DreamMovie #17- I am the Vengeance, I am the Knight...

The Third Entry in the Nolan Batman Saga

Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have followed such a perfect three act structure that it would be ridiculous not to structure a third movie in such a way. They have both also structured themselves around a consistent theme. Fear for Batman Begins, and Escalation in The Dark Knight. I think the theme of this third movie ought to be Truth.

ACT ONE:

Coleman Reese is walking into his apartment. The Name on the door is an alias, and he is wearing large sunglasses to disguise his identity. He is surprised to find a man sitting on his couch. The man is wearing a green suit. He refers to Coleman's name and tells him that he can hardly believe that he would so readily give up such a perfect name. Mr. Reese. Mysteries. Coleman pretends to have been lying. That he doesn't know who Batman is. The man in the green suit explains that he knows that he's lying. He's already made the connection, solved the riddle. He explains that knowing Batman's true identity is too important for a little nobody like Reese, and that he's here to solve that problem. Reese asks the man if he's going to kill him. "Oh heavens, no." He pauses. "That's what my friends are here for."

We establish the new status quo in Gotham City with the crime scene for Reese's Murder. Commissioner Gordon has almost entirely weeded out the corrupt underbelly of the GCPD. He has especially focused on his Major Crimes Unit, for which he has recruited honest cops from every corner of the country. The only member to remain from the Dark Knight fiasco is Ana Ramirez, who Gordon suspects, and keeps close to his vest. Batman hides on an outside balcony listening to the conversation within. There is a large question mark spray-painted on the door. Inside the spray-paint reads "The Truth is Out". We are introduced to the new MCU.

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Lt. Maggie Sawyer – Holly Hunter
An officer from Metropolis, She runs the MCU and reports directly to Gordon. She is tough and doesn't believe that Gotham ought to rely on Batman. She spearheads the hunt for Batman in this film.

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Detective Harvey Bullock – Michael Madsen
Bullock is a detective from Gotham's Little Sister, New York City. He doesn't trust Batman, but acknowledges his role in Gotham City. He feels that Sawyer is pushing for Batman too hard, and at the cost of Gotham.

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Detective Renee Montoya – Sonja Sohn
She is wary of Bullock, but doesn't put up with his ****. She supports the force and the job, but is quick to see that Sawyer is crossing a line. (Deal with it, she's black, not hispanic. Then watch The Wire and understand that she is the perfect Renee).

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Detective Crispus Allen – Romany Malco
Allen is a cop from the inner city of Chicago. He transferred to Gotham because he believes that he can make a difference. He is against Batman, and one of Sawyer's biggest supporters.

Allen and Ramirez are partners, as shown in Gotham Knight. Bullock and Montoya are also partners. There are other members of the MCU, who ought to be taken from the pages of Gotham Central, but the focus will remain on these five officers.

They wonder about The Joker's involvement in the case, after having been locked up in Arkham Asylum for the better part of a year. Could this be him proving that he has influence on the outside, or perhaps something worse. Perhaps the criminals in this town have started to follow The Joker's example.

Bruce Wayne's popularity in Gotham is at an all-time high. He is seen to be continuing the work of his parents in being an example to the other richer citizens of Gotham and donating his money to numerous charities. Alfred brings him the news that one of the oldest Orphanages in Gotham is going under, financially. Bruce recounts his memories of Dr. Leslie Thompkins, the former child psychologist of the Orphanage, who worked with Bruce after the death of his parents. He tells Alfred to get in touch with her in London and fly her in. Bruce is going to buy, refurbish, and rename the hospital: The Thompkins Center for Children.

Gordon visits Arkham to speak with the Joker. Dr. Harleen Quinzel, the new head of Psychiatry at the Asylum, greets him at the gate. She disapproves of his meddling with her patient, The Joker, and tells Gordon that he is only doing more damage every time he rushes in here and excites him. Gordon tells her that The Joker is untreatable, and makes a comment about not trusting her, saying that she worked too closely with Dr. Crane for too long. She responds that Dr. Crane, while a bit unstable, was still one of the best psychiatrists she's ever worked with. She says he has five minutes with the patient. And opens the door to the maximum-security wing of Arkham.

The Joker is amused at the concept that he's directly involved with the killing of Reese. He tells Gordon that it was inevitable that he would turn up dead one of these days. He tells him that this is the cost of knowing too much in a town like Gotham. He reminds Gordon that the both of them know too much as well. A little too much about a man named Dent. "Ooh, the people of Gotham wouldn't be too happy about a little thing like that, now would they?" We see that Dr. Quinzel is listening in on their conversation. A moment later she re-enters, and throws Gordon out. When Gordon's back is turned, the Joker winks at her. She smiles, and escorts Gordon back out of the room.

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Dr. Harleen Quinzel – Amy Adams
This Harley is a harder variation than our usual Ms. Quinzel. She is more professional, and her initial interest in the Joker is more curiosity for this oddity of modern psychology. The Joker is unbreakable, and she sees herself as the only one who might be able to penetrate her psyche. She just doesn't realize what might happen as she opens herself to his way of thinking.

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The Joker – Joseph Gordon-Levitt
This Joker could be construed to be a little more disconcerting than the one running around in the Dark Knight, because he has become so laid back. He knows the chaos his very existence has exerted on to the criminal underworld. Right now he is content to sit back and watch things burn, as he slowly dissects and reassembles the mind of Dr. Quinzel.

Outside of Arkham, Gordon gets a call telling him in our favorite growly voice to go to the nearest alley. Batman is sitting on the fire escape, and asks Gordon if he found out anything. Gordon tells him that he doesn't believe The Joker is involved, directly, anyways. Gordon confesses that he doesn't like the situation. It seems like this new form of criminality has taken note from the Joker. Batman tells him that a man who leaves a calling card of any kind wants to be known, and that he will show himself soon enough. In the car, Maggie Sawyer is getting impatient. She walks over to the alley and sees the Batman. She pulls out her gun and fires one warning shot, shouting for him to put his hands in the air. A batarang knocks the gun from her hand, and when she looks back, he is gone.

A man walks into Wayne Industries asking to speak with Mr. Fox. He shows his credentials from the IRS and tells Fox that his company is currently under investigation, and he will be needing access to all their financial information. Mr. Fox asks why they are under investigation, and the man mentions a report filed by an accountant of the company, named Coleman Reese. The man apologizes for his rudeness and introduces himself to Lucius as Edward Nygma. His voice is identical to that of the man in the green suit at the beginning of the film.

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Edward Nygma, The Riddler – Michael C. Hall
This Riddler is smarter than most of his contemporaries, in sheer intelligence if not in tactics. He is working to unravel a bigger mystery than batman, something that could destroy the very soul of Gotham City: The Murders of Harvey Dent.

Alfred waits at the airport as a plane arrives from London. An elderly woman, elegant in her mannerisms, walks directly towards Alfred and greets him fondly. She tells him how good it is to see him, and that she can hardly believe that so much time has past. Alfred tells her she looks as beautiful as ever and kisses her on the cheek. She tells Alfred that that was a long time ago, and she changes the subject to Bruce.

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Dr. Leslie Thompkins – Angela Lansbury
Dr. Thompkins has always been the mother figure to match Alfred's father figure in the comics, and I see her returning to that role here in the comics, and help balance out the psychological trauma Batman has gone through over the course of "The Dark Knight". She is aware of the Darkness within bruce, and his need for vengeance, and she will try to sate him.

Wayne speaks to Fox as he gets ready for the party. He confirms that all of the R&D papers linking Batman to Wayne Industries have been covered up. Fox tells Bruce that this could still be serious, and that he is uncomfortable having to lie to the authorities. Bruce tells him to go back to the office to make sure that there is nothing to incriminate the both of them.

Meanwhile at Gotham Central, Maggie Sawyer is fighting with Gordon about his flippant relationship with Batman. Gordon reminds her that as commissioner he could throw her out the door, and she reminds him that she was hired to find Batman. Gordon gets a call from his wife and leaves the office. Sawyer sees the cell phone on the desk and slips it into her jacket, before leaving.

Fox is on the phone with the IRS, who claim to have never heard of an Edward Nygma. He sits at his desk, puzzled. He sees an envelope on his desk, which he opens. The envelope contains a sheet of paper with a large green question mark filling the page. Suddenly a cane whacks him in the head and he is out.

The fundraiser for the Thompkins Center for Children is set at the now fully restored Wayne Manor. Bruce Wayne gives a lovely speech telling the audience how as a child there were few people who he could turn to after his parents' murder. Dr. Leslie Thompkins counseled the young Bruce for years until he was ready to move on with his life. He says how proud he is to continue her legacy in Gotham City for generations to come. There is much applause.

Later on at the Party, Leslie compliments Bruce on his lovely speech, and reminds him that she forgot how excellent of a liar he always was. She tells him that she was never able to subdue that darkness raging in his heart. She tells him that she would like to speak with him, privately at some point. Bruce agrees, and as he does, he notices a dark haired stranger walking through the party. She is beautiful and elegant, and seems to have come to the affair on her own.

He walks up to her and introduces himself. Her name is Selina Kyle. They share a little small talk and Bruce seems almost winded by her. She is playful in her approach to Bruce and asks if he might be able to show her the rest of the house.

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Selina Kyle, Catwoman – Winona Ryder
Selina Kyle wines and dines the rich bachelors of Gotham City, only to rob them blind while they're out. She's new at the game, at least in the cat suit, but she has no idea that she's just stumbled on Batman's house.

In Arkham Asylum, Dr. Quinzel has come to have another therapy session with The Joker. She pulls something out of her suit pocket and places it on the table. She tells him it is her make-up kit, and that she wants him to feel comfortable. To feel like himself. He thanks her and begins to apply the make-up as she tells him that she really shouldn't be doing this. He scolds her, telling her that they've been over this. Rules are outdated in the modern world, and that the only morality to follow is to do what you want to at that moment. He finishes his face with a slash of lipstick, he asks her how he looks. She tells him that he looks beautiful.

We return to Selina with Bruce on the tour of the mansion. They have discovered the bedroom door, and pause a moment. Selina kisses Bruce passionately, but Alfred clearing his throat interrupts them. He tells Bruce that he found an envelope taped to the back door. The envelope is labeled with a large green question mark. The letter reads: "How quickly can a Bat fall once its wings are clipped?" Bruce tells Selina to leave her number with Alfred, as there is some urgent business he needs to attend to.

We see the new and improved Batcave for the first time. It is significantly more high tech and reminiscent of the cave in the comics, minus any giant pennies or dinosaurs. He suits up and rides out on a new and improved Batmobile.

Maggie Sawyer is sitting at her desk, staring at Gordon's cell-phone. It finally rings, and she picks it up, quickly. A growly voice demands that Gordon bring his men to the Wayne Industries Building. This new villain has threatened the life of CEO Lucius Fox. Sawyer walks out into the pens and tells the MCU that they are hitting the road. Bullock: "Where are we going?" Sawyer: "We're going to catch ourselves a Bat."

Batman enters Lucius Fox's office, only to find another letter with yet another question mark large on the cover. The note reads "Where did it all begin?"

The elevator opens to the largely abandoned archives of the Applied Sciences division, the very room in which we were first introduced to Lucius Fox. Batman calls out for Lucius, and in response we hear footsteps approaching. A thug attacks, and Batman subdues him. More thugs attack, and the Riddler, back in his green suit and purple sunglasses approaches the fight. Batman runs for him, only to be caught in a wire mesh net. The Riddler reads off a description from a sheet of paper. He tells him that the trap was designed by Fox himself as a nonlethal capturing aid. The wires are virtually indestructible. He tells his men to leave the room, which they do, limping from their various injuries. He pauses a moment and then says. "Hello, Bruce."

The Police are amassing outside the entrance to Wayne Industries. Sawyer commands the MCU to break through the doors. Gordon's car pulls up and he demands to know what's happening. She tells him that they have reason to believe Batman is in the building. Gordon yells at her for taking charge without notifying him first, and she reminds him that she is doing the job she was hired to do.

Back in the Archives

Batman: Who are you?

Riddler: I'm the one asking the questions here. The question you should be asking yourself is "Who gets to run the mob when the mob's running scared?"

The Riddler explains that he, and men like him are what the mob has become in the months after the Joker's reign of terror. He tells Batman that he is The Riddler. Batman asks him where Lucius is. The Riddler explains that he aggravated his men, and so they had to dump the body by some old paperwork. Batman asks him why he's doing this, and the Riddler tells him that he's had it too easy so far. It's just been a walk in the park. Now that he's lost the tech, he'll be able to shine on his own merits. He also says that his riddles have been purposefully easy thus far. But nothing will be easy anymore. As The Riddler rides up the elevator, the net falls back open. Batman finds the body of Lucius Fox and tries to resuscitate him, to no avail. He is dead.

He carries the body back up to Lucius' office, where he is confronted by the MCU. Bruce lays the body down and uses up some of his pent aggression on the police officers. He knocks out one of the windows and glides to safety.

ACT TWO:

The Funeral of Lucius Fox. We see a wife or other relative speak to the fact that we have now seen the true face of the vigilante known as Batman. That while not a perfect man, Lucius was a good man, an honest man, who didn't deserve his fate. We see the tormented faces of Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon at the funeral. There are hot glances between Gordon and Maggie Sawyer.

Sawyer and Gordon fight in his office. She demands more support for the apprehension of the sociopath known as Batman. Gordon defends Batman, and Sawyer tells him that she's going to do her job.

Bruce Wayne is recovering from Wayne Manor. He can't find any trace of The Riddler.

Leslie Thompkins in Therapy with Bruce Wayne. It is in these sessions that we begin to focus on the aspect of Truth in Bruce's life. Leslie tells Bruce she can tell he's hiding a terrible secret, something bigger than him, and that he really needs to talk about it. We see Leslie's memories of a young Bruce dealing with his parent's murder. He needs to know why it happened. Young Bruce is a bit scary at this point, he wants to kill the man who killed his parents. Leslie reveals to Alfred that she views Bruce as her greatest personal failure. She implies that she knows the truth about Bruce's nighttime antics.

Alfred tells Bruce that several million dollars in artifacts went missing at the house during or after the party. Surveillence reveals a woman dressed all in black rummaging through the house and sneaking out the window. Bruce is perplexed.

Earlier on we would have heard mention of an appeals process organized by the secondary members of the Falcone crime family, and we reach the trial. At the Trial each shred of evidence has been replaced with sheets of question marks. Gordon calls the office and has them review the data on the computers which has also been wiped out. With no evidence against them, the men are released.

Bruce receives a call from Selina Kyle while working on the Riddler case. She wants to meet him for dinner. He pulls up the image of the cat-burglar, and thinks about it a moment.

The members of the mob sit around the Riddler who convinces them that they need organization. All their leaders are gone, and they know they can't do it on their own. He tells them he has work for them. They ask him what, and he brings up a schematic of Arkham Asylum.

Dinner with Selina Kyle. Bruce mentions the robbery, and she acts interested but brushes it off. They have a nice dinner until Bruce receives a phone call from Alfred telling him to turn on the news.

The Newspaper have received a cryptic letter from the man calling himself the Riddler. The note in indecipherable at a glance. Bruce and Alfred work on it in the Batcave. Meanwhile, Lt. Sawyer calls together a meeting of her team, telling them that they will be working on the Riddler case. They end up talking about Batman. Bullock looks upset and makes some comments about figuring out where the real criminal is. Sawyer reminds him that Batman is a real criminal and a murderer. She tells him that the Batman will lead them to the Riddler.

Harvey Bullock is sitting in the office of Jim Gordon smoking a cigar. He tells Gordon that he hates the Bat as much as the next upstanding police officer, but he thinks that Sawyer's going too far behind the commissioner's back on this, and avoiding real police-work. They begin a rapport that will continue through this film and into further entries in the series.

Something Leslie says in connection to a psychological test of some sort triggers Bruce to solve the Riddle. He knows Arkham will be attacked that night. He drops by Gordon's house and tells him to rouse his men and get them ready for action. Gordon tells Batman to be careful, that Sawyer is gunning for him. He tells him that he knows and he's prepared, but he needs to do his job. Batman is gone and Gordon calls all units to Arkham.

Dr. Quinzel is having another session with The Joker, who is back in full make-up. The Joker hands back her lipstick and kisses her hand. She embraces him, and he responds with a coy "should you be doing this?" She tells him that rules are outdated in the modern world, that we can only live our lives according to chaos. They both start to laugh. She tells him that someone came to see her today, and that she has a surprise for him.

Sawyer and the MCU (minus Bullock) storm into Arkham Asylum. She asks the guards where Dr. Quinzel is, and they say that she's in with the Joker. They point her to the high security wing. Throwing open the door to the cell she's been told the Joker had been. They find a giant green question mark spray painted on the wall. The door into the wing is swung shut, and fear gas starts flooding into the room from the vents. She radios Bullock and tells him to send in the reinforcements. Bullock is standing outside smoking a cigar in front of a large team of officers and SWAT teams. He starts to signal them to head into the building, when the security guards of Arkham begin to open fire on the officers.

We see Dr. Quinzel with a white painted face. She is now wearing a sexy red dress with black gloves that go up to her elbows. She applies her lipstick in a diagonal streak across her face. The Joker tells her that she's looks damn fine and he kisses her. The Riddler walks into the room. He greets Dr. Quinzel, who tells him that he can call her Harley. The Joker asks him who the hell he is. The Riddler says that he is an admirer.

Batman starts taking out the guards, giving Bullock and his men a chance to get closer into the building. Bullock tells Batman that Sawyer and the MCU are trapped in the High Security wing. Batman goes to their aid.

Harley Quinn opens the cell of Dr. Crane, and tosses him his mask.

To make things short, Batman saves Sawyer and her team, but she still attempts to arrest him. Bullock is given an order to shoot Batman, but he doesn't comply. Batman tells Sawyer that he didn't kill Fox. Sawyer grabs Bullock's gun and shoots at Batman herself. She misses and hits Ana Ramirez in the shoulder.

Batman runs past the cells of The Joker (the real cell, not the one Sawyer was led to), and The Scarecrow. Both are empty.

We see vans pulling away in the back with various remaining fake-Arkham guards, as well as The Joker, Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, and back and center is the Riddler. Grinning broadly.

To Be Concluded
 
I don't like the idea of having Robin in the next movie. Even though I have nothing against the character.


I love your idea Zombipanda of Bruce Wayne saving Gotham. Not sure on some of the casting.

Random - Green is probably the best cast I ever seen for Catwoman. But I do not like Banderas as Bane. Solid plot with the exception of Robin.

Sorry Mole but I am not feeling anything on yours. Except the ending would be ultimate badass.

Interesting idea Langsta...

I love Guy Pearce as Riddler, Project. And the idea of your movies. The Riddler working for the GCPD and creating an huge riddle. Plus Bane just being Bane.

The way you described Joker breaking Harley was very nice, Doc. I loved the idea of an entire anti-Batman squad led by Sawyer. Great ideas for the Riddler. I am not familar with some of your cast and I do not like Leavitt as the Joker but the way you described, maybe.
 
hm... Doc's Maggie Sawyer reminds me of Essen from Year One, for some reason.

I dig the focus on the cops, and think it might work particularly well if a large part of the narrative is pulled away from the Batman and focused on their perspective.

I also like the implied relationship between Leslie and Alfred, and Leslie all-around.

Oh.... and Madsen as Bulloch is sublime.
 
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Sorry Mole but I am not feeling anything on yours. Except the ending would be ultimate badass.

:shock: and to think I voted for you in the greatest member contest. :noway: You've let me down toggy
 

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