The Batman (2022)

“The Batman” is one of the most satisfyingly analyze-able films in years. One could really dive into a detailed look at the themes and structure of the whole movie, but that is a bigger scope than this blog usually likes to do. If one zeroes in on the first and last 20 minutes of the three-hour film, the messages are pretty clear.

The film begins, not with our hero, but rather with the villain of the piece—The Riddler. We hear the angelic tones of “Ave Maria” sung by a boys choir. This is the villain’s theme. He is spying on a man we will come to know is the mayor of Gotham. The mayor is watching news of his recent debate in the upcoming election. The debate is focusing on something called “The Renewal Fund.” That fund was set up by Thomas Wayne, but it has failed to renew the city in the 20 years since it was set up. The Riddler kills the mayor in a brutal attack.

We then cut to our hero. Or, more precisely, we hear Batman’s narration as we see various criminals tormenting the city. The Batman is a hunter. He is fighting rampant crime as he has been for the past two years. But he says it has not been making a difference. The Batman’s musical theme is a relentless piece that sounds more like a villain’s theme, like “The Imperial March” or “Jaws.” When he does attack some thugs, his attack is brutal much in the same fashion as we just saw the Riddler doing. When asked by the gang members who he is, his answer is, “I’m vengeance.”

We then see Batman summoned by Gordon to help investigate the Mayor’s murder. This film does give us one of the most detective-like Batman presentations on film. However, that is not who this Batman is—not yet. He is not even really a hero or savior. He is just a vigilante. He is little better than the criminals he is brutalizing every night.

The Riddler, meanwhile, is fighting bad men as well—only he is killing them. It turns out that the whole city is corrupt. The men who lead the city—the mayor, chief of police, and district attorney, are all on the take. And the Batman finds out that they are all funded by the Renewal Fund his father set up. However, he has to learn that his father and men like him were good men, even if they made mistakes. They were good because they were trying to help.

When we turn to the final 20 minutes of the film, we see things come full circle. The Riddler has been caught. He thinks that he and the Batman are on the same side. After all, Batman has been attacking crime and so has the Riddler. As far as the Riddler saw, Batman was not helping anyone, really. He was merely taking out criminals. Meanwhile, the Riddler has been assembling a bunch of like-minded, disaffected men whom all plan to kill as many people in the city as they can. Batman rushes to the trap being laid by the Riddler’s men and tries to fight them. As Gordon asks one of these bad “vigilantes” who they are, he responds, “I am vengeance.” It is at this moment Batman realizes that he has been hardly different from the Riddler and his men. It is at this moment when Batman shifts from vengeance and warfare against criminals to helping the innocent.

These first and last 20-minute sections of the film just. scratch the surface of the messaging and finely tuned structure of this excellent film. It is definitely a recommend.