Show J Memento director takes crack at Batman funk flirt k Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times Batman has finally come home Not just to a story that painstakingly painstaking painstaking- ly details his origins but to an ominous ominous ominous omi omi- style that suits it beautifully Christopher Nolans Nolan's Batman Begins disdains the mindless camp and compulsive weirdness that mostly characterized its quartet quartet quartet tet of predecessors and unapologetically unapologetically unapologetically positions its hero at the dark end of the street With Christian Bale in the title role this is a film noir Batman a brooding disturbing piece of work that starts a slowly but ends up crafting a world that just might haunt your dreams In doing this Nolan who co- co wrote with comic book specialist David S. S Goyer has in effect brought the franchise back to its modern origins That would be the appearance in 1986 three years before the first Tim Burton film of Frank Millers Miller's somber and ominous ominous ominous omi omi- graphic novel Batman The Dark Knight Returns which repositioned repositioned repositioned Bob Kanes Kane's 1939 Crusader as a contemporary figure of almost existential torment Nolans Nolan's intention with Batman Begins however is to go beyond this and create a myth grounded as much as myth can be in plain real real- ity He wants his story to be as plausible as possible a human drama set in a believable world that looks like one we could live in but prefer not to A film that underlines underlines underlines under under- lines the notion that Batman is that unlikely comic book hero who does without super powers someone someone someone some some- one the director has said who really is just a guy that does a alot lot lotof lotof of push A heck of a lot of push Nolan was a shrewd choice to revive a franchise that has gone eight years without a film One of n the qualities shared by his exceptional exceptional but otherwise diverse trio of previous films Following Memento Insomnia is how skillfully they are put together on a craft level This Batman is a carefully thought out and consummately consummately consummately well-made well piece of work a serious comic book adaptation that thatis is is driven by story psychology and arid reality not special effects Though his name might not have initially been on everyone's lips Christian Bale turns out out to be an excellent fit for Nolans Nolan's conception of the Dark Knight And though he gained back the 63 pounds he lost n. n for The Machinist and added an extra 20 for good measure there is a leanness a sense of purpose about his performance Always a humorless almost sullen actor Bale uses those qualities qualities ties to create a painfully earnest character driven to a life of crime crime- fighting almost against his will Bale even employed the physically uncomfortable to his advantage I used the pain he has said as fuel for the characters character's anger Batman Continued on Page 9 Batman Continued from page 8 Once Wayne returns to Gotham and sets his mind on being Batman the noir possibilities of a black avenger and a city at night help things immeasurably Not only does production designer Nathan Crowleys Crowley's Blade Runner influenced look suit the film but the specifics of Batman lore the cave the car the suit flights the swooping night late-night benefit from that dark treatment as well The Gotham scenario also show show- cases the best of supporting supporting supporting sup sup- porting cast On the side of light both Michael Caine as Wayne family family family fam fam- ily retainer Alfred Pennyworth and Morgan Freeman as the films film's version version version ver ver- sion of James Bonds Bond's Q make this kind of acting look easier easi easi- er than it is The most encouraging thing about Batman Begins is is how individual writer director Nolan has managed to make an million epic Director of photography interviewed in American Cinematographer magazine offered an explanation One of the reasons Chris likes me to operate the camera is that it shrinks down the whole process for him says We could be sitting on the set with people people people peo peo- and huge setups but when the camera rolls its it's just Chris sitting next to me with a little monitor and the actors right there in front of us His entire universe is in that foot 12 area which brings the process down to a more personal sensibility level Bringing an ity to blockbuster material may sound next door to impossible but Batman Begins egins shows it can be done If youre you're willing to do the push |