Batman Begins

20 July 2015

Batman Begins 2005

• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Based on Book: No
• Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson,  Rutger Hauer, Linus Roache, Morgan Freeman
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Christian Bale – Public Enemies, I’m Not There, Terminator Salvation, The Prestige, Equilibrium, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Velvet Goldmine, Little Women, Swing Kids, Henry V
• Michael Caine: Inception, Harry Brown, Flawless, The Prestige, Children of Men, The Weatherman, Last Orders, Get Carter, The Cider House Rules, Little Voice, Mona Lisa, Educating Rita, Sleuth (both versions), Alfie
• Liam Neeson – Seraphim Falls, Kingdom of Heaven, Love Actually, Les Misérables, Michael Collins, Rob Roy, Nell, Schindler’s List, Ruby Cairo, Excalibur
• Gary Oldman: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harry Potter, The Book of Eli, Friends, The Fifth Element, Immortal Beloved, Léon, Romeo is Bleeding, True Romance, Dracula, JFK, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Prick Up Your Ears, Sid and Nancy, Meantime
• Cillian Murphy:  Transcendence, Inception, Cold Mountain, Girl with the Pearl Earring, 28 Days Later
• Tom Wilkinson - The Lone Ranger, The Best Exotic Hotel Marigold, The Ghost Writer, Valkyria, Michael Clayton, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Girl with the Pearl Earring, Shakespeare in Love, Wilde, The Full Monty, Smilla’s Sense of Snow, Sense and Sensibility
• Rutger Hauer -  Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Blade Runner
• Linus Roache – a fantastic TV series that I’ve never been able to find again, about WWII
• Morgan Freeman - Transcendence, Oblivion, Invictus, Gone Baby Gone, The Contract, Million Dollar Baby, Bruce the Almighty, Levity, Along Came a Spider, Nurse Betty, Amistad, Kiss the Girls, Moll Flanders, Seven, The Shawshank Redemption, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Glory, Driving Miss Daisy
• Why: Christian Bale. Good film.
• Seen: Once before. Now 10 July 2015 

After the generally less than brilliant quartet of Batman films we’ve recently ploughed through I’ve really been looking forward to seeing this one again.

From the very start it’s too exciting and gripping to write while watching. So, see you later.

And…it lives up to expectations and memory.

It’s a real story, of how Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. And what a story.  Real characters with some depth. Nuanced and complex good vs evil. Humour. Sophisticated high-tech action.

And what a cast. I love every single one of them. Kindly Tom Wilkinson totally convincing as the ruthless villain. Cute-as-a-bug, tough, don’t-mess-with-me Katie Holmes as Rachel, the childhood sweetheart. Angelic blue-eyed Cillian Murphy as the sleazy bent psychiatrist. Gary Oldman as the family man, earnest, courageous, the only decent cop on the force and just a little dopey. Morgan Freeman as the sardonic genius scientist. Noble Liam Neeson as the creepy opposite of Schindler. Michael Caine as the cheeky butler Alfred – another Alfie. And, oh, gorgeous, tormented Christian Bale - the true and only Batman.

I’m sure there are flaws somewhere – the film, and the whole superhero concept is questionable (but we all love it). But this has to be one of the best of the genre. And the music is great too.

4 ½ * of 5