Written By Eric M. Blake @hardboiledfilms
“I think I’d do more to help someone than most of the people in this room. Than you.”
“…You think maybe you’re assuming a little too much?”
When Andrew Klavan wrote his groundbreaking review for The Dark Knight, comparing Batman to George W. Bush, it was met with a lot of mockery. But when Christopher Nolan brought out this follow-up, suddenly, those Leftists weren’t laughing so much. They still struggled to deny it (looking for every laughable excuse in the book), but with The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan had all but come out of the political closet. He hasn’t “crossed the line,” though. Not quite.
In addition to Klavan, Rush Limbaugh was also targeted for mockery over this film. Having only heard bits and pieces about it before its release, he expressed concern that the villain’s name, “Bane,” would be used by the Left in conjunction with Mitt Romney’s old Wall Street firm, Bain Capital.
Of course, as he pointed out, post-release, some Lefties actually did exactly that—so in the end, he was dead right. (He did make sure to note the conservatism of the film, by the way.) Still, it does serve as an object lesson for Conservatives, especially if they ever want to comment in any way about pop culture: Know everything there is to know about the piece of pop culture you’re discussing. It’s the Culture War, folks. As Ra’s Al Ghul taught Bruce, “Always mind your surroundings.”
For the record, the comic book writers who first created Bane publicly endorsed Mitt Romney as America’s real-life Bruce Wayne. Even in hindsight, they may not have been far wrong. I sincerely doubt Bruce, with that public persona of his, would’ve won the election since everyone would likely have seen him as “privileged,” “out-of-touch,” and “unlikable.”
(And, of course, I mean Mitt as he was. Not as he’s become since Trump Derangement Syndrome took hold).
But I digress.
So, is Nolan a closeted Tory? Perhaps even a Friend Of Abe?
Oh, who knows? But as Glenn Beck noted repeatedly upon the film’s release, Nolan either does see the world the same way we do or, at the very least, “[He’s] read The Coming Insurrection.”
Before I go on, there are MAJOR SPOILERS for those who haven’t seen the film. You’ve been warned.
WHY IT’S A CONSERVATIVE FILM:
This time, it was Ben Shapiro who broke down the conservatism of The Dark Knight Rises. Being Ben Shapiro, it was a quick and rapid-fire rundown.
I’m no Ben, mind you. My analysis tends to be a bit more, well, drawn out. So here we go:
The Dent Act:
As The Dark Knight ended, it seemed as if Batman would continue his crime-fighting efforts as a rogue—on the run from the cops but still doing what had to be done. Alas, as this movie begins, Batman’s last confirmed sighting was the night of the Joker’s defeat and Harvey Dent’s tragic fall.
It seems Batman hasn’t needed to continue his fight in the interim—thanks in large part to an Act passed in Dent’s name. Nothing’s specified, but we’re meant to get the idea that it’s a kind of PATRIOT Act for the police, or at least something akin to Rudy Giuliani’s policies that allowed the NYPD to clean up New York City.
And Gotham has been cleaned up and is enjoying a period of peace without arch-criminals (except, of course, for a certain classy cat burglar). Now, that’s all about to change, but in the meantime, Gotham just hasn’t needed Batman. And despite how Bane deconstructs the actions necessary to lead to the Dent Act, events prove that the ends did justify the means, as the criminals he releases go out to terrorize the city. As Gordon explains to John Blake:
“There’s a point, far out there when the structures fail you—when the rules aren’t weapons anymore—they’re shackles, letting the bad guy get ahead. One day, you may face such a moment of crisis—and in that moment, I hope you have a friend like I did! To plunge their hands into the filth, so that you can keep yours clean!”
While Blake doesn’t buy it at first, he ultimately comes to realize that Gordon’s right, after all.
Catwoman’s “Robin Hood” Complex:
To get this out of the way: Popular phraseology notwithstanding, none of the versions of the “Robin Hood” legend (at least not that I’m aware of) have him “robbing the rich to feed the poor”—at least, not “the rich” per se. Technically, the arrow-shooting outlaw “robs” the tyrannical government to feed the overtaxed populace whose money it was in the first place. Still, as Ayn Rand noted in Atlas Shrugged, that’s not how people tend to remember it. And so, we had Jesse James rationalizing his crimes in the Old West with his Robin Hood image. We have do-gooders on the Left, of course. We have self-proclaimed “big Lefty” Green Arrow dressing up like Robin for obvious reasons. And here, we have Catwoman. As Bruce amusedly notes to her:
Indeed, Selina. Class envy at work. And class warfare isn’t far behind—as she gloats with her famous “storm coming” monologue.
Bruce notes that Selina seems eager for it, and indeed, she is…at first.
In Defense Of Wall Street:
Bane reveals himself to Gotham through what was, at the time (2012, remember), the ultimate Leftist fantasy: An attack on the Stock Exchange. He does it both to make a statement that We Are Coming and (as it turns out) to cause Bruce to become (temporarily before the fraud’s proven) broke, to manipulate him into desperately handing over his company to Miranda Tate. More on that later.
Foley, the officer apparently in charge while Gordon’s hospitalized, isn’t too eager to fight this battle. Cue the vital exchange between him and a stock trader:
Mattress or no mattress, most of the people who hate Wall Street don’t have a clue what it really is, what it does, and how valuable it really is for creating jobs, developing societies, and lifting whole countries out of poverty. (Just look at those old “We Agree” commercials for Chevron, especially the Angola one).
Or worse, as Batman might say: “They know. They just don’t care.”
(Incidentally, Foley is pretty much obsessed with the wrong priorities throughout the film, primarily going after Batman instead of Bane. The unlikable cop, by sheer coincidence, is the Lefty of the group. A little heavy-handed, perhaps, but I love it, myself. He does redeem himself in the end…sort of).
For Selina’s part, we do see the beginnings of a change in her attitude:
“Mr. Wayne…? I’m sorry they took all your money.”
“…No you’re not.”
In Bruce’s defense, it’s exactly what Miss Kyle needed to hear. She still has a lot to learn, as she discovers when she finds out just who Bruce Wayne is.
Occupy Gotham:
Here’s the biggest one. The villains’ master stroke involves bringing about “the next era of Western Civilization,” couched in precisely the rhetoric of those self-proclaimed advocates of “the 99%”: the Occupy Movement.
I don’t blame you if it’s a little difficult to remember just how disturbing it all was. When Obama got reelected, the movement quietly disappeared, their service complete in rallying people against the rich just enough for a sizable majority of Americans to believe Obama simply cared about them more than Romney did.
But when the movie came out, the Occupiers were at the height of their chaos. Nolan himself seemed to give very serious thought to filming some footage of said “protests” to put in Rises. He didn’t, but the fact that he even considered it does mean something. Christian Bale himself seemed quite surprised at just how eerily reality paralleled the film.
For the record, the actual plot point was thought up before the movement really exploded—apparently, it was inspired by the French Revolution. This, however, just makes it all the more powerful. Bane proclaims a false “freedom” and “power to the people,” railing specifically against the rich and “myths of opportunity” and, with them, the institutions of law and order, as he frees the “oppressed” criminals arrested under the Dent Act.
“Spoils will be enjoyed!”—mansions are trashed, the well-off are thrown out into the streets, and the beautiful becomes decimated. And Selina Kyle can only look on, crushed at what her ideals have brought about. And lest Selina excuse herself with “Bane’s doing it wrong,” her sidekick—Holly Robinson in the comics, “Jen” in the movie subtitles—doesn’t see it that way:
“This was someone’s home.”
“And now? It’s everyone’s home! ‘There’s a storm coming,’ remember? This is what you wanted.”
Selina can only shake her head in disgust.
Strength In “Privilege”:
When Bruce first tries—and fails—to escape the prison pit, the explanation a fellow prisoner gives is that “the child” who did escape was “no ordinary child: A child born in hell. Forged from suffering. Hardened by pain. Not a man from privilege.”
Indeed, Miranda Tate has a similar perspective, the frankly Marxist notion that there’s something inherently strengthening—and noble—about poverty and weakening (physically and morally) about being born into wealth. Bane, for his part, is flabbergasted at the thought that Bruce could possibly escape as “the child” did.
Of course, Bruce did suffer as a child, losing his parents. But recall how Falcone taunted him in Batman Begins to the effect that that’s nothing compared to life on the streets.
And yet, as Ra’s taught Bruce, that’s all nonsense: “The will is everything! The will to act.”
Bruce is weakened for much of Rises because he’s lost that will he once had. But once he gets it back, he does escape, even tossing a rope down for the other prisoners. And then, he turns the tables on Bane, beating him to a pulp. Poverty and privilege have nothing to do with it. As Shapiro pointed out, “In The Dark Knight Rises…those who grow up poor are held to the same moral standard as those who grow up rich…Wealth is not an automatic moral failing in TDKR. It’s a tool to be used for good or evil. And Batman uses it for good.”
The True “Evil Rich”:
At some point between movies, Miranda Tate came to Wayne Enterprises for investments in her new reactor technology—a “clean-energy project.” Bruce had eagerly invested much of the company’s funds into the project until he read a study on how the reactor could easily become dangerous in the wrong hands. Over the course of the film’s events, his fears are realized.
Speaking of Miranda, note her lines at the costume ball. When Bruce explains that he has no patience for virtue-signaling people who want to excuse their wealth by donating to false charity (Clinton Foundation, anyone?), Tate makes clear that the ball’s proceeds would go “where they should,” as she covered the expenses. Her reasoning? “You have to invest, if you want to restore balance to the world.”
This is a nice bit of foreshadowing in many ways. Obviously, it links to Ra’s Al Ghul’s philosophy for the League Of Shadows. But beyond that, it ties into Ayn Rand’s warning (again in Atlas) to beware those who proclaim the loudest how “altruistic” they are and how much they hate or “don’t care about” money—the do-gooders who “justify” their wealth by being “selfless,” “humanitarians” advocating for “equality,” and so forth. That tends to be a cover for something far more sinister, as we can see in George Soros, Lex Luthor, and Miranda Tate.
Meanwhile, Roland John Daggett, Bruce Wayne’s business-world nemesis (originally introduced in the legendary animated series), is a contractor for city infrastructure projects. Aside from “hiring” Bane (who’s making the projects structurally unsound so as to seal off Gotham from the world), he’s also guilty of hiring kids abandoned by orphanages to work underground on his projects.
Shapiro contends this is a swipe against corporatism. I’m not sure—it’s not particularly overt—but it is hinted at enough to be worth considering, at least.
For Bonus Points:
Bruce is an idealist, but notice a little detail in his own charity. The funds of the Wayne Foundation supporting Gotham’s orphanages are linked to the profits of Wayne Enterprises. As Alfred notes, there have to be profits for that to work out. Bruce’s charity, then, isn’t a “selfless sacrifice”—he’s an orphan himself, so he has an emotional vested interest—but, further, he knows darn well that charity is meaningless (at best) without a robust Capitalist engine to finance it.
Furthermore, after Wayne is effectively robbed and left broke by Bane, media bias is highlighted when a reporter calls out, “How does it feel to be one of the people, Wayne?”
Eventually, the U.S. President sends in some special forces disguised as relief workers to join up with Gordon and company. In this context, Detective Blake notes, “Your appeasement plan might not be as practical as you thought.”
Later, said appeasement leads straight to an inability to evacuate the city—much to the rage of Detective Blake.
Meanwhile, Catwoman repeatedly chides Batman for his vehement refusal to use guns and gives him one last dig right after stopping Bane—by gunning him down.
Finally, there’s something deeply meaningful in Bane’s famous monologue to Bruce about the torment of false hope and how he intends to break all of Gotham through the promise of “hope.” Coincidence? Maybe. I’m just saying it’s the sort of dark joke I would’ve made about a certain then-president.
WHY IT’S A GREAT FILM:
The Dark Knight Rises was in the unfortunate position of being a sequel to perhaps the greatest superhero movie of all time. As such, like Return Of The Jedi following The Empire Strikes Back, the only way it could’ve possibly avoided the “disappointing” label would’ve been to somehow top its predecessor. And like Return Of The Jedi, such a tall order was pretty much impossible.
The truth is, Rises nonetheless deserves the status of a truly great film. Maybe not as great as The Dark Knight, but be honest: that’s a very high standard. Not every movie is Casablanca, and they don’t have to be to be great.
Maybe it has to do with the politics of Rises being the most overt of the whole trilogy: Batman Begins is conservative-friendly, The Dark Knight is conservative via parable, and The Dark Knight Rises is utterly, completely, you have to be blind to miss it conservative. It’s the film every conservative movie wants to be. And that’s both a blessing and a curse.
Meanwhile, the importance of an opening shot can’t be overemphasized. In Rises, it’s a powerful image of Gary Oldman’s Commissioner Gordon in what seems to be an “anniversary” memorial for Harvey Dent, which immediately puts us in the right sort of mood, as the memories of the tragedy of The Dark Knight come flooding back in. Then, fade to black and open on the introduction of the new threat to Gotham City.
The Magnificent Tom Hardy As Bane:
At the risk of sounding like a hipster, I’ve admired Tom Hardy since long before he was “cool.”I’m one of the apparent few who loved the criminally underrated Star Trek: Nemesis, in which Hardy masterfully played a young counterpart to the magnificent Sir Patrick Stewart. (Interestingly, Hardy’s “renaissance” seems to have caused people to go back and re-evaluate Nemesis. Better late than never, I suppose).
Here, Hardy plays the single-worthiest opponent Batman has ever faced—straight from the comics, the one villain who actually did defeat Batman (temporarily, of course). And in the process, he and Nolan wipe away the memory of the “dumb muscle” Bane of Batman & Robin. This Bane is the master strategist comic fans know and love, carefully planning bit-by-bit his conquest and destruction of Gotham—anticipating just about everything, much like Batman himself.
At once massive and burly and affably eloquent, Bane intimidates and manipulates, all at the same time. His monologues are both chilling and charismatic and very quotable. We can believe he inspires loyalty in his men, even to the point of martyrdom.
And mask or no, he’s quite expressive, if his eyes are any indication. The prime example immediately follows a powerful demonstration of Hardy’s sheer presence through merely resting the side of his hand on Daggett’s shoulder. When Daggett mutters, “I’ve paid you a small fortune,” Bane’s eyes give a look of honest bewilderment as he replies, “And this gives you…power over me?”
Anne Hathaway As Selina Kyle, A.K.A. Catwoman:
There was a time when we only knew Anne Hathaway as Princess Mia—diaries and all. Yeah, she did some other stuff, but Brokeback Mountain wasn’t exactly “wide audience.” And Nolan used this “image” issue to great effect. For much of Selina’s introduction, she seems every bit the sweet and innocent “girlish” type until Bruce Wayne deduces to her face that she’s just stolen his mother’s necklace. And then, in a split second, we see something subtly change in her face, and with a single word, Ms. Hathaway showed us all just why she was so perfect for the role, after all:
She catches him off guard and trips him (in a seeming nod to predecessor Michelle Pfieffer), then elegantly leaps up into the window, bids him au revoir, and leaps out, just like a cat.
As I’ve said before, Nolan is a devoted aficionado of film noir, which is clear in the portrayal of this Catwoman as the old-school femme fatale. Classy, sexy, confident, and cool—at once a man’s fantasy and nightmare. And in the end, she does have a heart of gold and is vulnerable enough to hurt. What she really wants, more than anything, is to clear herself of her past—and when Daggett “reveals” that what she wants doesn’t exist, her voice fills with tears as she cries out, “YOU’RE LYING!”
As her arc continues, she discovers that she wants to be good—what she’s really after isn’t escape but redemption. Just like, in his own way, Bruce Wayne.
Maybe that’s why they’re so perfect for each other—they understand each other in a way Bruce and Rachel never could. Bruce and Selina walk the line, and here, they rescue each other from the brink.
Thus, Selina gains what she truly desired, and this princess has a happy ending after all.
She even gets to keep the pearls.
Christian Bale As Bruce Wayne, A.K.A. Batman—One Last Time:
Batman hasn’t been needed for eight long years. And Rachel’s death has left Bruce Wayne deeply scarred, believing there’s no life left for him post-Batman. Such devastation leads him into conflict with Alfred, and arguably, it’s what keeps him from taking Bane’s strengths—and his own weaknesses—as seriously as he should.
This is Bruce’s final arc—to get rid of what Rocky Balboa would call “the stuff in the basement.” Whatever’s keeping him from moving on with his life, he needs to uncover it and overcome it. And as his fellow prisoners in the pit make clear, it’s simply a fact that he’s lost the desire to stay alive.
Of course, we feel along with him. We cringe at the breaking of his back and at his struggle to recover. And when he finally does—and when the bats come out once more, symbolically restoring to him the will of Batman— we cheer along with his fellow prisoners.
And we really cheer when Batman leads the charge to restore order and beats the living crap out of Bane. I can still remember the catharsis I felt at that moment, watching the film for the first time—just how satisfying it was as Bane now found himself broken:
“TELL ME WHERE THE TRIGGER IS—then…you have my permission to die!”
We’re with him because we connect with him. And we’re happy for him when he gets his happy ending. He’s earned it.
And Gotham gets its happy ending, too—and at last, they know who to honor and thank for it.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt As John Blake, A.K.A. Robin Richard “Dick” Grayson
Yeah, he’s Dick Grayson. The “reveal” in the end that his given name was “Robin” is a clue to it, of course. There’s also the fact that he’s a cop, which the comics establish as Dick’s “day job” for a time. Plus, he’s a young adult, as opposed to a kid. And there’s his seeming chemistry with Selina in their one actual scene together. (Catwoman has flirted with Dick on occasion.)
That being said, his heart-to-heart when he introduces himself to Bruce gives a nod to the other two “main” Robins, as well—for Jason Todd, his line about bottling up his anger; for Tim Drake, the fact that Blake was able to reason out Batman’s identity.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings a “ruthless innocence” (as Ayn Rand would put it) to his role—at once tough, dry-witted, hard-boiled, and highly idealistic and black-and-white in his worldview. (Meaningfully, when Blake’s gun accidentally kills someone, he throws it away in disgust). He’s a bit of a hero-worshipper both of Bruce Wayne (“billionaire orphan”) and Batman. Most importantly, in the aforementioned exchange, he makes it clear that he knows darn well what Bruce is going through right now. And so, it is he who sounds the call, challenging Bruce, to his face, to return:
A friendship soon forms, with Bruce—and Batman—mentoring Blake on what it means to wear a mask and fight crime solo. Bit by bit, we see Blake being molded into someone worthy to take the torch once it’s passed.
He doesn’t become Robin, per se—both Bale and Nolan made it clear they had no interest in going there. Rather, Blake/Grayson becomes Batman II, or Nightwing if you like. And as he inherits the cave, the bats swarm around him, accepting him into this fate.
The Twist Of Talia:
Marion Cotillard has an interesting turn as Miranda Tate, a.k.a. Talia Al Ghul. It’s the kind of twist one would see coming a mile away—a new character thrust in front of us with no seeming comic counterpart. Except, of course, we’ve just had two movies with Rachel Dawes, who turned out to be…Rachel Dawes. Moreover, Nolan carefully disguises “Miranda’s” role as she struggles and fights alongside Fox, Gordon, and other heroes to the point that a first-time viewer might wonder if she’s being set up for a pairing with Fox.
Still, as with any good twist, you should pay close attention to the rewatch. Take note of all the lines about Bane’s past—and the story of the child—and you’ll notice just how much doesn’t add up. Perhaps those of you who had been paying close attention would’ve found yourself wondering if the screenwriters had missed several continuity bugs or if we’re seeing Bruce revising his understanding of the stories’ events as he learns more or something.
The Rest Of The Cast:
Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman return with full gravitas as Commissioner Gordon and Lucius Fox. Fox has quite a few great moments, such as showing Bruce the Bat-plane “anyway” (as if seeing right through that “retirement” talk) and teasing him about his new girlfriend, Catwoman. For Oldman’s part, we see him foreshadowing Bruce’s trials to come, with Gordon recovering from his own injuries—both outside and in. As Batman lets him know, for their last goodbye:
I admit to getting a little misty-eyed in the theater at that revelation.
Michael Cain, as always, is excellent in his last turn as Alfred, who is here driven to a breaking point. I must admit, though, that a major plot point I took issue with in this movie is the fact that Alfred disappears after quitting in protest and doesn’t show up again until the very end of the film. Where is he during the occupation? Does he help Bruce get back to Gotham, as in Batman Begins? Why don’t we see any of this? Oh, well.
Daggett is played by Ben Mendelsohn—Director Krennic of Rogue One. People have complained about the character’s constant “hammy” antics, but I think it’s perfectly fine. I’d say the “annoying” element is part of the point—he’s a pawn in over his head and refuses to admit it.
Oh, and Cillian Murphy returns as The Scarecrow, serving as Bane’s Chief Justice.
Hans Zimmer’s Music:
Nolan’s favorite composer returns with two new key pieces. One—Catwoman’s theme—perfectly conveys Hathaway’s incarnation of Selina: Mysterious, stylish, and somewhat off-beat, the perfect theme for a sneaky femme fatale with the motif of a cat.
The other, for Bane, has a primal drum beat with a constant chant, supposedly Moroccan Arabic for “He—he—rises!—rises!” It’s Brutal yet powerful and driving—powering the tension of many a scene.
The “Return” Of Ra’s Al Ghul:
It’s a bizarre scene, frankly, and the “Lazarus Pit” issue in the comics really doesn’t help.
For those not in the know, Ra’s Al Ghul does cheat death in the comics, as the League brings his dead body to that pit, and he’s resuscitated. Such is the way with comics—no one’s “killed off for good,” if they’re popular enough. But this is the Nolanverse—everything’s grounded in reality. And we’re pretty sure we saw Ra’s Al Ghul die. Or…did we? Look at the scene in Batman Begins, frame-by-frame. Maybe…?
Look, at the very least, it’s highly improbable that he could’ve survived that. So, when Liam Neeson pops up in Rises to rub Bane’s victories and Bruce’s failures in Bruce’s face (and, as it turns out, to goad him into a false assumption), what are we to make of it? Is it really Ra’s Al Ghul, back from the dead and communicating telepathically to Bruce in a vision? Or is it all an hallucination, with Bruce just figuring things out in his head?
Well, I guess it all depends on what we want to believe. And if Ra’s does have those abilities, it certainly opens the door for “superpowers” existing in the Nolanverse, after all, which would beg for a few other questions. It’s fun to speculate about, regardless, and talk about while leaving the theater.
Which brings me to…
Closure For The Nolanverse:
Before the plan for Batman v. Superman was revealed, there was a bit of speculation that Man of Steel—and the D.C. Extended Universe with it—was connected in some way to the Dark Knight Trilogy. After all, Christopher Nolan produced Man of Steel, and rumors abounded that Joseph Gordon-Levitt would don the Batman cowl for the inevitable Justice League.
Alas, that may have been the plan if we believe the story that the original drafts of what became Batman v Superman had been written with the “idea” that Christian Bale would return as Bruce Wayne. But in the end, Bale turned it down, feeling that he was all done with the character. His Batman’s story was over. Let him enjoy his happily-ever-after with Selina—and maybe raise a girl destined to become The Huntress.
At any rate, this “grounded in reality” take on Batman frankly wouldn’t work in a universe where superpowers exist. Only once does the suggestion of the superhuman pop up with Ra’s Al-Ghul’s “return,” and again, that’s open to interpretation.
And, of course, you’d think Bane’s occupation of Gotham would’ve attracted the attention of a superhero or two.
But most importantly, Rises makes clear that Bruce has come to the end of his journey. He’s finally saved Gotham, at long last—and the city’s redeemed itself, too. Batman’s good name is cleared, and Bruce has found someone to settle down with. He has, at last, found peace.
Still, just in case a hero’s needed again, Bruce has also found someone he can pass the mantle to—Blake, a.k.a. Grayson, a.k.a. Robin. And he’s given his proper goodbyes to Fox, Gordon, and Alfred.
But Bruce’s story is over in this universe. Had he returned, it would’ve invalidated his emotional arc here.
(This leads to an interesting theory of mine about Batman v Superman. But that’s for another time).
Alternate Risings:
Rumors have long circulated on exactly what Nolan’s third Batman film would’ve been like had the great Heath Ledger not met an untimely demise. A common theory is that the Joker would’ve returned in a Hannibal-Lector-type role, in which Batman needs his twisted help to find and stop the Riddler. Fan speculation pointed to either Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp playing Riddler—who apparently was to be a Zodiac killer-type, or a hacker, or maybe both.
Other theories involved Phillip Seymour Hoffman (may he also RIP) showing up as the Penguin, filling the void as the new boss of the Gotham mob. Finally, some have suggested that Joker would’ve just had a brief cameo, in which Bane would make it a point not to release him.
But in the end, who knows? We got what we got, and I personally love it.
By The Way…
Nolan himself has said he’d have loved to have seen a Catwoman-centric prequel spin-off starring the lovely Miss Hathaway, but Anne said she’d only do it if Nolan would direct. It’s a shame—it would’ve been another opportunity to wipe away a bad memory. Sorry, Halle Berry.
There’s no real effort at all to cover up the fact that Gotham is a stand-in for Manhattan. There’s even a half-constructed Freedom Tower (a.k.a. One World Trade Center) in the wide shots.
Bane’s most prominent henchman, who’s good with rifles, is apparently Deadshot, pre-Will Smith.
Just as Batman initiates his return, an elder cop, recognizing the signs, eagerly tells a youngster, “Boy, you are in for a show tonight, son!” He’s quoting Frank Miller’s monumental The Dark Knight Returns, in which a cop says the same thing in the same context.
And finally, Mr. Fredericks—the noblest Wayne Enterprises executive besides Fox—is played by John Nolan, Christopher’s uncle.
Buy the movie here. And stay Cultured, my friends.
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