Historically, the key to a great Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed trilogy.
Both Keaton and Bale beautifully translated the Caped Crusader’s signature brutish physicality to the screen in Burton and Nolan’s expertly staged action sequences.
Keaton: The Caped Crusader’s Introduction In Batman (1989)
When Tim Burton was tasked with bringing Batman to the big screen, the most popular image of the Caped Crusader was Adam West in the campy ‘60s TV series. Burton successfully shed that image and established his darker take on the Dark Knight within a single scene.
In the opening sequence of Batman, the Bat beats up a couple of criminals on a rooftop and tells them, “I’m not going to kill you. I want you to tell all your friends about me.”
Bale: Bane Breaks Batman’s Back In The Dark Knight Rises
Easily Bane’s most iconic moment from the comics is when he lifted Batman, dropped him over his knee, and broke his back. Naturally, Christopher Nolan included a scene in which Bane breaks Batman’s back when he adapted the musclebound supervillain in The Dark Knight Rises.
When Batman first confronts Bane, he has no idea of the kind of brute force he’s up against. Batman barely survives the scrape, shocking both the audience and himself.
Keaton: Batman Versus Catwoman In Batman Returns
Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is so great that she threatens to upstage Keaton’s Batman throughout Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel. Pfeiffer perfectly captured Selina Kyle’s zany energy from the comics.
During the fight, Catwoman exploits one of society’s double standards. She’ll brutally deliver a roundhouse kick to Batman’s chest, flooring him, but when he tries to fight back, she slyly snaps back, “How could you? I’m a woman!”
Bale: The Bank Heist In The Dark Knight
Not all of the best action sequences in Christian Bale’s Batman movies involve Batman himself. The opening set pieces of both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises revolve around the villain as opposed to the hero. While the airborne theatrics of the latter are certainly spectacular, the bank robbery in the former is even greater.
The Joker’s double-crossing bank heist is one of the sequences that Christopher Nolan shot using IMAX cameras, so the visuals are truly cinematic.
Keaton: The Gotham Museum Of Art In Batman (1989)
After taking a liking to Vicki Vale, Jack Nicholson’s Joker invites her to the Gotham Museum of Art, then shows up with his henchmen to terrorize her and the other museum patrons.
This is a spectacular sequence. The Joker and his henchmen destroy precious artworks until their fun is cut short by the arrival of Batman, who rescues Vicki and takes her to the Batcave.
Bale: The Frozen Lake Swordfight In Batman Begins
A lot of superhero origin movies rush through the origin story to get to the action, but Christopher Nolan let Batman’s origin story breathe in Batman Begins because there’s a lot of ground to cover in realistically explaining how a billionaire orphan becomes a masked vigilante. It was the first Batman movie to explore the character’s origin in any detail.
Nolan explained that Bruce Wayne became a well-oiled fighting machine by training with the League of Shadows. Early in his training, he engages in a swordfight on a frozen lake.
Keaton: Lighting The Gotham Christmas Tree In Batman Returns
One of the longest action set pieces in Batman Returns takes place during the lighting of the Gotham City Christmas tree. The Penguin and his goons crash the event, necessitating the intervention of Batman to bring back some much-needed peace and order.
The scene shows off both Batman’s formidable physicality and his arsenal of high-tech gadgets. It also has a few crucial setups that come back later in the movie, like the Bat saving Catwoman from the Red Triangle Circus Gang.
Bale: Gotham P.D. Takes On Bane’s Army In The Dark Knight Rises
In writing The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan was heavily influenced by A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens’ literary classic about the French Revolution. He basically brought the French Revolution to the streets of Gotham City.
This culminates in an epic battle between Gotham’s police department and Bane’s army of terrorists, with an intense fight between Batman and Bane at the epicenter.
Keaton: The Cathedral Showdown In Batman (1989)
During the final battle in the original ‘89 Batman movie, the Joker shoots down the Batwing and takes Vicki Vale inside a cathedral. After escaping from the crash, Batman chases the Clown Prince of Crime into the cathedral for a violent standoff.
The climactic showdown between Batman and the Joker exemplifies Keaton and Nicholson’s definitive takes on the characters. As the Joker tries to escape, Batman keeps him grounded by attaching him to a heavy gargoyle.
Bale: The Armored Car Chase In The Dark Knight
At the midpoint of The Dark Knight, when Bruce is about to reveal his identity to the public to save the lives that the Joker has promised to take, Harvey Dent surprisingly confesses to being Batman and is taken into police custody. The convoy that he’s on is attacked by the Joker and his goons, blowing up police vehicles left and right.
The real Batman shows up to save Dent and ends up leaving behind half the Tumbler to turn it into the Batpod. The IMAX cinematography is breathtaking and the practical stunt work is staggering. There’s hardly any CGI in the sequence, a rarity in comic book movies. The stunt team actually flipped an 18-wheeler on its head.
