I Watch Films: Batman (1989)

 

Batman (1989)

Mysterious millionaire Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) fights crime in Gotham city as vigilante The Batman. Organised crime boss Carl Grissom (Jack Palance) sends his henchman Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson) to Axis Chemicals to destroy evidence, intending that Napier will be killed. A complicated fight breaks out between gangsters (some loyal to Napier, some to Grissom) the police (some corrupt) and Batman in the course of which Batman tries and fails to stop Napier falling into a vat of chemicals. Emerging from it he finds himself disfigured; white skin, green hair and red lips that make him look like a clown. He embraces this by taking on the persona of The Joker – both zanier and more violently dangerous as a criminal.

Into this mix comes Vicky Vale (Kim Basinger), photo journalist*, who is interested in this mysterious Batman. Teaming up with print journalist Alexander Knox she is immediately distracted into a romance with Bruce Wayne. However she also comes to the attention of The Joker who sees her byline and admires her photography while trying to find out more about The Batman. Indeed the deeper we get into the film the more we find connections between The Batman and The Joker.

Batman here is genuinely absent-minded, his butler Alfred (Michael Gough) knowing where everything is. And breaking through the romantic block between Bruce and Vicky by taking her into the Batcave**. The Joker has some good gags, though he’s not having much fun. The best jokes are probably when he hijacks the TV, putting on flesh-coloured make up to claim he’s showing his face unlike Batman, and a couple of fun VFX bits.

Watch This: Superhero fights crime, creates villains
Don’t Watch This: Even for Batman he’s surprisingly ineffective

* She’s been covering the revolution in Corto Maltese, an early reference to this fictional country – possibly the first on screen

** Compare to the onscreen touchstone of Batman (1960s Adam West version) where every third story would have the villains trying to find out where the Batcave is and this being the greatest secret, kept even from Dick Grayson/Robin’s aunt Mrs Cooper.