The Dark Knight Rises - Open Fire"You don't owe these people anymore. You've given them everything."
"Not everything. Not yet." The two images I remember most are both in this Chapter. First is the one pictured above where, already depressed over this movie, I saw this as Nolan shamelessly taking a page from the Michael Bay playbook. The other (which doesn't need to be posted) shows that when Catwoman straddles the Bat Pod in her leather outfit, it also looks like something from a Michael Bay move. (Is this why Batman has a cape?) I'll admit I'm not entirely against the 2nd image, it's just surprising to see from the usually highbrow filmmaker.
Something's been lost in giving this film a more global message. Batman has always been a part of Gotham, like Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest. The first two films showed his journey to right what was wrong in his city. The quote suggests he's ready to give it all to Gotham, but the story comes off like he's here to salvage his pride and beat Bane in a rematch. He's hardly interested in the big picture, but goes searching for Bane specifically through the battle between cops and Bane's mercenaries.
"So, you came back to die with your city."
"No. I came back to stop you." This brings up a more complicated issue. A battle begins on the streets of Gotham between cops, some of which have guns drawn, and Bane's army, nearly all of which has heavy firepower. In truth, a situation like this would be a massacre because Bane's people wouldn't need to charge the cops. They could pick them off from a safe distance. (It's laughable how many miss the cops thickly crowding the street, and how many trade punches while still armed with machine guns.) The only real weapon is The Bat, but Batman's not about to fire heavy artillery to kill Bane and his men, even though it would be so easy. This must be why Batman is seem out of his plane moments after the battle begins.
All that said, there's a good amount of macho excitement here. I like the smooth way Bane throws off his coat, the image of Batman walking through the smoke and the light snow giving the scene an epic touch. Also the score here pumps up the excitement like it's Fury Road.
Rating: * * * - Okay