Batman Begins (2005)

After training with his mentor, Batman begins his war on crime to free the crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption that the Scarecrow and the League of Shadows have cast upon it.

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writers:

Bob Kane (characters), David S. Goyer (story),

Stars:

Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson

Top 250 #105 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 43 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Bale	...	Bruce Wayne / Batman
Michael Caine	...	Alfred
Liam Neeson	...	Ducard
Katie Holmes	...	Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman	...	Jim Gordon
Cillian Murphy	...	Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow
Tom Wilkinson	...	Carmine Falcone
Rutger Hauer	...	Earle
Ken Watanabe	...	Ra's Al Ghul
Mark Boone Junior	...	Flass
Linus Roache	...	Thomas Wayne
Morgan Freeman	...	Lucius Fox
Larry Holden	...	Finch
Gerard Murphy	...	Judge Faden
Colin McFarlane	...	Loeb

Storyline

When his parents were killed, millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne relocates to Asia when he is mentored by Henri Ducard and Ra's Al Ghul in how to fight evil. When learning about the plan to wipe out evil in Gotham City by Ducard, Bruce prevents this plan from getting any further and heads back to his home. Back in his original surroundings, Bruce adopts the image of a bat to strike fear into the criminals and the corrupt as the icon known as 'Batman'. But it doesn't stay quiet for long.

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Plot Keywords:

gotham | fight | fear | cave | murder | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros [fr]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Urdu Mandarin

Release Date:

15 June 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Batman 5

Filming Locations:

Coalhouse Fort, East Tilbury, Essex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$119,727 (Sweden) (19 August 2005)

Gross:

$205,343,774 (USA) (28 October 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Syncopy, DC Comics

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The boy who Bruce Wayne gives the fruit to in the narrows is wearing an old Sheffield United shirt. This is the only time football is referenced in the movie.

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Goofs

There is a stunt ramp visible when the second police car flips during the city chase.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bruce Wayne - age 8: Rachel, let me see! Can I see?

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Crazy Credits

This is the first DC Comics film to have a DC Comics logo on it. This logo was in fact a new one, that was designed the same year the film came out.

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Connections

Referenced in HBO First Look: The Dark Knight (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Happy Birthday To You"
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill
Performed by Cavendish String Quartet

User Reviews

The greatest BATMAN movie ever!

BATMAN BEGINS (2005)

starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe.

plot: Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has lost his parents when he was young and trained with the great Ducard (Liam Neeson). He returns to Gotham and wins his parent's fortune, manor and business, Wayne Enterprizes. Now, with the help of an old friend of his family (Morgan Freeman), Bruce becomes Batman by night, a dark hero who fights crime in a city where the good people do nothing. Batman is thrust into a war with his first major enemy, The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), only to discover that the evil villain is working for someone much more powerful from Bruce's past.

the good: Wow, for the last 13 years I held Tim Burton's BATMAN RETURNS above every BATMAN film, and every film for that matter. It was a great film, and it still is. But it was not the true BATMAN that I thought it was. I have just came back from seeing this film, BATMAN BEGINS, and it beats BATMAN RETURNS by a long-shot.

As much as I love Michael Keaton's portrayal as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Christian Bale beats them all! He's great as the millionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, and also as the dark, bad-ass Batman. He treats Bruce and Batman like two completely different characters, even better than both Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer! He also sports the best costume, and an awesome bat mobile.

Michael Caine and Gary Oldman are also great replacements for Michael Gough and Pat Hingle as Alfred Pennyworth and James Gordon. Caine turned out just as great as Gough as the butler/father figure, but Gordon put a more humorous touch on the character which did not disappoint me!

Cillian Murphy is equally great as the villain, The Scarecrow, who freaks me out and leads to some creepy/cool trippy horror-like scenes. Katie Holmes is also here as the love interest, she was OK, not as bad as people say but still a little off. The rest of the cast also handles their parts perfectly!

Christopher Nolan's direction was the best because it managed to be dark and gloomy like Burton's, only a little more realistic!

The score and action are also honorable mentions for this film.

But in the end, what makes this the best is Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer were also great, but the way I see it, Bale is the definitive Batman!

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