director: Christopher Nolan
starring: Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes
Batman Begins is not an action film. It is not a comic book film. It is not a drama. It’s a horror film, pure and simple. It’s not about masked serial killers with chainsaws, though. It’s a horror film that truly explores the concept of fear. Whether you’re a so-called “good guy” or “bad guy,” there is always something to fear. How you react to that fear is often what defines you as “good” or “bad.” This horror film uses fear to illustrate its characters–fear defines Bruce Wayne and his unyielding quest to rescue Gotham from corruption and evil–fear is a weapon to keep the weak in line, as crime boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) does–fear is a tangible tool that Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), as Scarecrow, uses for experimentation and pleasure–fear is what keeps Gotham’s citizenry from taking back their city from corruption and poverty. Batman Begins is about fear and how one lets it affect them. | extended review