Batman (1989)
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A masked vigilante and a chaotic clown collide in a dark, stylized vision of Gotham City.
The story
Newspaper reporter Alexander Knox and photojournalist Vicki Vale investigate sightings of "Batman", a masked vigilante targeting Gotham City's criminals. Both attend a fundraiser hosted by billionaire Bruce Wayne, who is secretly Batman, having chosen this path after witnessing a mugger murder his parents when he was a child. During the event, Wayne becomes attracted to Vale. Meanwhile, mob boss Carl Grissom sends his sociopathic second-in-command Jack Napier to break into Axis Chemicals. However, this is secretly a ploy to have Napier murdered for carrying on an affair with Grissom's mistress, Alicia Hunt. Corrupt Gotham City police lieutenant Max Eckhardt arranges the hit on Napier by conducting an unauthorized raid on Axis Chemicals.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Reporter Alexander Knox and photojournalist Vicki Vale investigate the masked vigilante "Batman" while attending a fundraiser hosted by billionaire Bruce Wayne. During a raid on Axis Chemicals, Jack Napier is caught in a struggle with Batman and falls into a vat of chemicals, emerging as the psychotic "Joker." The Joker begins terrorizing Gotham City by lacing products with "Smylex," a chemical that causes victims to die laughing. He becomes obsessed with Vicki, leading to a confrontation where Batman rescues her. Bruce Wayne attempts to reveal his identity to her, but is interrupted by the Joker. After a series of escalating conflicts, the Joker lures Gotham's citizens into a trap involving Smylex gas at a parade. Batman foils the plan but is shot down, leading to a final confrontation at a cathedral. During the fight, Batman realizes the Joker is the man who killed his parents. Batman manages to defeat the Joker, who falls to his death. Following the events, the police dismantle the remaining criminal organizations, and the Bat-Signal is officially unveiled as a means to summon Batman in times of need.
- First release year
- 1989
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tim Burton
- Writers
- Sam Hamm · screenplay; Warren Skaaren · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jack Nicholson · the Joker; Michael Keaton · Batman; Kim Basinger · Vicki Vale; Robert Wuhl · Alexander Knox; Pat Hingle · Commissioner Gordon; Billy Dee Williams · Harvey Dent; Michael Gough · Alfred; Jack Palance · Carl Grissom
- Genres
- superhero; action; adventure
- Themes
- duel of the freaks; identity; justice; noir
- Tone and mood
- dark; serious; haunting
- Premise and plot tags
- superhero; vigilante; crime-fighting
- Source material / true-story basis
- DC Comics
- Franchise connections
- Batman
- Reception
- The film was both critically and financially successful, praised for its production design, score, and the performances of Nicholson and Keaton.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 77% · scale: percentage · review count: 143; Metacritic · score: 69 · scale: 100 · review count: 21
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Art Direction · win
- Production trivia
- The film's budget increased from $30 million to $48 million.; The film's score was a combination of Danny Elfman's work and music inspired by Prince.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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