The Batman ★★★★
THE Batman takes the caped crusader on his darkest cinematic outing to date.
Director Matt Reeves gives us more crime and corruption thriller than comic book action for most of the almost three-hour running time.
Robert Pattison’s Batman is a tortured, gothic soul, Paul Dano’s Riddler is a demented serial killer and Colin Farrell’s Penguin a scar-faced crime lieutenant.
The City of Gotham is a dark, classic metropolis run by John Turturro’s vicious gang boss aided by an assortment of corrupt cops, lawyers, politicians and businessmen.
Bruce Wayne is in only the second year as his alter-ego and struggling to determine his role in a flawed society, scorned with suspicion by almost the entire police force who view him as a dangerous and secretive vigilante.
His only ally is the yet-to-be-commissioner Lieutenant Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) who values the mysterious avenger’s detective skills.
Leading public figures are dying in horrendous ways at the hands of a masked killer who taunts the authorities and Batman in particular with a series of riddles.
One of these clues leads to a secret, exclusive nightclub run by the Penguin where the city’s corrupt elite are regulars. Among the wait-staff is a woman named Selina Kyle who is trying to find out who is behind the disappearance of her partner and of course turns out to be the Cat Woman (Zoe Kravitz).
So let’s get the running time question out of the way first. On my first watch it didn’t matter at all, barely noticed the time. On the second watch it dragged a little during the third hour.
Of course it doesn’t have to be that long, but Reeves has used the time well to merge an absorbing crime thriller with several, involved origins stories and action set-pieces including a terrifically-staged car chase that shows off a stunning version of the batmobile and a climactic battle within a flooded Madison Square Garden.
Pattison makes a strong hero and an interesting Bruce Wayne while Zoe Kravitz is a revelation as the best screen version of Cat Woman yet.
Dano is disturbingly good as The Riddler while Colin Farrell is unrecognisable under heavy make-up as the Penguin. I also liked John Turturro in a truly bad-guy role as crime boss Carmine Falcone.
Australian Greig Fraser’s cinematography is varied and impressive while the prolific Michael Giacchino contributes one of those great music scores for which Batman films have become renowned.
Overall, The Batman may not quite reach the amazing heights of Christopher Nolan’s efforts, but it’s an excellent attempt.
The next instalment may be something special, based on the quality of this outing and a wonderful short scene set in Arkham State Penitentiary featuring a cameo by Irish actor Barry Keoghan.