The Dark Knight (2008)
Christian Bale: Bruce Wayne, Batman
Photos
Quotes
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Batman : [in the interrogation room] Then why do you want to kill me?
The Joker : [giggling] I don't, I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, NO! No. You... you... complete me.
Batman : You're garbage who kills for money.
The Joker : Don't talk like one of them. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
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Batman : Sometimes the truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded...
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Bruce Wayne : [in his high rise apartment] The bandit, in the forest in Burma, did you catch him?
Alfred Pennyworth : Yes.
Bruce Wayne : How?
Alfred Pennyworth : We burned the forest down.
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Bruce Wayne : [while in the underground bat cave] Targeting me won't get their money back. I knew the mob wouldn't go down without a fight, but this is different. They crossed the line.
Alfred Pennyworth : You crossed the line first, sir. You squeezed them, you hammered them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation, they turned to a man they didn't fully understand.
Bruce Wayne : Criminals aren't complicated, Alfred. Just have to figure out what he's after.
Alfred Pennyworth : With respect Master Wayne, perhaps this is a man that *you* don't fully understand, either. A long time ago, I was in Burma. My friends and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. So, we went looking for the stones. But in six months, we never met anybody who traded with him. One day, I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing them away.
Bruce Wayne : So why steal them?
Alfred Pennyworth : Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
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Alfred Pennyworth : [as they leave the underground bat cave] I suppose they'll lock me up as well. As your accomplice...
Bruce Wayne : [jokingly] Accomplice? I'm going to tell them the whole thing was your idea.
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The Joker : [while hanging upside down] Oh, you. You just couldn't let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible, aren't you? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.
Batman : You'll be in a padded cell forever.
The Joker : Maybe we can share one. You know, they'll be doubling up, the rate this city's inhabitants are losing their minds.
Batman : This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good.
The Joker : Until their spirit breaks completely. Until they get a good look at the real Harvey Dent, and all the heroic things he's done. You didn't think I'd risk losing the battle for Gotham's soul in a fistfight with you? No. You need an ace in the hole. Mine's Harvey.
Batman : What did you do?
The Joker : I took Gotham's white knight and I brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. You see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push!
[the Joker laughs hysterically as Batman races off and the cops come to take the Joker into custody]
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The Joker : [during the fundraiser party held for Harvey Dent] You know, I'll settle for his loved ones.
Gentleman at Party : We're not intimidated by thugs!
The Joker : [as he smacks his lips] You know, you remind me of my father.
[the Joker pulls out his switchblade and brings it to the Gentleman's mouth]
The Joker : I hated my father!
Rachel Dawes : [off-screen] Okay, stop!
[turns to face Rachel, tosses the Gentleman to his thugs and approaches Rachel, adjusting his hair with the knife]
The Joker : Well, hello, beautiful. You must be Harvey's squeeze. And you *are* beautiful.
[he walks around her]
The Joker : Oh, you look nervous. Is it the scars? You want to know how I got 'em?
[He grabs Rachel's head and positions the knife by her mouth]
The Joker : Come here. Hey! Look at me. So I had a wife. She was beautiful, like you. Who tells me I worry too much. Who tells me I ought to smile more. Who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks. One day, they carve her face. And we have no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again. I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. So... I stick a razor in my mouth and do this...
[the Joker mimics slicing his mouth open with his tongue]
The Joker : ...to myself. And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling!
[Rachel knees the Joker in the groin; he merely laughs it off]
The Joker : A little fight in you. I like that.
Batman : [off-screen] Then you're gonna love me.
[attacks him]
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Batman : [in the back of a factory at 250 52nd Street] What happened to Rachel wasn't chance. We decided to act! We three!
Two-Face : Then why was it me who was the only one who lost everything?
Batman : It wasn't.
Two-Face : The Joker chose ME!
Batman : Because you were the best of us! He wanted to prove that even someone as good as you could fall.
Two-Face : [bitter] And he was right.
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The Joker : [SPOILER] We really should stop this fighting, otherwise we'll miss the fireworks!
Batman : [while being pinned down on the platform next to the ledge of a building that's still under construction] There won't *be* any fireworks!
The Joker : And here... we... go!
[Silence. Nothing happens. Confused, Joker turns to look at the clock, which shows that it's past midnight and neither ferry has blown the other up]
Batman : [triumphantly] What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone's as ugly as you? You're alone!
The Joker : [sighs] Can't rely on anyone these days, you have to do everything yourself, don't we!
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The Joker : Don't talk like one of them, you're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me. They need you right now. But when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper. See, their morals, their code... it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you, when the chips are down, these... these civilized people? They'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster, I'm just ahead of the curve.
Batman : [grabs Joker] Where's Dent?
The Joker : You have all these rules and you think they'll save you!
Lt. James Gordon : [as Batman slams Joker into the wall] He's in control.
Batman : I have one rule.
The Joker : Oh, then that's the rule you'll have to break to know the truth.
Batman : [getting impatient] Which is?
The Joker : The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.
[mimicking Batman's voice]
The Joker : And tonight you're gonna break your one rule.
Batman : I'm considering it.
The Joker : Oh, there's only minutes left, so you're gonna have to play my little game if you wanna save one of them.
Batman : [softly, fearful] Them?
The Joker : You know for awhile there, I thought you really were Dent. The way you threw yourself after her.
[Joker laughs, Batman throws Joker on table, barricades door]
The Joker : Look at you go! Does Harvey know about you and his little bunny?
Batman : [slams Joker into mirror] Where are they?
The Joker : Killing is making a choice.
Batman : [punches Joker] Where are they?
The Joker : Choose between one life or the other. Your friend, the district attorney, or his blushing bride-to-be...
[punches Joker]
The Joker : [laughs] You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with! Nothing to do with all your strength!
[grabs Joker]
The Joker : Don't worry, I'm gonna tell you where they are. Both of them. And that's the point. You'll have to choose. He's at 250 52ND Street and she's on Avenue X, at Cicero.
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Bruce Wayne : [while in the underground bat cave] People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?
Alfred Pennyworth : Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.
Bruce Wayne : Well today I found out what Batman can't do. He can't endure this. Today you get to say "I told you so."
Alfred Pennyworth : Today, I don't want to.
[pauses for several moments]
Alfred Pennyworth : But I did bloody tell you.
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Harvey Dent : [during the fundraiser party held for Harvey Dent] The famous Bruce Wayne. Rachel's told me everything about you.
Bruce Wayne : I certainly hope not.
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Alfred Pennyworth : Will you be wanting the Batpod, sir?
Bruce Wayne : In the middle of the day, Alfred? Not very subtle.
Alfred Pennyworth : The Lamborghini, then.
[with deadpan sarcasm]
Alfred Pennyworth : Much more subtle.
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Lt. James Gordon : [after Bruce saves Reese by blocking a truck with his car] It's mister Wayne, isn't it? That was a very brave thing you did!
Bruce Wayne : Trying to catch the light?
Lt. James Gordon : You weren't protecting the van?
Bruce Wayne : Why, who's in it?
[Reese steps out, sees Bruce, who nods slightly]
Bruce Wayne : Do you think I should go to the hospital?
Lt. James Gordon : You don't watch a whole lot of news, do you, Mr. Wayne?
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Alfred Pennyworth : [looks at the large gash on Bruce's arm] Did you get mauled by a tiger?
Bruce Wayne : [quietly] It was a dog.
Alfred Pennyworth : Huh?
Bruce Wayne : It was a big dog!
[pause]
Bruce Wayne : More copycats last night, Alfred, with guns.
Alfred Pennyworth : Why don't you hire them and take the weekend off?
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Bruce Wayne : [standing next to the storage drawers in the applied sciences division at Wayne Enterprises] How will it hold up against dogs?
Lucius Fox : We talking Rottweilers or Chihuahuas? Should do fine against cats.
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Batman : [about the Joker] Where is he?
Salvatore Maroni : I don't know where he is, he found us!
Batman : He must have friends!
Salvatore Maroni : [incredulous] Friends? Have you met this guy?
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Alfred Pennyworth : [while in the underground bat cave] Know your limits, Master Wayne.
Bruce Wayne : Batman has no limits.
Alfred Pennyworth : Well, you do, sir.
Bruce Wayne : Well, can't afford to know 'em.
Alfred Pennyworth : And what happens on the day that you find out?
Bruce Wayne : Well, we all know how much you love to say "I told you so."
Alfred Pennyworth : On that day, Master Wayne, even I won't want to. Probably.
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Salvatore Maroni : [Batman holds him out over a ledge] From one professional to another: if you're trying to scare somebody, pick a better spot. From this height, the fall wouldn't kill me.
Batman : I'm counting on it.
[he drops Maroni off the ledge, who screams as he falls to the ground and breaks his legs]
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Bruce Wayne : ...Because sometimes truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more.
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Bruce Wayne : [standing next to the storage drawers in the Applied Sciences division at Wayne Enterprises] What about getting back into the plane?
Lucius Fox : I'd recommend a good travel agent.
Bruce Wayne : Without it landing.
Lucius Fox : [smiles] Now that's more like it, Mr. Wayne.
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Two-Face : You thought we could be decent men, in an indecent time! But you were wrong. The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased, unprejudiced... fair. His son's got the same chance she had. Fifty-fifty.
Batman : What happened to Rachel wasn't chance. We decided to act. We three.
Two-Face : Then why was it me who was the only one who lost everything?
Batman : [grieved] It wasn't...
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[Batman has just fought off Scarecrow and a group of Batman wannabes]
Batman : Don't let me find you out here again.
Brian : We're trying to help you!
Batman : I don't need help.
Dr. Jonathan Crane : Not my diagnosis!
Brian : What gives you the right? What's the difference between you and me?
[Batman lowers himself into the Batmobile]
Batman : I'm not wearing hockey pads!
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Lt. James Gordon : [in the back of a factory at 250 52nd Street] They'll hunt you.
Batman : You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me. Set the dogs on me. Because that's what needs to happen.
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Bruce Wayne : [in an empty conference room] I need a new suit.
Lucius Fox : Yeah, three buttons is a little '90's, Mr. Wayne.
Bruce Wayne : I'm not talking fashion, Mr. Fox, so much as function.
[hands him a diagram]
Lucius Fox : You want to be able to turn your head.
Bruce Wayne : Sure would make backing out of the driveway easier.
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Lucius Fox : [on the midlevel shopping center in Hong Kong] It emits a high-frequency pulse for mapping an environment and records a response time.
Bruce Wayne : Sonar. Just like a...
Lucius Fox : [interrupting before he can say "bat"] Like a *submarine*, Mr. Wayne. Like a submarine.
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The Joker : You can't rely on anybody these days, you gotta do everything yourself, don't we? But that's okay, I came prepared. It's a funny world we live in; speaking of which, you know how I got these scars?
Bruce Wayne : No, but I know how you got these.
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Alfred Pennyworth : I trust you don't have *me* followed on my day off.
Bruce Wayne : If you ever took one, I might.
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Two-Face : The joker chose me!
Batman : Because you were the best of us. He wanted to prove that even someone as good as you could fall.
Two-Face : And he was right.
Batman : You're the one pointing the gun, Harvey. So point it at the people responsible.
Two-Face : Fair enough.
[to Batman]
Two-Face : You first.
[Flips the coin]
Two-Face : [Shoots Batman and points the gun at himself]
Two-Face : My turn.
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Lucius Fox : [On the plan to capture Lau] Now, for high altitude jumps, you'll need oxygen and stabilizers; but I must say, compared to your usual requests, jumping out of an airplane is pretty straightforward.
Bruce Wayne : And what about getting back into the plane?
Lucius Fox : I'd recommend a good travel agent.
Bruce Wayne : Without it landing.
Lucius Fox : Now that's more like it. The CIA had a program back in the 60s for getting their people out of hotspots called Skyhook. We could look into that.
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Bruce Wayne : [after running into Harvey and Rachel at a restaurant] So, let's put a couple tables together.
Harvey Dent : I'm not sure they'll let us.
Bruce Wayne : [gestures to the waiters to rearrange the seats] Oh, they should. I own the place.
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Batman : [about Lau] If I get him to you, can you get him to talk?
Harvey Dent : I'll get him to sing.
Lt. James Gordon : We're going after the mob's life savings. Things will get ugly.
Harvey Dent : I knew the risks when I took this job, Lieutenant.
[turns back to Batman]
Harvey Dent : How will you get him back any...
[Batman has disappeared]
Lt. James Gordon : He does that.
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Natascha : How could you want to raise children in a city like this?
Bruce Wayne : [while having a fancy dinner with Harvey, Rachel] Well, I grew up in Gotham, and I turned out all right.
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Batman : in the interrogation roomWhere is Dent?
The Joker : You have all these rules and you think they'll save you.
Lt. James Gordon : [Batman slams the Joker against a wall] He's in control.
Batman : I have one rule.
The Joker : Oh, then that's the rule you'll have to break to know the truth.
Batman : Which is?
The Joker : The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.
[mimicking Batman's voice]
The Joker : And tonight you're gonna break your one rule!
Batman : I'm considering it.
The Joker : Oh, there's only minutes left, so you're gonna have to play my little game if you want to save one of them.
Batman : [softly, fearful] Them?
The Joker : You know for a while there, I thought you really were Dent. The way you threw yourself after her!
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Batman : [to the Joker in the interrogation room] You wanted me, here I am.
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[examining one of the gauntlets for his new and improved Batsuit, Bruce presses a button, and the spikes are launched across the room, narrowly missing Fox before they bury themselves in the wall]
Lucius Fox : Perhaps you should read the instructions first?
Bruce Wayne : [sheepish] Right.
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Batman : [seeing the wall of monitors for the first time at the Applied Sciences division in Wayne Enterprises] Beautiful, isn't it?
Lucius Fox : Beautiful... unethical... dangerous. You've turned every cellphone in Gotham into a microphone.
Batman : And a high-frequency generator-receiver.
Lucius Fox : You took my sonar concept and applied it to every phone in the city. With half the city feeding you sonar, you can image all of Gotham. This is *wrong*.
Batman : I've gotta find this man, Lucius.
Lucius Fox : At what cost?
Batman : The database is null-key encrypted. It can only be accessed by one person.
Lucius Fox : This is too much power for one person.
Batman : That's why I gave it to you. Only you can use it.
Lucius Fox : Spying on 30 million people isn't part of my job description.
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Harvey Dent : Well, I guess no answer is a no.
Rachel Dawes : Harvey...
Harvey Dent : It's someone else, isn't it?
Rachel Dawes : Harvey...
Harvey Dent : Just tell me it's not Wayne, the guy's a complete...
[Bruce comes up behind him and grabs him in a chokehold]
Rachel Dawes : What are you doing?
Bruce Wayne : [as Harvey falls unconscious] They're coming for him!
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Bruce Wayne : [in his high rise apartment] You know that day that you once told me about, when Gotham would no longer need Batman? It's coming.
Rachel Dawes : Bruce. You can't ask me to wait for that.
Bruce Wayne : It's happening now. Harvey is that hero. He locked up half of the city's criminals, and he did it without wearing a mask. Gotham needs a hero with a face.
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[after Batman saves Rachel from falling out of a window]
Batman : [after landing on the roof of a car] You all right?
Rachel Dawes : [lying next to each other] Let's not do that again.
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Bruce Wayne : You look tired, Alfred. You'll be all right without me?
Alfred Pennyworth : [looking at all the sunbathing women] You can tell me the Russian for, "Apply your own bloody suntan lotion."
