Batman Begins

(Batman Begins)

How does one man change the world?
It’s a question that haunts Bruce Wayne like the specter of his parents, gunned down before his eyes in the streets of Gotham on a night that changed his life forever. Tormented by guilt and anger, battling the demons that feed his desire for revenge and his need to honor his parents’ altruistic legacy, the disillusioned industrial heir vanishes from Gotham and secretly travels the world, seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful.

In his quest to educate himself in the ways of the criminal mind, Bruce is mentored by a mysterious man called Ducard in the mastery of the physical and mental disciplines that will empower him to fight the evil he has vowed to destroy. He soon finds himself the target of recruiting efforts by the League of Shadows, a powerful, subversive vigilante group headed by enigmatic leader Ra’s al Ghul. Bruce returns to Gotham to find the city devoured by rampant crime and corruption. Wayne Enterprises, his family’s former bastion of philanthropic business ideals, now rests in the hands of CEO Richard Earle, a man more concerned with taking the company public than serving the public good.

Meanwhile, Bruce’s close childhood friend Rachel Dawes, now an Assistant District Attorney, can’t secure a conviction of the city’s most notorious criminals because the justice system has been so deeply polluted by scum like crime boss Carmine Falcone (TOM WILKINSON). It doesn’t help that prominent Gotham psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Crane bolsters insanity defenses for Falcone’s thugs in exchange for nefarious favors that serve his own devious agenda. With the help of his trusted butler Alfred, detective Jim Gordon -- one of the few good cops on the Gotham police force -- and Lucius Fox, his ally at the Wayne Enterprises’ Applied Sciences division, Bruce Wayne unleashes his awe-inspiring alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses strength, intellect and an array of high tech weaponry to fight the sinister forces that threaten to destroy the city.

DoctorSF's Words

Created for DC Comics by artist Bob Kane, Batman made his debut in Detective Comics #27 (May, 1939 issue). The superhero’s 66-year history represents an unprecedented cultural phenomenon spanning radio serials, live action and animated television series, feature films, interactive games, and legions of comic books. A superhero with no superpowers, Batman’s ambitious quest to forge his mind and body into a living, breathing weapon against injustice inspires both fear and admiration.

A character-driven adventure powered by large-scale action and layered with the complexities of the human condition, Batman Begins represents the first full telling of Bruce Wayne’s quest to become Batman, detailing how and why he acquires the skills, tools and technology to create his intimidating alter-ego.

Producer Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO, INSOMNIA), has voluntarily emphasized the realism of the action, giving his movie something more contemporary than Comics without forgetting its epic face. BATMAN BEGINS coscriptwriter David Goyer, has already transposed to the cinema superheroes and fantastic creatures in CROW, DARK CITY and BLADE series. Christian Bale stars Batman/Bruce Wayne. He made his film debut in Steven Spielberg’s World War II epic Empire of the Sun, drawing bothcritical attention and a special National Board of Review award for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor.It begins to the cinema with EMPIRE OF the SUN. Bale continued to garner praise for his memorable portrayals of the passionately frustrated Ned Rosier in Jane Campion’s THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY, and yuppie serial killer in the controversial AMERICAN PSYCHO. BATMAN BEGINS also stars others talented actors such as Rutger Hauer (BLADE RUNNER), Morgan Freeman, recently seen in the acclaimed drama MILLION DOLLAR BABY for which he won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, and the talented Liam Neeson (SCHINDLER's LIST, THE PHANTOM MENACE, ROB ROY).