10 Best Batman Moments
8. Batman’s Fight in the Back Alley
“He’s human after all!”
Tim Burton saw Bruce Wayne as a beholder of a dual identity, one exposed to the world, the other hidden. It can be said that when he’s Batman, he reveals more about Bruce Wayne and how he operates. When he dons his black tie regalia for a charity event, he fades into a fabricated façade of an unfeeling billionaire. He rarely lets us close to the true Bruce Wayne. But, when that cowl and suit comes on, his fists flying to uphold justice, that is where we truly meet him.
After getting photojournalist/love interest Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) out of harm’s way, The Joker sets his goons on Batman. Their guns are poised to kill, and Batman is quickly shot by them. As he falls to the floor, the goons inspect him and realise the rumours of his monstrous identity are false. Vicki quickly distracts the goons with her camera’s flash and Batman is up on his feet, the bullet merely hitting armour. But, as he begins to attack them, they clearly aren’t prepared for how powerful Batman truly is.
Tim Burton’s previous collaboration with Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice saw Keaton performing with irreverent mania. But, after his casting in Batman, many denounced him as ‘too funny’ for the role. Whilst Keaton didn’t abandon his comedic roots for Batman, he embraced the edginess that Burton required. In this scene, angled perspective shots are used to display the various attacks Batman faces, but he remains largely unhurried and unphased. Minimal fighting choreography is used because this Batman doesn’t need it. The villains’ grunts of effort are quelled by Batman’s singular punches and kicks. In one humorous moment, a goon twirling swords flips towards Batman; instead of dodging, Batman raises his fists unflinchingly. Come the scene’s end, the goons are sure to think they’ve found the man behind the bat, but in reality this couldn’t be further from the truth.
7. The Joker’s TV Ad
“So remember – put on a happy face!”
Fans of Batman will always flock to worship his displays of strength and bravery. But, a certain secret intrigue will always be reserved for his evil counterparts. Their insanity breeds schemes that are twisted, fantastical, The Joker being the worst among them. But, as the Clown Prince smiles as he serves up fear, we share a secret grin ourselves; we realise that we love to be horrified by him. Just as he keeps Batman on his toes, he loves to keep us on ours too – and we can’t get enough of it.
Gotham’s Action News is about to be broadcast to the whole city. As the male presenter begins speaking, the female presenter lets out a giggle. This descends into riotous, uncontrollable laughter until she collapses. The broadcast is interrupted by an ad run by The Joker. In his first appearance to the people of Gotham, he advertises Smylex. But this isn’t a new brand. The Joker has laced Gotham’s beauty products with this poison, which causes users to laugh themselves to death. The female broadcaster now lies dead on the floor, her face emaciated in a deadly red grin.
Jack Nicholson always brings a realism to the disturbed characters he portrays; you always feel a screen’s breadth away from becoming his next victim. And in this scene, his talents combined with the horror overtones make for an inescapable nightmare. From the lack of music to the 50s-style advert, Burton chooses this moment as an encapsulation of all that The Joker is. His power to terrify resides in how he makes the innocuous demonic. Suddenly, laughter, smiles and makeup become tools to inflict fear. There’s a true sense of the comic book Joker’s tasteless humour as he prances around, spouting one-liners. The contrast of his jovial ad and the concerned news group illustrate that only The Joker is in on this prank. But, there’s something quite delicious to watch in this duality. Perhaps it is Nicholson’s carefree nature in comparison with Burton’s dark aesthetic – all we know is that we want to drink from his charisma until we’re drunk on smiles.
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6. The Batmobile Chase
“Where does he get those wonderful toys?”
Batman’s various vehicles and signature technologies have always been something to marvel at. From the Batwing to the Batboat, he parades his brand around the city to ensure the citizens of their safety. Famous amongst these is the Batmobile, Batman’s usual choice of transport. And as soon as the Bat signal hits the sky, it can be found, sleek and smooth, jetting straight to the scene of the crime.
After getting Vicki away from The Joker’s clutches at the Flugelheim Museum, Batman takes her to his Batmobile. The Joker watches them drive away, cursing his “toys,” before setting his goons on them. As they barrel towards the Batmobile in green and purple cars, it speeds down with its fiery thruster. The goons close in, but Batman quickly makes use of the car’s grapple gun, swinging around a nearby corner. The goons are unprepared for this and quickly collide, causing a massive pile-up.
As the Batmobile charges down the streets of Gotham, it is clear that the city and car are twins by design. Production designer Anton Furst stated that the Gotham they designed was “an essay in ugliness… as if hell erupted through the pavement and kept on going.” And whilst the Batmobile’s design is chunky and curved, it certainly gave the nearby enemies pure hell. Burton makes use of a variety of shots – of Batman, Vicki, the goons’ car, the streets – all in quick succession, giving the effect of frantic action. Vicki’s gaze in this scene further reflects Batman’s power; she looks at him with a kind of awe. Bruce himself looks relatively unrattled, as he operates the car’s many dials and buttons. It’s a controlled explosion of a scene, which ends in comedy as the goons are outwitted into a collision. It remains a symbol of Batman’s coolness in the midst of conflict, and the trust he will always put in his faithful car.
