Summary
The Batmandrew heavily from some classic Dark Knight storylines. Matt Reeves’ vision of a young Batman was influenced by arcs that drew the vigilante into conflict with the warring crime families of Gotham, includingBatman: Year OneandThe Long Halloween. But bringing the darkest iteration of the vigilante yet seen to the screen also took its cue from cinema’s rich history of hard-boiled detective thrillers.
As the Riddler stalked Gotham, picking off prominent city members, Batman’s investigation showed the influence of directors like Alfred Hitchcock and New Hollywood helmers like Alan Pakula, William Friedkin and Roman Polanski. AsThe Batmanuniverse expands, those influences can grow in interesting directions.
The Batman Lent Into The Rich History Of New Hollywood
Polanski is acontroversial filmmaker, but the legacy of his films, especially 1974’sChinatown,continues to be felt. Reeves compared the relationship of Selina Kyle Reeves andmob boss with a dark past Carmine Falconeto John Huston’s Noah Cross in Polanski’s neo-noir film. The movie’s portrayal of cities was also felt in Reeves andcinematographer Grieg Fraser’s incredible vision of a crime-ridden Gotham City.
Starting in the mid-1960s, the era that saw young directors knock musicals and westerns out of the way with hard-hitting films is now known as New Hollywood.The Batmanborrows brilliantly from the classics of that time. For instance, there’s an undeniable hint of the 1970s thrillerKlutestarring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland in Batman and Catwoman’s relationship.
Se7enwas another detective thriller that left a mark onThe Batman’s Gotham City. It’s felt in the horror noir atmosphere, the buddy cop dynamic of Gordon and the young Batman, and the serial killer’s attention to detail. Anunmistakable nod toSe7encame with the chilling way the Riddler allows himself to be caught by GCPD.
It all combined to make an undeniably distinctive chapter inThe BatmanEpic Crime Saga that has expanded withThe Penguinseries. But having leaned into detective thrillers so successfully, it’s time the saga expanded the crime influence. After all, no fan expectsThe Batman Part IIto feature another serial killer in the style of the Riddler.
A New Crime Direction For The Batman Part 2
The expanded influences of the new film could grow from the films that made their presence felt inThe Batman. Reeves has already compared the relationship between Batman and Gordon to that of investigative journalists Bernstein and Woodward inAll the President’s Men(1974). Played respectively by Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford in Pakula’s film, those characters were the real-lifeWashington Postreporters at the heart of the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon.
That style of political thriller, which reached peak popularity in the 1970s, is the perfect way to open up facets ofThe BatmanEpic Crime Saga as it moves beyond the comic arc ofThe Long Halloween.
Rumored to beplayed by Boyd Holbrook,The Batman Part IIis set to introduce Harvey Dent, the ambitious district attorney who forms a pact with Batman and Gordon to take down organized crime. Batman lore records that it didn’t end well for Dent, with a mob attack leaving him physically and mentally broken as Two Face.
You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
That famous quote fromThe Dark Knightaccompanies the district attorney’s fall, which forms the spine ofThe Long Halloweenand its sequels.
Drawing on thrillers that draw politicians and journalists together would provideThe Batman Part IIa larger fabric to tell its story. Fans last saw the pact between Batman, Gordon and Dent in live-action in Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight. Drawing the Gotham Gazette into the crime saga would be a far cry from the journalists we’re used to seeing trying to unmask Batman (Like Vicki Vale in 1989’sBatman) and set it apart from Nolan’s epic. The exposure of corruption and intrigue in political circles is a neat way to draw Dent’s hot shot (and, of course, elected) District Attorney into the story. Given the vast potential for Dent to get on the wrong side of many influential Gothamites, including Bruce Wayne if the new filmbuilds on his socialite persona, his fall could be a gripping whodunnit.
A Wealth Of Inspiring Political Thrillers That Could Influence The Batman
Other political thrillers that could make their presence felt inThe Batman Part IIincludeThe Day of the Jackal. There have been two film adaptations of Frederick Forsyth’s novel about a political assassination attempt, the most famous of which was released in 1973. Late 2024 will see the story adapted for a Peacock-exclusive limited series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch.
Some famous examples from the genre suggest that it’s been influencing big-screen Batman for some time, particularly in portrayals of the Riddler.The Parallax Viewwas a 1974 film that saw Warren Beatty’s TV journalist caught in a political assassination plot that saw fast-paced subliminal images used to brainwash people. Fans may be reminded of the Brainwave device that enabled the Riddler to steal thoughts inBatman Forever. Three Days of the Condoris a 1975 thriller in which genre hero Robert Redford’s CIA officer tracks down coded messages in books. Given the Riddler’s survival, that plot point could influence future films.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola,The Conversationis a highly-regarded 1970s thriller. Drawing from the story in which Gene Hackman’s surveillance expert picks up evidence of a murder could bring tension, claustrophobia, and ethical dilemmas in spades. Political thrillers that drew on the legacy of WWI likeThe Boys from BrazilandMarathon Manwowed audiences in the 1970s, Both movies hinged on fantastic lead and support actors — something that’s a given in The Batman Part II.
Drawing out the conspiracy and cover-ups, 1977’sCapricorn Onefocused on a fake Mars landing. A classic that made a dent in popular culture, it proves there’s enormous scope for Reeves’Batmanseries to move in the genre.
There’s no doubt that looking in this direction would also be a shrewd move, considering the success the Marvel Cinematic Universe had when it drew on the political thriller genre. Steeped in movies likeAll The President’s Menand uncoincidentally starring Robert Redford,Captain America: The Winter Soldierremains one of the MCU’s high points.
The Batman Part II
Cast
The Batman Part II is the sequel to Matt Reeve’s The Batman, released in 2022, and will continue where the original film left off. The film shares a universe with the HBO Max original Penguin series and sees the return of the Riddler and a different incarnation of the Joker.
