Batman (1989)

The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal Joker.

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers:

Bob Kane (Batman characters), Sam Hamm (story)

Stars:

Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger

Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Keaton	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne
Jack Nicholson	...	Joker / Jack Napier
Kim Basinger	...	Vicki Vale
Robert Wuhl	...	Alexander Knox
Pat Hingle	...	Commissioner James Gordon
Billy Dee Williams	...	Harvey Dent
Michael Gough	...	Alfred Pennyworth
Jack Palance	...	Carl Grissom
Jerry Hall	...	Alicia Hunt
Tracey Walter	...	Bob the Goon
Lee Wallace	...	The Mayor
William Hootkins	...	Lt. Eckhardt
Richard Strange	...	Goon
Carl Chase	...	Goon
Mac McDonald	...	Goon (as Mac Macdonald)

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

dc comics | the joker character | bruce wayne character | batman character | alfred pennyworth character | 

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Taglines:

Only one will claim the night.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Batman Official throwing gadgets Official Facebook

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

23 June 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Betmen

Filming Locations:

Acton Lane Power Station, Acton Lane, Acton, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$40,489,746, 25 June 1989, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$251,188,924

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$411,348,924

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.,The Guber-Peters Company,PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints) DTS (DVD version) Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Italian version, Jack Nicholson was dubbed by Giancarlo Giannini. His son, Adriano Giannini, was chosen to dub for Heath Ledger, playing The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008).

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Goofs

Eckhart's beard when he busts Jack raiding the office. He enters the factory with a face full of stubble, but moments later he is clean-shaven.

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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!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits appear as the camera goes through/around a giant Batman symbol.

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Connections

Featured in Honest Trailers: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

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Soundtracks

The Future
Written, Produced and Performed by Prince

User Reviews

This is Batman

I remember going to see this as a kid when it came to our local theater. It was a rainy overcast day which made it perfect to see this movie. We had picked up t shirts that had Batman on them. This has been my favorite movie for over 27 years and continues to exemplify Batman. The action and dialogue are amazing. The film noir look is amazing and despite Batman's limited motion during fights it is still amazing. Jack Nicholson is an amazing Joker. He is the definitive live action Joker. It was unusual to modify the origin so that a pre-joker killed Bruce's parents but it still works. Their have been many other Batman movies but nothing compares to this one.