The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Eight years on, a new evil rises from where the Batman and Commissioner Gordon tried to bury it, causing the Batman to resurface and fight to protect Gotham City... the very city which brands him an enemy.

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writers:

Jonathan Nolan (screenplay), Christopher Nolan (screenplay),

Stars:

Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy

Top 250 #49 | Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 16 wins & 54 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Bale	...	Bruce Wayne
Gary Oldman	...	Commissioner Gordon
Tom Hardy	...	Bane
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Blake
Anne Hathaway	...	Selina
Marion Cotillard	...	Miranda
Morgan Freeman	...	Fox
Michael Caine	...	Alfred
Matthew Modine	...	Foley
Alon Aboutboul	...	Dr. Pavel (as Alon Moni Aboutboul)
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Daggett
Burn Gorman	...	Stryver
Daniel Sunjata	...	Captain Jones
Aidan Gillen	...	CIA Op
Sam Kennard	...	Special Ops Sergeant

Storyline

Despite his tarnished reputation after the events of The Dark Knight, in which he took the rap for Dent's crimes, Batman feels compelled to intervene to assist the city and its police force which is struggling to cope with Bane's plans to destroy the city.

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Plot Keywords:

fight | commissioner | manor | thief | murder | 

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Taglines:

The Legend Ends

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arkham

Filming Locations:

Stage 30, Sony Pictures Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$160,887,295 (USA) (20 July 2012)

Gross:

$448,130,642 (USA) (7 December 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Legendary Pictures, DC Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

165 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Marion Cotillard previously appeared in Big Fish, which was directed by Batman/Batman Returns director Tim Burton and featured the Penguin, Danny DeVito.

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Goofs

During the final street chase, the characters pass by the same Jos. A. Bank clothing store no less than three times.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jim Gordon: I knew Harvey Dent. I was his friend. And it will be a very long time before someone... inspires us the way he did. I believed in Harvey Dent.

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Crazy Credits

The Warner Bros, Legendary Pictures, DC Comics and Syncopy Films logos are shaded ice blue.

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Connections

References Bruce Almighty (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Pavane pour une infante défunte"
Written by Maurice Ravel
Performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Conductor
Courtesy of Countdown Media

User Reviews

Nolan has outdone himself... again.

Christopher Nolan has outdone himself with this one. At 3.30 in the morning, I was tired. Just getting out of it, I've never been so awake.

Perhaps what set this film apart from his other films was that it had a genuine emotional heartbeat. I felt that this was a flaw of Nolan's other films - the vision of emotion was there, but it was hollow. In this I bought it. I felt it, hero and villain alike.

Christian Bale was typically brilliant as Batman, and I felt that Bruce Wayne was more heavily embraced in this final installment. Bale added emotional depth to the character - a plot point that I think went astray in The Dark Knight - picking up from the development made in Batman Begins.

Tom Hardy as Bane was quite simply, terrifying. No longer a dunderhead "enforcer", but one of the criminal masterminds behind "Gotham's Reckoning", coupled with a physical dominance strong enough to send shivers down your spine.

Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle defied my expectations. Hands up who was not entirely convinced that that girl from the Princess Diaries could handle an intensely physical role like Catwoman. But here I am, hugely impressed. She added immeasurably to the value of the film.

Marion Cotillard fulfilled the role of Miranda Tate admirably, though I suspect this was the most underdeveloped character of the film - though after watching, I can see why.

The unsung hero of The Dark Knight Rises is Michael Caine as Alfred. A heartfelt performance that helps drive the emotional content of the film, helping Nolan sell his most well-rounded film to date. Caine's performance in both presence and absence.

Special mention goes to Joseph Gordon Levitt, who is consistently proving himself to be a big player in the Hollywood game. His role as officer Blake felt like there could've been more, but it may just have come all a bit much. It was a great performance, and Levitt sunk his teeth into role.

If you can, go see this in IMAX. If any film was to sell the format to skeptics, The Dark Knight Rises would be IT. I'm happy Nolan stuck to his guns and shot in 2D. 3D would have been unnecessary.

I suppose at this point, I have to turn my focus on Nolan. If he ever reads this... aspiring filmmaker to filmmaker, I've never been so envious, jealous in all my life. It's a film that leaves me floundering, wondering what I could possibly do to get anywhere near this ballpark. Well done. I think an Oscar Nomination is in order.

From here, I'm not sure what to expect of the future. Does our imagination carry us forward, or do the studios? Time will tell.

10/10