Max original film Batman Begins was released June 15th, 2005.
The #DarkKnight trilogy made $2.467B internationally.
rottentomatoes: 85%
metacritic: 70
imdb: 8.2
Bruce Wayne
Batman is a billionaire who masquerades as a vigilante at night in Gotham City, USA.
“Rachel, let me see. Can I see? In my garden. Finders keepers.” — Bruce Wayne
“Nightmare. Again? Can they kill me before breakfast? You’re not the devil. You’re practice. Why? I don’t need protection. Actually, there were seven of them. How do you know my name? Who are you? What makes you think I need a path? And what path can Ra’s al Ghul offer? You’re vigilantes. Which is? And what was I looking for? Ra’s al Ghul?” — Bruce Wayne
“I seek… …the means to fight injustice. To turn fear… …against those who prey on the fearful. I can…. I can barely stand. Afraid of me? Even the scary ones? Yeah. Maybe. Did you build this train, Dad? Is that where you work? Better? Can we go? Please. Alfred? It was my fault, Alfred. I made them leave the theater. If I hadn’t gotten scared… I miss them, Alfred. I miss them so much.” — Bruce Wayne
“My anger outweighs my guilt. Invisible? As weapons? Who is he? What’ll happen to him? The man had a gun. I’ve had training. Yield.” — Bruce Wayne
“You didn’t know my father. What stopped it? That’s no help to me. I’m not heading back at all. I like it fine. They just don’t feel the same way. No. My room will be fine. No, Alfred, it’s my father’s house. This place is a mausoleum. If I have my way, I’ll pull the damn thing down brick by brick. Why do you give a damn, Alfred? It’s not your family. Should I just bury the past out there with my parents, Alfred. Haven’t given up on me yet? Alfred still keeps the condensed milk on the top shelf. Old habits die hard, I guess. No, it didn’t. How’s your mom? Yeah. But it’s nothing without the people who made it what it was. Now there’s only Alfred. I’m not staying, Rachel. Someone at this proceeding… …should stand for my parents. Then why is your boss letting him go? Rachel, this man killed my parents. I cannot let that pass. And I need you to understand that, please. I do.” — Bruce Wayne
“Maybe I should thank them. What if I do, Rachel? My parents deserved justice. Sometimes, they’re the same. Your system is broken. I’m not one of your good people, Rachel. All these years, I wanted to kill him. Now I can’t. I didn’t come here to thank you. I came here to show you that not everyone in Gotham’s afraid of you. I’m not afraid of you. Your jacket. Be careful who sees you with that. They’re gonna come looking for me. Everyone.” — Bruce Wayne
“The first time I stole so that I wouldn’t starve, yes. I lost many assumptions about the simple nature of right and wrong. And when I traveled… …I learned the fear before a crime… …and the thrill of success. But I never became one of them. I’m not a criminal. I haven’t. No. I’m not executioner. That’s why it’s so important. It separates us from them. This man should be tried. And where would I be leading these men? How? You can’t believe in this. I will go back to Gotham and I will fight men like this… …but I will not become an executioner. What’s necessary, my friend.” — Bruce Wayne
“Yes, I have. As long as it takes. I want to show the people… …their city doesn’t belong to the criminals and the corrupt. Did it? People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy. I can’t do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man… …I’m flesh and blood, I can be ignored, destroyed. But as a symbol…. as a symbol, I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting. Something elemental… …something terrifying. You’re thinking about Rachel? Have you told anyone I’m coming back? Dead? You had me declared dead? Well, it’s a good thing I left everything to you, then.” — Bruce Wayne
“Good morning. I’m here to see Mr. Earle. Bruce Wayne. Eye on the ball, and… it’s Wayne Enterprises, Mr. Earle. I’m sure they’ll call back. I’m sorry to disappoint. I understand. And I’ll be handsomely rewarded for my shares. I’m not looking to interfere. I am looking for a job. I just want to get to know the company that my family built. Applied Sciences caught my eye. None? They didn’t tell me anything. You were on the board? You knew my father? Tear-resistant? Bulletproof? Why didn’t they put it into production? I want to borrow it. For spelunking. Yeah, you know, cave diving? Look, I’d rather Mr. Earle didn’t know about me borrowing–” — Bruce Wayne
“Okay. Give it a try. Alfred! Come up here! Via a dummy corporation. Put it together ourselves. How large? Well, at least we’ll have spares. Don’t turn around. You’re a good cop. One of the few. Carmine Falcone brings in shipments of drugs every week. Nobody takes him down. Why? What will it take to bring him down? Rachel Dawes. Watch for my sign. Now we’re two.” — Bruce Wayne
“No. Today it’s BASE-jumping. Kind of. Do you have any lightweight fabrics? What kind of shapes can you make? Too expensive for the Army? Look, Mr. Fox. If you’re uncomfortable– fair enough. What’s that? Does it come in black?” — Bruce Wayne
Ra’s al Ghul
“Are you so desperate to fight criminals… …that you lock yourself in to take them on one at a time? I counted six, Mr. Wayne. The world is too small for someone like Bruce Wayne to disappear… …no matter how deep he chooses to sink. My name is merely Ducard, but I speak for Ra’s al Ghul… …a man greatly feared by the criminal underworld. A man who can offer you a path. Someone like you is only here by choice. You have been exploring the criminal fraternity… …but whatever your original intentions… …you have become truly lost. The path of a man who shares his hatred of evil… …and wishes to serve true justice. The path of the League of Shadows. No, no, no. A vigilante is a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man… …if you devote yourself to an ideal… …and if they can’t stop you… …then you become something else entirely. Legend, Mr. Wayne. Tomorrow, you will be released. If you are bored of brawling with thieves and want to achieve something… …there is a rare blue flower that grows on the eastern slopes. Pick one of these flowers. If you can carry it to the top of the mountain… …you may find what you were looking for in the first place. Only you can know that.”
“Wait. What are you seeking? To manipulate the fears in others… …you must first master your own. Are you ready to begin? Death does not wait for you to be ready! Death is not considerate or fair! And make no mistake, here you face death. Tiger. Jujitsu. Panther. You’re skilled. But this is not a dance. And you are afraid. But not of me. Tell us, Mr. Wayne… …what do you fear?”
“And do you still feel responsible for your parents’ death? Come. You have learned to bury your guilt with anger. I will teach you to confront it and to face the truth. You know how to fight six men. We can teach you how to engage 600. You know how to disappear. We can teach you to become truly invisible. The ninja understands that invisibility is a matter of patience and agility. Always mind your surroundings. Ninjitsu employs explosive powders. Or distractions. Theatricality and deception are powerful agents. You must become more than just a man in the mind of your opponent. He was a farmer. Then he tried to take his neighbor’s land and became a murderer. Now he is a prisoner. Justice. Crime cannot be tolerated. Criminals thrive on the indulgence of society’s understanding. Your parents’ death was not your fault. It was your father’s. Anger does not change the fact that your father failed to act. Would that stop you? The training is nothing! Will is everything! The will to act. You haven’t beaten me. You have sacrificed sure footing for a killing stroke.”
“Rub your chest. Your arms will take care of themselves. You are stronger than your father. But I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger strangling the grief… …until the memory of your loved one is just… …poison in your veins. And one day, you catch yourself wishing the person you loved had never existed… …so you’d be spared your pain. I wasn’t always here in the mountains. Once, I had a wife. My great love. She was taken from me. Like you, I was forced to learn there are those without decency… …who must be fought without hesitation, without pity. Your anger gives you great power. But if you let it, it will destroy you… …as it almost did me. Vengeance. Why, Bruce? Why could you not avenge your parents?”
“When you lived among the criminals, did you start to pity them? You’ve traveled the world to understand the criminal mind… …and conquer your fears. But a criminal is not complicated. And what you really fear is inside yourself. You fear your own power. You fear your anger… …the drive to do great or terrible things. Now you must journey inwards. You are ready. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe in your fears. Face them. To conquer fear, you must become fear. You must bask in the fear of other men. And men fear most what they cannot see. You have to become a terrible thought. A wraith. You have to become an idea. Feel terror could your senses. Feel its power to distort. To control. And know that this power can be yours. Embrace your worst fear. Become one with the darkness. Focus. Concentrate. Master your senses. You cannot leave any sign.”
“We have purged you fear. You are ready to lead these men. You are ready to become a member of the League of Shadows. But first, you need to demonstrate your commitment to justice. Your compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share. You want to fight criminals. This man is a murderer. By whom? Corrupt bureaucrats? Criminals mock society’s laws. You know this better than most. Ra’s al Ghul rescued us from the darkest corners of our own hearts. What he asks in return is the courage to do what is necessary. Bruce, please. For your own sake, there is no turning back. What are you doing?”
Rachel Dawes
“Finders keepers. And I found it. Bruce? Bruce? Mom! Mr. Alfred!”
“Hasn’t he noticed you’re tall enough to reach now? Never used to stop us anyway. She misses this place. So do I. And you. You’re just back for the hearing. Bruce, I don’t suppose there’s any way to convince you not to come. We all loved your parents, Bruce. What Chill did is unforgivable. In prison, he shared a cell with Carmine Falcone. He learned things, and he will testify in exchange for early parole. Okay. Come on, Bruce. We don’t need to see this.”
“The DA couldn’t understand why Judge Faden insisted… …on making the hearing public. Falcone paid him off to get Chill out in the open. You don’t mean that. You’re not talking about justice. You’re talking about revenge. No, they’re never the same. Justice is about harmony. Revenge is about you making yourself feel better. It’s why we have an impartial system. You care about justice? Look beyond your own pain, Bruce. This city is rotting. They talk about the depression as if it’s history. It’s not. Things are worse than ever here. Falcone flood our streets with crime and drugs… …preying on the desperate, creating new Joe Chills every day. Falcone may not have killed your parents, Bruce… …but he’s destroying everything that they stood for. You wanna thank him for that? Here you go. We all know where to find him. As long as he keeps the bad people rich… …and the good people scared, no one’ll touch him. Good people like your parents, who’ll stand against injustice, they’re gone. What chance does Gotham have when the good people do nothing? What do you mean? Your father would be ashamed of you.”
“Dr. Crane. You think a man who butchers people for the mob doesn’t belong in jail. This is the third of Falcone’s thugs you’ve had declared insane… …and moved into your asylum. Or the corrupt. What are you doing, Carl? How can you say that? That’s sweet. We’ve been through all that.”
“I need you to take a look at this. Who?”
Alfred Pennyworth
“Will we be needing an ambulance, Master Wayne? Very good, sir. Took quite a fall, didn’t we, Master Bruce? Just a little fall. Just a small fracture. I thought I might prepare a little supper. Very well. Yes, Master Bruce. No. It was nothing that you did. It was him, and him alone. Do you understand? So do I, Master Bruce. So do I.”
“Will you be heading back to Princeton after the hearing, sir… …or can I persuade you to stay on for a day or two? You don’t like it there? I’ve prepared the master bedroom. With all due respect, sir, Wayne Manor is your house. Your father is dead. This house, Master Wayne, has sheltered six generations of your family. I give a damn because a good man once made me responsible… …for what was most precious to him… …in the whole world. Miss Dawes has offered to drive you to the hearing. She probably hopes to talk you out of going. I wouldn’t presume to tell you what to do with your past, sir. Just know that there are those of us who care about what you do with your future. Never.”
“Master Wayne, you’ve been gone a long time. You look very fashionable. Apart from the mud. Are you coming back to Gotham for long, sir? In the depression, your father nearly bankrupted Wayne Enterprises… …combating poverty. He believed his example could inspire the wealthy of Gotham to save their city. In a way. Their murder shocked the wealthy and powerful into action. What symbol? I assume that as you take on the underworld… …this symbol is a persona to protect those you care about from reprisals? Actually, sir, I was thinking of myself. I couldn’t figure the legal ramifications of bringing you back from the dead. You’ve been gone seven years. Actually, it was Mr. Earle. He’s taking the company public. He wanted to liquidate your majority shareholding. Those share are worth quite a bit of money. Quite so, sir. And you can borrow the Rolls, if you like. Just bring it back with a full tank.”
“Blessed bat again, sir. They nest somewhere in the grounds.”
“Charming. At least you’ll have company. This must be the lowest foundation of the southeast wing. Your great-great-grandfather was involved in the Underground Railroad… …secretly transporting freed slaves to the North… …and I suspect these caverns came in handy. I can see everything all right from down here, sir, thank you. We order the main part of this cowl from Singapore. Indeed. And then, quite separately… …we place an order to a Chinese company for these. Precisely. They’ll have to be large orders, to avoid suspicion. Say 10,000. Yes.”
Carmine Falcone
“You’re taller than you look in the tabloids, Mr. Wayne. No gun? I’m insulted. You could’ve just sent a thank-you note. Only those who know me, kid. Look around you. You’ll see two councilmen… …a union official, couple off-duty cops… …and a judge. I wouldn’t have a second’s hesitation of blowing your head off in front of them. Now that’s power you can’t buy. That’s the power of fear. Because you think you got nothing to lose. You haven’t thought about your lady friend down in the DA’s office. You haven’t thought about your old butler. Bang! People from your world… …have so much to lose. Now, you think, because your mommy and your daddy got shot… …you know about the ugly side of life, but you don’t. You’ve never tasted desperate. You’re…. you’re Bruce Wayne, the prince of Gotham. You’d have to go 1000 miles to meet someone who didn’t know your name. So don’t come down here with your anger, trying to prove something to yourself. This is a world you’ll never understand. And you always fear… …what you don’t understand. All right. Yeah, you got spirit, kid. I’ll give you that. More than your old man, anyway. In the joint, Chill told me about the night he killed your parents. He said your father begged for mercy. Begged. Like a dog.”
“Hey, I scratch your back, you scratch mine, doc. I’m bringing the shipments. Maybe money isn’t as interesting to me as favors. He– he’s coming to Gotham? Who’s bothering you? We’ll buy her off. Idealist, huh? Well, there’s an answer to that too. Yes, you do.”
“I need you at the docks Thursday. I don’t wany any trouble… …with the last shipment. Is that right? So, what’s your point, Mr. Flass?”
Lucius Fox
“Environmental procedures, defense projects, consumer products. All prototypes. None in production. On any level whatsoever. What did they tell you this place was? Earle told me exactly what it was when he sent me down here. Dead end. Place to keep me from causing the bord any more trouble. Come on. When your father ran things. Oh, yeah. Helped him build his train. Here we are. Kevlar utility harness. Gas-powered, magnetic grapple gun. The 350-pound test monofilament. Wonderful project, your dad’s train. Routed it right into Wayne Tower, along with the water and power utilities. Kind of made Wayne Tower the unofficial center of Gotham City. Of course, Earle let it go to rot. Here we are. Nomex survival suit for advanced infantry. Kevlar biweave, reinforced joints. This sucker will stop a knife. Anything but a straight shot. Bean counters didn’t think… …a soldier’s life was worth 300 grand. So, what’s your interest in it, Mr. Wayne? Spelunking? You expecting to run into much gunfire in these caves? Mr. Wayne… …the way I see it… …all this stuff is yours anyway.”
“Well, what is it today? More spelunking? BASE-jumping. That like parachuting? You know, I think I have just the thing. It’s called memory cloth. Notice anything? Regularly flexible… …but put a current through it… …molecules realign, it becomes rigid. Can be tailored to fit any structure based on a rigid skeleton. I don’t think they tried to market it to the billionaire, BASE-jumping crowd. Yes, sir? Mr. Wayne, if you don’t want to tell me exactly what you’re doing… …when I’m asked, I don’t have to lie. But don’t think of me as an idiot. The Tumbler? Oh, you wouldn’t be interested in that.”
“She was built as a bridging vehicle. During combat, two of these would jump over a river, towing cables. Over here on the throttle, flip that open and throttle up. This will boost you into a rampless jump– not now! Now– not now, sir. We never could get the damn bridge to work… …but this baby works just fine. So, what do you think?”
Commissioner Gordon
“Is this your father’s? It’s okay. Come here. There you go. It’s okay. It’s okay.”
“There’s nothing wise in what you do, Flass. I’m no rat. In a town this bent, who’s there to rat to anyway? What do you want? He’s paid up with the right people. Leverage on Judge Faden… …and a DA brave enough to prosecute. Who are you? We? Freeze! Just some nut.”
Dr. Jonathan Crane
“In my opinion, Mr. Zsaz is as much a danger to himself as to others… …and prison is probably not the best environment for his rehabilitation. Miss Dawes. I would hardly have testified to that otherwise, would I? The work offered by organized crime must have an attraction to the insane. Mr. Finch. You should check with Miss Dawes here… …just what implications your office has authorized her to make. If any.”
“No more favors. Someone is sniffing around. We are paying you for that. I am more than aware that you are not intimidated by me, Mr. Falcone. But you know who I’m working for, and when he gets here– yes, he is. And when he gets here, he’s not going to wanna hear… …that you’ve endangered our operation just to get your thugs out of jail time. There’s a girl in the DA’s office. Not this one. I don’t want to know. You’re just one man?”
Thomas Wayne
“Bruce? It’s okay. It’s okay. You’ll be okay. No, I’ll set the bone and take him for an x-ray later. Don’t worry. It’s fine. And why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up. The bats again? You know why they attacked you, don’t you? They were afraid of you. All creatures feel fear. Especially the scary ones. I got something to show you. You think your mother will like them? I think it’s time to get up. No going back to bed. Gotham’s been good to our family, but the city’s been suffering. People less fortunate than us have been enduring very hard times. So we built a new, cheap, public transportation system to unite the city. And at the center… …Wayne Tower. No, I work at the hospital. I leave the running of our company to much better men. Well… …more interested men. Okay. Let’s go. No, no. It was me. I just needed some fresh air. A little bit of opera goes a long way. Right, Bruce? Come on. Let’s go. That’s fine. Take it easy. Take it easy. Here you go. It’s fine. It’s fine. Now just take it and go. Hey– Bruce. It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”
Martha Wayne
“what’s wrong, Bruce? Thomas!”
Chinese Prison
“Did you have a dream? Worse than this place? They are going to fight you. Until they kill you. You are in hell, little man. And I am the devil. Solitary. For protection. Protection for them. Get in. You turn back. You go back.”
“Fool. What do I care what your name is? You’re a criminal. Tell that to the guy who owned these.”
“I will tell him you saved his life.”
Ra’s al Ghul
“Impressive. You cannot lead these men… …unless you are prepared to do what is necessary to defeat evil. Gotham. As Gotham’s favored son… …you will be ideally placed to strike at the heart of criminality. Gotham’s time has come. Like Constantinople or Rome before it… …the city has become a breeding ground for suffering and injustice. It is beyond saving and must be allowed to die. This is the most important function of the league of shadows. It is one we’ve performed for centuries. Gotham… …must be destroyed.”
Wayne Manor
“I’m verry sorry, sir. I’ve told–“
“You’re in excellent hands. We’ll be watching the empire. When you grow up, it’ll be waiting for you.”
Gotham PD
“Gordon. Hey. Good news. We got him, son.”
Gotham City
“Wallets, jewelry. Come on, fast. Fast. I said, jewelry.”
“The depression hit working people, like Mr. Chill, hardest of all. His crime was appalling, yes, but it was motivated not by greed… …but by desperation. Given the 14 years served, as well as his extraordinary level of cooperation… …with the office’s most important investigations… …we strongly endorse his petition for early release. Mr. Chill? Your Honor… …not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could take back what I did. Sure, I was desperate, like a lot of people back then… …but that don’t change what I did. I gather there is a member of the Wayne family here today. Has he got anything to say? He’s coming out the side! He’s coming out the side, guys! Bruce Wayne! Joe! Hey, Joe! Falcone says hi.”
“Should’ve tipped better. For what? Okay. Hey, hey, hey. Let me have it. It’s a nice coat. Who? It’s…. it’s a nice coat.”
“What are you doing? Looking out for you. Falcone has half the city bought and paid for. Drop it. Because as much as I care about getting Falcone, I care more about you. No, we are showing very healthy growth in these sectors.”
“No, we are showing very healthy growth in these sectors. I didn’t think Thomas Wayne would have viewed heavy-arms manufacture… …as a suitable cornerstone for our business. Well, that’s 20 years ago, Fredericks. I think after 20 years we can allow ourselves… …to stop thinking about what Thomas Wayne would have done. Good morning, Mr. Earle’s office. Yes, he’s confirmed for the dinner tomorrow evening. Name? Thomas would probably not have taken the company public. But that is what we, as responsible managers, are going to do. Jessica? Jessica? Where are you? Why is no one answering the phone? Bruce? You’re supposed to be dead.”
“Have you seen him yet? Wayne. It’s been all over the news. He’s back. I’m sure you realize I can’t stop the big machine. Too many wheels turning. We’re going public. Oh? Any ideas where you would start? Fox’s department. I’ll let him know you’re coming. You look like him. Your dad. You’re the only one left of then Wayne family. This is where you belong. Welcome home.”
“Don’t suppose you want a taste. I just keep offering, thinking maybe someday you’ll get wise. Well, Jimbo, you don’t take the taste, makes us guys nervous.”
“What the hell was that?”
“Afterburner disengaged.”
“Problems? Sure. Word on the street is you got a beef with somebody in the DA’s office. And that there’s a fat prize… …waiting for anybody willing to do anything about it. Have you seen the girl? It’s a cute little assistant DA.”
