Batman Begins

Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comicscharacter Batman, co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan and starringChristian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman,Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, with Ken Watanabe andMorgan Freeman. The film reboots the Batman film series, telling the origin story of the title character (Bale), from his alter ego Bruce Wayne's initial fear of bats, the death of his parents, his journey to become Batman, and his fight to stop Ra's al Ghul (Neeson) and the terrifying Scarecrow (Murphy) from vaporizing the tainted water supply of Gotham City with a fear-inducing drug causing mass hysteria and violence, destroying the city in the process. It draws inspiration from classic comic book storylines such as The Man Who Falls, Batman: Year One, and Batman: The Long Halloween.

After a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect Batman on screen following the critical failure and box office disappointment of Batman & Robin(1997), Nolan and David S. Goyer began to work on the film in early 2003 and aimed for a darker and more realistic tone, with humanity and realism being the basis of the film. The goal was to get the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce Wayne. The film, which was primarily shot in Iceland and Chicago, relied on traditional stunts and miniatures – computer-generated imagery was used minimally.

The film opened on June 17, 2005, in the United States and Canada in 3,858 theaters. It grossed over $48 million in its opening weekend in North America, eventually grossing over $374 million worldwide. The film received positive reviews and has been considered by many as one of the best superhero films ever made. Critics noted that fear was a common motif throughout the film, and remarked that it had a darker tone compared with previous Batman films. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and three BAFTA awards.

The film is followed by The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) in a continual story-arc, which has later been referred to as The Dark Knight Trilogy.

Plot
As a child, Bruce Wayne falls down a dry well, where he is attacked by a swarm of bats; he subsequently develops chiroptophobia. While watching an opera with his parents, Bruce is frightened by performers masquerading as bats, and asks to leave. Outside, the family is targeted by a mugger, Joe Chill, who murders Bruce's parents, leaving him to be raised by the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth.

Fourteen years later, Chill is freed in exchange for testifying against Gotham City mafia boss Carmine Falcone. Bruce intends to murder Chill in revenge, but one of Falcone's assassins does so first. Bruce's childhood friend, assistant district attorney Rachel Dawes, berates him for attempting to undermine the legal system, telling Bruce that his father would be ashamed. Bruce confronts Falcone in a nightclub, where Falcone demonstrates that real power comes from being feared. Bruce decides to travel the world, learning new skills and abilities to confront injustice. In Bhutan, he meets Henri Ducardwho offers to train him as a member of the League of Shadows, led by Ra's al Ghul. After completing his training and purging his fears, Bruce learns the League intends to destroy Gotham, believing it to be corrupt and beyond saving, having done so with other cities for centuries. Bruce rejects their crusade, which causes a battle and fire that burns down the League's temple. Ra's is killed by falling debris, while Bruce saves an unconscious Ducard.

Posing as a billionaire playboy, Bruce returns to Gotham intent on fighting crime. He develops a base in the bat-infested caves beneath Wayne manor, and takes an interest in his family's company, Wayne Enterprises, run by the unscrupulous William Earle. The company's top scientist, Lucius Fox, introduces Bruce to various prototype technologies including theTumbler (a heavily armored car) and a protective bodysuit, which Bruce uses to take up the vigilante identity of "Batman". As Batman, he intercepts a drug shipment and provides Rachel with evidence against Falcone, empowering the honestSgt. James Gordon to arrest the previously untouchable criminal.

Falcone is declared mentally unfit for trial by the corrupt Dr. Jonathan Crane, and transferred to Arkham Asylum. When Falcone threatens to reveal that he has been importing a fear-inducing hallucinogenic drug for Crane's employers, Crane exposes him to the drug while wearing a burlap mask, driving Falcone insane with fear of the "Scarecrow". While investigating Crane, Batman is exposed to the drug and left incapacitated. He is saved by Alfred and given an antidote developed by Fox. At Arkham, Rachel accuses Crane of corruption, and Crane reveals he has been pouring the drug into Gotham's water supply. He doses Rachel with it, but she is rescued by Batman, who leads a destructive chase through Gotham in the Tumbler to escape the police. Batman cures Rachel and leaves her with two vials of the antidote; one for Gordon, and one for mass production. After Crane is arrested, Gordon learns that the tainted water supply is only harmful if inhaled.

During his 30th birthday celebration at the manor, Bruce is confronted by Ducard, who reveals himself to be the real Ra's al Ghul; Bruce expels his guests so they will be safe. Ra's reveals that he employed Crane, and stole a powerful microwave emitter from Wayne Enterprises, that will be used to vaporize the tainted water supply, making the drug airborne and causing mass hysteria and violence that will destroy Gotham. Ra's' men set fire to the mansion, and Bruce is saved by Alfred, who secures them in the Batcave before the fire engulfs the building. As the League's plot commences, Batman rescues Rachel from a drugged mob and indirectly reveals his identity to her before pursuing Ra's onto a monorail train carrying the emitter toward Gotham's central water source. Gordon uses the Tumbler's cannons to destroy a section of the track and derail the train. Batman overpowers Ra's but refuses to kill him, while also refusing to save him, before gliding from the train car, leaving Ra's to die as the train crashes and explodes.

Batman becomes a public hero, but loses Rachel, who cannot be with Bruce while he is Batman. Bruce buys a controlling stake in the now publicly traded Wayne Enterprises, fires Earle, and replaces him with Fox. Gordon — now promoted to Lieutenant of the Gotham Police Force — shows Batman the Bat-Signal and mentions a criminal who leaves Joker playing cards at crime scenes. Batman promises to investigate and disappears into the night.

Cast

 * Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman:
 * A billionaire industrialist whose parents were killed by a mugger when he was eight years old, and traveled the world for several years to seek the means to fight injustice before returning to Gotham City, becoming its bat-like vigilante protector at night. Before Bale was cast on September 11, 2003,[4] having expressed interest in the role since Darren Aronofsky was planning his own film adaptation, [5] Eion Bailey, Henry Cavill, Billy Crudup, Hugh Dancy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Jackson, Heath Ledger, David Boreanaz and Cillian Murphy took interest in it as well.[4][6][7] Amy Adams served as the casting reader for the casting of Bruce Wayne/Batman in a favor to the casting director.[8] Bale felt the previous films underused Batman's character, overplaying the villains instead.[9] To best pose as Batman, Bale studied graphic novels and illustrations of the superhero.[10] Director Nolan said of Bale, "He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for."[11] Goyer stated that while some actors could play a great Bruce Wayne or a great Batman, Bale could portray both radically different personalities.[12] Bale described the part as playing four characters: the raging Batman persona; the shallow playboy façade Bruce uses to ward off suspicion; the vengeful young man; and the older, angrier Bruce who is discovering his purpose in life.[13] Bale's dislike of his costume, which heated up regularly, helped him get into a necessarily foul mood. He said, "Batman's meant to be fierce, and you become a beast in that suit, as Batman should be – not a man in a suit, but a different creature."[10] Since he had lost a great deal of weight in preparation for his role in The Machinist, Bale hired a personal trainer to help him gain 100 pounds (45 kg) in the span of only a couple of months to help him physically prepare for the role. He first went well over the weight required and created concern over whether he would look right for the part. Bale recognized that his large physique was not appropriate for Batman, who relies on speed and strategy. He lost the excess weight by the time filming began.[12]
 * Gus Lewis as young Bruce Wayne.[14]


 * Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth:
 * The trusted butler to Bruce's parents, who continues his loyal service to their son after their deaths as his closest confidant. Nolan felt Caine would effectively portray the foster father element of the character.[12] Although Alfred is depicted in the film as having served the Wayne family for generations, Caine created his own backstory, in that before becoming Wayne's butler, Alfred served in the Special Air Service. After being wounded, he was invited to the position of the Wayne family butler by Thomas Wayne because, "He wanted a butler, but someone a bit tougher than that, you know?"[15]


 * Liam Neeson as Henri Ducard / Ra's al Ghul:
 * A mysterious man who trains Bruce in the martial arts, initially posing as a subservient member of the League of Shadows, an organization led by Ra's al Ghul, but is later revealed to be Ra's al Ghul himself, having to have used the name "Ducard" as a pseudonym to hide his true identity. Writer David Goyer said he felt he was the most complex of all the Batman villains, comparing him to Osama bin Laden; "He's not crazy in the way that all the other Batman villains are. He's not bent on revenge; he's actually trying to heal the world. He's just doing it by very draconian means."[16]Gary Oldman was first choice for the part, but ended up playing James Gordon instead.[17] Guy Pearce, who collaborated with Christopher Nolan on Memento (2000), reported that the pair had discussions about him playing the role, but both of them decided that he was too young for the part.[18] Neeson is commonly cast as a mentor, so the revelation that his character was the main villain was intended to shock viewers.[12]


 * Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes:
 * Bruce's childhood friend and love interest who serves as Gotham City's assistant district attorney, fighting against the corruption in the city. Nolan found a "tremendous warmth and great emotional appeal" in Holmes, and also felt "she has a maturity beyond her years that comes across in the film and is essential to the idea that Rachel is something of a moral conscience for Bruce".[19]
 * Emma Lockhart as Young Rachel Dawes.


 * Gary Oldman as Sgt. James Gordon:
 * One of the few uncorrupted Gotham City police officers who was on duty the night of the murder of Bruce's parents and, in this way, shares a special bond with the adult Bruce and thus with Batman. Oldman was Nolan's first choice for Ra's al Ghul,[17] but when Chris Cooper turned down the part of Gordon to spend time with his family[20] Nolan decided that it would be refreshing for Oldman, who is renowned for his portrayals of villains, to play the role instead.[21] "I embody the themes of the movie which are the values of family, courage and compassion and a sense of right and wrong, good and bad and justice," Oldman said of his character. He filmed most of his scenes in Britain.[22] Goyer said Oldman heavily resembled Gordon as drawn by David Mazzucchelli in Batman: Year One.[12]


 * Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow:
 * A corrupt psychopharmacologist working as Chief Administrator of Arkham Asylum, who develops a fear-inducing toxin from a flower that grows in Ra's al Ghul's sanctuary and takes on a persona based on a burlap gas mask that he wears during his experiments, in which he uses his patients as human guinea pigs for his toxin while working with Ra's to smuggle its drug ingredients into Gotham using Carmine Falcone. Nolan decided against Irish actor Murphy for Batman, before casting him as Scarecrow.[23] Murphy read numerous comics featuring the Scarecrow, and discussed making the character look less theatrical with Nolan. Murphy explained, "I wanted to avoid the Worzel Gummidge look, because he's not a very physically imposing man – he's more interested in the manipulation of the mind and what that can do."[24]


 * Tom Wilkinson as Carmine Falcone:
 * The most powerful Mafia boss in Gotham, who shared a prison cell with Joe Chill after Chill murdered Wayne's parents. He had Chill murdered when he decided to testify against Falcone. He goes into business with Dr. Jonathan Crane and Ra's al Ghul by smuggling in Crane's fear toxins through his drug shipments over the course of several months so that they can be mixed in with the city's water supply.


 * Rutger Hauer as William Earle
 * The CEO of Wayne Enterprises who takes the company public in Bruce's long-term absence.


 * Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox:
 * A high-ranking Wayne Enterprises employee who was demoted to working in the company's Applied Science Division, where he conducts advanced studies in biochemistry and mechanical engineering. Fox supplies Bruce with much of the gear necessary to carry out Batman's mission and is promoted to CEO when Bruce takes control of the company by the end of the film. Freeman was Goyer's first and only choice for the role.[12]

Other cast members include Mark Boone Junior as Gordon's corrupt partner Detective Arnold Flass; Larry Holden as district attorney Carl Finch; Colin McFarlane as Police commissioner Gillian B. Loeb; Christine Adams as Jessica, Lucius Fox's secretary; Linus Roache and Sara Stewart as Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce's parents; Richard Brake as Joe Chill, the Waynes' killer; Gerard Murphy as the corrupt High Court Judge Faden; Charles Edwards as a Wayne Enterprises executive; Tim Booth as Victor Zsasz; Rade Šerbedžija as a homeless man, who is the last person to meet Bruce when he leaves Gotham, and the first civilian to see Batman, and both Risteárd Cooper and Andrew Pleavin as uniformed policemen. Actors John Foo, Joey Ansah, Spencer Wilding, Dave Legeno, Khan Bonfils, Rodney Ryan, Dean Alexandrou,
 * Ken Watanabe as Ra's al Ghul's decoy.