Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA Awards)
2005 Online Film Critics Society (OFCS Awards)
2005 Visual Effects Society (VES Awards)
2005 World Soundtrack Awards
Sequel Warner Brothers has announced its intentions to make a '', Nolan's brother Jonathan will share writing duties with Goyer. In a turn from comic continuity, Robin is not slated to appear in the new franchise. Christopher Nolan stated that "at the time we are portraying in the Batman world, Dick Grayson is probably still a baby." In order for the sequel to achieve the targeted release date of June (the month that all '' Batman '' films are released) 2008, pre-production will likely begin sometime in 2006, with major filming happening in 2007 Untitled Batman Begins Sequel on IMdb. The Joker is almost definitely going to be the villain in the sequel, with Lachy Hulme and Paul Bettany being rumoured to be the leading candidates for the role, although Jude Law , Steve Buscemi and Crispin Glover have also been mentioned in contention. Other rumoured contenders include Mark Hamill , who voiced the Joker in the animated series, and Michael Keaton , the actor who played Batman in the first film where the Joker was the villain. Harvey Dent, later to become Two-Face , is also rumoured to make an appearance in the sequel as the new D.A. of Gotham, and Black Mask is rumored to a make an appearance as well. INSPIRATIONS Before production began, Christopher Nolan showed the entire production crew the film '' Blade Runner '' and told them he wanted his film to adopt its style. Perhaps not coincidentally, Rutger Hauer , the actor who portrayed Replicant Roy Batty in ''Blade Runner'', was cast in ''Batman Begins'' as William Earle. The film was inspired by the graphic novels ''''. PRODUCTION At 140 minutes, ''Begins'' is the longest Batman film to date. This is the first Batman theatrical film to be shot and presented in 2.35:1 'scope format. Mentmore Towers , Buckinghamshire , England provided the location for Wayne Manor in the film. History Originally, ''. Though having no interest in bringing Schumacher back to the project, the "Year One" pitch piqued enough interest to remain in development, culminating with the hiring of Darren Aronofsky in 2000 to direct the feature, with him and Frank Miller co-writing. Around the same time Warner Bros. began developing a '' Batman Vs. Superman '' film, to be directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by Andrew Kevin Walker . A third project, a live action version of '' Batman Beyond '', with Paul Dini and Alan Burnett hired for scripting duties, was also in development, though this project was terminated very early in the development process. Peterson, unable to make any progress with '' Batman Vs. Superman '' in terms of the script and casting, eventually left to make '' Troy ''. Soon after Warner Bros. ended production on Aronofsky and Miller's project, being dissatisfied with their take, which was focused as a revenge tale set in the 70s, reminiscent of films like '' Death Wish ''. Before settling on Nolan to begin developing the project from scratch, Joss Whedon had pitched a smaller, character-oriented origin story, though ultimately Warner Bros. passed. Yet there was one other story. A script by the title Batman: The Frightening was leaked onto the net in early 2003. Articles listed the writers as being Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias who adapted Alan Moore 's Graphic Novel , From Hell for the screen. But soon after Hayes and Yglesias publicly stated no connection to the script after being asked countless times about it. As with all the other projects this disappeared soon, but has not been determined as to whether a legitimate screenplay. Batmobile used in ''Batman Begins''.]] The Batmobile is a working vehicle. For the street scenes there were four Batmobiles, two of which being special in that one was the "flap version," with hydraulics and flaps for the close-ups when the car is flying, and the "jet version," with an actual jet engine mounted onto the back for the scenes where the jet was necessary. Each of these cars cost around $250,000 to build. For the scenes that required the inside of the car to be filmed, there was another vehicle equipped with the hydraulics and decorations necessary to give the feeling of reality. There was also a small electric motor that allowed the car to drive, which was necessary for the slow driving scenes. Finally, there was a miniature version, which was around 6 feet long and able to fly for the scenes that required it except for the scenes where the car jumps and the scenes where the Batmobile enters the Batcave . "How the Batmobile Works" howstuffworks.com During shooting on the streets of Chicago , a man crashed his car into the Batmobile . The driver was apparently drunk, and said he hit the car in a state of panic, thinking the vehicle to be an invading alien spacecraft. DVD The ''Batman Begins'' DVD was released on '', and an excerpt of the 13-issue ''Batman: The Long Halloween''. Some vendors have reported that the deluxe edition of ''Begins'' was set only for a limited release, and thus only had a one time stock pile. This puzzling rumor has left many potential customers baffled, and concerned with how to obtain this commodity from the very few vendors that still have some in stock. The two-disc widescreen was, however, rereleased recently, but with a price increase. Also released on the same date was ''Batman: the Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997'', which contains each of the four Burton-Schumacher films in new 2-disc special edition format. The set includes many new & old documentaries, commentaries from both directors '' (1989), '' Batman Returns '' (1992), '' Batman Forever '' (1995), and '' Batman & Robin '' (1997). Warner Home Video announced that the film is to be released on HD DVD sometime in 2006.Business Wire. Warner Home Video Announces Titles and Release Dates for HD DVD . January 5, 2006. VIDEO GAME See Also: Batman Begins (video game) On June 15 , 2005 , a Video Game adaptation was released onto the PS2 , Xbox , GameCube , and Game Boy Advance Consoles . It featured all of the principal cast members and their likenesses reprising their roles from the film, with the exception of Gary Oldman . TRIVIA
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