Batman: Year One (Video 2011)

A wealthy playboy and a Chicago cop both return to Gotham City where their lives will intersect in unexpected ways.

Directors:

Sam Liu, Lauren Montgomery

Writers:

Bob Kane, Tab Murphy,

Stars:

Bryan Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Eliza Dushku

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bryan Cranston	...	Jim Gordon (voice)
Ben McKenzie	...	Bruce Wayne / Batman (voice)
Eliza Dushku	...	Selina Kyle / Catwoman (voice)
Jon Polito	...	Commissioner Loeb (voice)
Alex Rocco	...	Carmine Falcone (voice)
Katee Sackhoff	...	Detective Sarah Essen (voice)
Sara Ballantine	...	Skeevers' Attorney (voice) (as Saratoga Ballantine)
Jeff Bennett	...	Alfred Pennyworth / Falcone Guest (voice)
Steve Blum	...	Stan / News Anchor (voice)
Roark Critchlow	...	Hare Krishna (voice)
Grey DeLisle	...	Barbara Gordon / Vicki Vale (voice)
Robin Atkin Downes	...	Harvey Dent (voice)
Keith Ferguson	...	Jefferson Skeevers (voice)
Michael Gough	...	Driver (voice)
Danny Jacobs	...	Flass' Attorney (voice)

Storyline

Two men come to Gotham City: Bruce Wayne after years abroad feeding his lifelong obsession for justice and Jim Gordon after being too honest a cop with the wrong people elsewhere. After learning painful lessons about the city's corruption on its streets and police department respectively, this pair learn how to fight back their own way. With that, Gotham's evildoers from top to bottom are terrorized by the mysterious Batman and the equally heroic Gordon is assigned to catch him by comrades who both hate and fear him themselves. In the ensuing manhunt, both find much in common as the seeds of an unexpected friendship are laid with additional friends and rivals helping to start the legend.

---

Plot Keywords:

police | fear | obsession | bribery | flawed hero | 

---

Taglines:

A merciless crime - turns a man into an outlaw.

---

Genres:

Animation | Action | Crime

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence and some sexual material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

18 October 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Batman: Ano Um

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Planned for release in the US on the same day as Batman: Arkham City.

---

Goofs

Propane tanks do not explode instantaneously upon being hit by bullets. In the open air, they do not explode at all unless they first cook for some time in a fire before they rupture. This is called a BLEVE which stands for boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Bruce Wayne: Gotham City. Clean shafts of concrete and snowy rooftops. The work of men who died generations ago. From here, it looks like an achievement. From here, you can't see the enemy.

---

Connections

References The Godfather (1972)

User Reviews

Adaptation or Illustration

Batman: Year One is a remarkably loyal, almost frame-for-frame adaptation of Frank Miller's revolutionary graphic novel of the same name. Admittedly, as a fan of the Batman comics and of Miller's distinctive style, I really enjoyed watching his frames come to life; and it's hard to dismiss the fact that Year One is one of the finest Batman stories ever written, and it deserves the wider recognition that an animated version may give it. Unfortunately, Year One doesn't come close to fulfilling its potential; the frames and dialog are lifted almost directly from the comic, but the pacing is poor which leads to an absence in tension and leaving the viewer completely outside the film. It doesn't help that Ben McKenzie may well be the worst Batman I've heard, reading the lines from the script as if he wants to get it over with as quickly as possible. Bryan Cranston almost saves the day in his amazing performance as James Gordon - and dear lord, how I'd love to see him play that part in a live action adaptation! - but it's not enough to make Year One anything more than an illustration of the novel, one that can never come close to matching its impact and would probably have a hard time finding an audience outside of devoted Batman fans.