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Batman faces his most deadly enemy to date with Bane in Christopher Nolan’s stunning finale to the Dark Knight trilogy.
Eight years on from the events of the Dark Knight, our hero has retired from fighting crime having taken the blame for Harvey Dent’s murder. Bruce Wayne is a shadow of his former self and lives a reclusive life in his mansion. After a mysterious cat-burglar named Selena Kyle (Anne Hathaway) steals something from Bruce, the former playboy can’t resist the thrill of the chase to find out who she is.
Outside of Wayne Manor, Gotham City is enjoying a time of peace, but a new evil is rising and threatens to destroy Gotham once and for all. A guilt ridden Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) struggles to live with the burden he carries and knowing he is soon to be given early retirement almost reveals the truth behind Harvey Dents death. Officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) serves as a replacement for Gordon’s incorruptible nature.
Living up to the expectation for an ending of a trilogy is a tall order, this was made all the more difficult following something as ground breaking as The Dark Knight. A sensational penultimate performance from Heath Ledger added to the hype, but TDKR has an array of secret weapons.
As impressive as the action is, it’s the supporting cast that are this trilogy’s strength. Robbed of his own father, Bruce has three male figures who between them give Bruce a semblance of a role model. There’s the strong moral fibre of Jim Gordon, the crack-pot inventor Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman)and then there’s Alfred (Michael Caine) the trusted and loyal family butler.
The scene that cuts the deepest is an emotional plea from Alfred for Bruce to see how out of his depth he is, that it takes more than putting the suit back on again to become Batman. Ignorant to his surrogate father’s advice he faces Bane. Physically and mentally destroyed from his failed attempt, Bruce is cast into the same pit that imprisoned Bane for most of his life. Only when he is broken can Bruce light his own fire and rise from the ashes to put on the cowl one last time.
New Characters Miranda (Marion Cotillard) and Selena (Anne Hathaway) are each in their own way perfect for Bruce/Batman, on the surface Miranda is Bruce’s female equivalent , whereas Selena is more than an equal to Batman and strives for that clean slate that Bruce wants so badly.
Christian Bale pushes both characters into new territory with an outstanding performance, he portrays the need to wear the suit, to embody the inner rage and embrace the violence more like an addiction than hiding his identity.
Tom Hardy gives his all as Bane, despite being partially hidden behind a mask and a digitally altered voice he exudes menace with little more than a glance. The first confrontation between Bane and Batman is a skillfully crafted fight sequence, but the best is saved for the electrifying finale as these two titans have their rematch in broad daylight with the fate of millions hanging in the balance.
There’s an overwhelming feeling of closure by the time the credits roll, even though a fourth movie is suggested Christopher Nolan has delivered a satisfying end to his Dark Knight trilogy. What’s all the more impressive is how grounded in the real world his Batman films have remained, unlike Marvel’s shared universe it’s difficult to imagine Superman flying into Gotham to help save the day.
Tim Burton’s gothic vision of Batman brought the character up to date, gone was the camp style and a darker more cinematic superhero was born. By the time Batman and Robin arrived the franchise had lost all credibility and was veering back to camp qualities once again. Nobody knew what to expect when Batman Begins hit cinemas, Nolan had won acclaim for Memento and Insomnia but was still deemed a newcomer when he was handed the keys to the Bat-cave. Over the three films he has created a bold new vision for the character, all made with the simple idea of “what if Batman was real”.
Simply put, The Dark Knight Rises is more than just the finale in a near perfect trilogy, it has changed the definition of what a comic book movie can be.
The Dark Knight Rises is released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download now.
