Batman (1989)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers (WGA):

Bob Kane (Batman characters)
Sam Hamm (story)

Release Date:

23 June 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal Joker.

Plot Keywords:

Gotham | City | Police | Revenge | Chemical

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Michael Keaton	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne
Jack Nicholson	...	Joker / Jack Napier
Kim Basinger	...	Vicki Vale
Robert Wuhl	...	Alexander Knox
Pat Hingle	...	Commissioner James Gordon
Billy Dee Williams	...	Harvey Dent
Michael Gough	...	Alfred Pennyworth
Jack Palance	...	Carl Grissom
Jerry Hall	...	Alicia
Tracey Walter	...	Bob the Goon
Lee Wallace	...	The Mayor
William Hootkins	...	Lt. Eckhardt
Richard Strange	...	Goon
Carl Chase	...	Goon
Mac McDonald	...	Goon (as Mac Macdonald)

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Mexico:A | Malaysia:U | South Africa:PG (DVD rating) | Spain:13 | Netherlands:12 | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | South Korea:15 | USA:TV-14 | Brazil:Livre | West Germany:12 (f) | Germany:12 | UK:15 (video rating) (1990) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Israel:PG | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (original rating) | USA:PG-13 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:12 | Iceland:10 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Acton Lane Power Station, Acton Lane, Acton, London, England, UK

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

As a fan of Michael Gough's work in various "Hammer" Horror films, Tim Burton cast Gough as Alfred Pennyworth.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Joker is at City Hall with his mime gang, the mime gang opens fire on everyone around. In one shot, two police officers are at the top of the stairs of City Hall, but in the aerial shot, the police officers are gone.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Passenger: Excuse me.
Tourist Dad: I'm sorry, this is my cab.
Passenger: Sorry.
Tourist Dad: Listen, I was here first!
[as the cab drives away]
Tourist Dad: Oh, God! Oh, taxi? Taxi!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in One Step Beyond: The Making of 'Alien: Resurrection' (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Serenade no. 13 in G, K. 525 ('Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'), second movement

I don't even need to say that this is the best Batman of the series. It's obvious enough.

What is all this yap about Michael Keaton as Batman? Yes, he was Batman, and he was a GREAT Batman. He pulled off every aspect of the role perfectly – he was better than Val Kilmer, better than George Clooney, better than everyone. He portrayed the mysterious charm of the winged crusader just as well as he captured the cool and collected character of Bruce Wayne. Michael Keaton is a huge part of the reason that this film was such a huge success, the other main portion having come from the tremendous contribution from Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Gotham City is created in incredibly detailed comic-book style, which adds to the overall quality of the movie.

Director Tim Burton does an amazing job bringing this unreal world to reality, and Kim Basinger is excellent as Vicky Vale, the film's main female presence. The script is particularly brilliant. The role of the Joker seems to have been written specifically for Jack Nicholson, which would not be surprising because of how well he pulled off the role with lines like `Why didn't anyone tell me he had one of those…things?!' and `Remember me? When you dropped me into that vat of chemicals? That wasn't easy to get over, and don't think that I didn't try.' And, of course, my favorite, `…we'll be like Beauty and the Beast. Of course, if anyone else ever calls you beast, I'll rip their lungs out.'

Everything, from the setting in Gotham City to the characters costumes to the actual dialogue, gives the unreal feeling of a comic book, but the characters are developed enough so that we understand their problems and we care about what happens. The movie is a thrill ride from the beginning to the end, and is enjoyable for all ages. If anyone is going to complain about who was chosen to play Batman, there is much more room for complaint among the film's several sequels. Keaton did a spectacular job that no one has ever even come close to.