The class that oozed out of every single minute of Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT has ensured its place in movie history. And as the unrelenting glut of superhero movies in the past 10 years finally dissipates, it’s pretty much the only one that will be a mainstay in top lists for many years to come. Couple this with the critical & commercial success of 2010’s INCEPTION and it’s easy to understand why the final part of Nolan’s Batman trilogy is gearing up to be an absolute monster. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is a long way from reaching our cinema screens but the intrigue and excitement that followed the announcement of the ‘bad-guy’, alongside the first teaser trailer, is the subtle opening string quartet for what is nearly sure to be a great big crescendo.
The bad guy in question? Bane.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Great choice. In general, I’m not a huge comic book/Batman fan but I did thoroughly enjoy the ‘Knightfall’ comic series, for which Bane is most renowned. The reason? He breaks Batman’s back Should I have issued a spoiler alert for that? I guess not. But herein lies the crux of a recent drunken conversation that has escalated into a welcome, albeit tenuous, link to keep my Bat-Ear firmly to the ground.
It is not the first drunken argument I’ve had with my friend Pete and it obviously won’t be the last. Although, he now lives in South Korea so I may need practice slurring under the guise of irrational self-confidence in the form of Facebook chat rather than in person. We’ve never been short of a reason to intensely debate the merits of numerous pointless discussions, despite having done no research whatsoever. This is what makes arguments like this so much fun. No burden of proof, logic or academia. Just build up torrents of ridiculousness and wear the other person down with unwavering bias towards your point. Tact and humility are not welcome. No topic is too inane. In the past we’ve made drunken bets on the population of Bristol (how exciting!) and the readership of a broadsheet newspaper (oh god! even more exciting!!!). But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what he had to say about the matter:
Like all symbols, be they political, religious or tribal, Batman is a symbol which is only as worthy of respect as the values of the people who appropriate it. The most common manifestation of this argument is the ‘which is the best/hardest superhero’ argument which is often used as an excellent topic changer when one can see that the crowd is too drunk to give up confrontational debate and the current subject matter is leading towards a path of acrimony. I find Batman an easy position to defend for this conversation as he doesn’t use super powers only wealth and ingenuity, which most people concede is somehow more ‘noble’; as if that matters when fighting comic book super villains.
But more turbulent than defending the nobility of the Batman symbol has been maintaining its original shape from all the manifestations that it has taken in the minds of others. My friend Luke takes great pleasure in reminding me that Mr Wayne’s wealth is generated in part by the arms industry, and that Batman is therefore an arms dealer. (An infuriating argument given that I find myself being forced to choose between my political education and my childhood hero). But Luke’s most recent hostile take over bid for my perceptions of Batman came in the form of challenging the conclusion to the final film of Nolan’s trilogy. A few months ago we bet each other ten pounds over whether Batman would end the ultimate Nolan film in a wheelchair or not. I choose to root for Batman’s healthy retirement and in doing so, I feel like a football supporter whose love for their club is being exploited by someone who can see the odds with a cooler and more realistic analysis. Would Nolan end a multi-million dollar franchise in this dark and controversial way? Of course, he would. My only saving grace I believe can be found in Nolan’s fondness for dummy manoeuvres. But win or lose, I’ll easily be getting my tenners worth before the film’s conclusion when I watch it next year. I suspect Luke will too.
Wow. Did you notice how concise and articulate that was? Perhaps the exact opposite of the original debate. A couple of cider-fuelled hours in which I probably said the phrase ‘what’ you chattin’? as much as Pete would have said ‘Basically, think of it this way yeah…’ or ‘esoteric’. He likes that word. I think one of the main reasons for the vitriol behind my side argument is that I don’t like Batman. I love the films, but the man himself is not on my Xmas card list. As explained by this brilliantly titled, brilliant Latterman song ‘If Batman Was Real, He Would Have Beaten the Crap Out Of All My Friends’, the caped crusader is no friend to the underclass. Good and Evil aren’t moral absolutes and I find it hard to think that the small number of maniacal weirdos and crooks that he locks away do any more damage to society than his billion-dollar empire. For all we know, there is a Wayne Enterprises Pest Control Division that kills puppies and kittens with the rationale that one day they may grow up to be as vicious as Nanook from THE LOST BOYS or as lazy as Garfield. That maybe a bit far-fetched actually.
Bane on the other hand, was born the son of a revolutionary into a military prison (in a regime supported by Wayne Enterprises weapons’ no doubt) and kept imprisoned to serve a sentence without committing a crime. After gaining the respect of his peers, the prison wardens got scared so they subjected Bane to testing a drug that was known to have killed all others who had ingested it. AND THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE BAD GUY?!? I think he should be applauded for overcoming the odds of being dealt one of the worst hands in the most corrupt casino ever. That’s why (fingers crossed) when he raises the Batman aloft, I shall stand in unison with him, arms raised in victory, and I’ll watch with glee as the breaks the Batman as hard as he will break my friend Pete’s spirits. Hallelujah, thy £10 is mine.
(After reading that last sentence back to myself, I come across a bit like a psycho. On second thoughts, lets all just have a big hug and enjoy what might be the greatest superhero movie ever made…I’ve still got my eyes on that tenner though.)
