Batman Begins As A Neo-Noir

Batman Begins, Directed by Christopher Nolan, Released 2005.

Batman Begins protagonist is Bruce Wayne, who just like legions of noir lead men before him, is brooding and pessimistic, because although Batman is renowned for being a super hero, his alter ego Bruce Wayne is something of an anti hero, bitter at the world for the murder of his parents, much like film noir favourite protagonists, Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon and Officer Bud White from L.A. Confidential, Bruce Wayne plays by his own rules in the search for justice. But unlike Sam Spade and Officer Bud White, Bruce Wayne is not a police officer; instead such as Walter Neff in Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity, he is just a civilian that takes the law into his own hands becoming a vigilante, as seen by V in James TcTeigue’s V for Vendetta.

In keeping with classic film noir settings, Batman Begins is predominantly set in Gotham, a dark and hostile city. The city runs rife with corrupt cops such a Detective Flass, who works alongside Gotham’s underbelly of dangerous criminals most of which are under the rule of mobster boss Carmine Falcone. Storylines just like this have been seen over and over again in film noir, such as Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential. The streets of Gotham are usually shown at night which creates a sinister and dangerous feel. The film also utilises the internal world that was often used in early film noir, as when Dr Crane’s victims are poisoned the camera goes to a point-of-view shot, and everything becomes distorted and macabre, this is seen in Robert Wiene’s 1921 release Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari.

Technology plays a large part in Batman Begins, which is what really distinguishes, neo-noir from the more old fashioned film noir. Just like classic neo-noirs, the Wachowski brothers’ The Matrix and Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner, Batman Begins reflects on the current state of affairs when it comes to the rise in technology and the problems it can cause. In the film, Gotham’s criminals steal an air vaporiser created by Wayne Enterprises, and decide to use it to poison the city’s inhabitance. The film also shows how in today’s society technology is needed, as without the high tech equipment Bruce Wayne would not be able to be Batman.

In the classic film noirs of old, femme fatales were embodied by sexual amoral females out to inhibit the male protagonist through seduction. Because values have changed quite significantly since the film noir heyday of the 1940s, women appearing in neo-noirs tend to be seen a lot more as equal to their male counterparts; while keeping their sex appeal and potentially dangerous charm the women of neo-noir try reflect the women of present day, presenting them as intelligent, savvy and tough such as Trinity in the Matrix. Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins while is intelligent and slightly tough – she fights off one of Falcone’s men in Gotham tube station – she still lacks the seductive charms of veteran femme fatales. And other than her no other female in Batman Begins comes even near to resembling a femme fatale. However this appears to be the only area that lacks film noir characteristics.