Batman (1989)

The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal Joker.

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers:

Bob Kane (Batman characters), Sam Hamm (story)

Stars:

Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger

Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Keaton	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne
Jack Nicholson	...	Joker / Jack Napier
Kim Basinger	...	Vicki Vale
Robert Wuhl	...	Alexander Knox
Pat Hingle	...	Commissioner James Gordon
Billy Dee Williams	...	Harvey Dent
Michael Gough	...	Alfred Pennyworth
Jack Palance	...	Carl Grissom
Jerry Hall	...	Alicia Hunt
Tracey Walter	...	Bob the Goon
Lee Wallace	...	The Mayor
William Hootkins	...	Lt. Eckhardt
Richard Strange	...	Goon
Carl Chase	...	Goon
Mac McDonald	...	Goon (as Mac Macdonald)

Storyline

Gotham City. Crime boss Carl Grissom (Jack Palance) effectively runs the town but there's a new crime fighter in town - Batman (Michael Keaton). Grissom's right-hand man is Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson), a brutal man who is not entirely sane... After falling out between the two Grissom has Napier set up with the Police and Napier falls to his apparent death in a vat of chemicals. However, he soon reappears as The Joker and starts a reign of terror in Gotham City. Meanwhile, reporter Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) is in the city to do an article on Batman. She soon starts a relationship with Batman's everyday persona, billionaire Bruce Wayne.

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Plot Keywords:

pantyhose | dc comics | city | gotham | police | 

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Taglines:

Only one will claim the night.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

23 June 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Batman

Filming Locations:

Acton Lane Power Station, Acton Lane, Acton, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$251,188,924 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Guber-Peters Company, The, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints) DTS (DVD version) Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the theatrical release, Joker asks, "Where does he get those wonderful toys?" In subsequent releases, it's edited down to "Get those wonderful toys."

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Goofs

When the Joker releases the gas from the clown balloon, its neck expands. When the Batwing releases it by the Moon, you can see it is in its normal clown shape.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Passenger: Excuse me.
Tourist Dad: I'm sorry, this is my cab.
Passenger: Sorry.
Tourist Dad: Listen, I was here first!
[as the cab drives away]
Tourist Dad: Oh, God! Oh, taxi? Taxi!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits run with a 3-D Batman symbol being explored by a flying camera in extreme close-up.

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Connections

Referenced in Doogie Howser, M.D.: Frisky Business (1989)

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Soundtracks

Partyman
Written, Produced and Performed by Prince

User Reviews

Classic

In 1989, Tim Burton created the very first Batman movie with great stars like Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. The Joker is definitely one of Hollywood's best villains on screen. Jack Nicholson was born for the role, with his psychotic and sick look. Michael Keaton is also great as Batman and is pretty good as Bruce Wayne. Kim Basinger is kind of annoying at times, but she's not the worst damsel in distress ever seen on screen.

Tim Burton has a unique way of doing Batman, and I think most people can agree that it fits the characters and the story. To bad Warner Bros. got rid of him after the 2nd film.