The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.
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.Written by
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Lieutenant Max Eckhart was loosely based on the comics character Lieutenant Harvey Bullock. Nowadays, Bullock is recognized as a good guy in the comics. But originally, the Pre-Crisis Bullock was a corrupt cop on the payroll of Hamilton Hill. He deliberately sabotaged many of Commissioner Gordon's operations and ultimately drove Gordon to suffer a heart attack in 'The Man of a Thousand Menaces (Batman #364, October 1983). In the movie, Eckhardt looks more or less identical to the Bullock in the comics. He also shares his obnoxious personality and fondness for cigars. See more »
Goofs
At the beginning of the movie when the muggers are checking their haul on the rooftop one of the thieves lights a cigarette then continues counting cash. When the camera angle changes the money is back on the rooftop and he picks it up again to count the amount. See more »
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!
See more »
Crazy Credits
(VHS): Before film starts, there's a diet coke ad with Alfred Pennyworth and then a Warner Bros. catalog ad with Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck. The catalog that Bugs Bunny shows the viewers has the Batman logo in regards to the film See more »
Alternate Versions
The 4K remaster has an altered color palette, and a sound mix done in Dolby Atmos with new sound FX replacing old ones and changes to volumes in certain lines. See more »
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.
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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.