The Dark Knight Rises - Character Analysis
Introduction & Conflict
In The Dark Knight Rises, viewers first see a shell of a man, Bruce Wayne, in a weak and unkempt state of being. Bruce walks with a cane, seems weary of life, and has all but abandoned his dream of restoring Gotham. Batman does not appear until a third of the way into the movie, when he races on his batpod to stop Bane from stealing the stock market codes. This is a dramatic entry, full of devilish stunts and feats and a massive chase scene between Batman, Bane’s thugs, and the city police.
The inciting incident that first draws Bruce into the mix is when Selina Kyle steals from him. He investigates her, which leads him to discover a new antagonist, Bane. As Bane begins the early phase of his master plan to destroy Gotham, Bruce decides he can sit on the sidelines no more. Jim Gordon and new detective John Blake both implore the Batman to return, and finally, when Bane steals codes from the stock market, Batman steps in to save the day.
Dialogue
Bruce seems broken for much of this film, hopeless and without a cause. This is reflected in his speech: he often seems breathy and unenthusiastic, and his dialogue is short and largely apathetic. As the film goes on, the audience can see that Bruce has a renewed sense of hope for the city, but he also senses that the end is near. His demeanor and dialogue towards the end of the film seem to indicate that he knows his time as Batman is coming to a close. Batman continues his trend of one-liners in the film, but the supporting characters are better at relieving tension through humor, such as Selina Kyle and Lucius Fox. When introducing Bruce to the flying vehicle he had brought in, Lucius tells him, “It has a long, uninteresting Wayne Enterprises designation…I just took to calling it “The Bat” (Thomas & Nolan 2012).
Relationships
Bruce Wayne has become a recluse by the beginning of the film, completely cutting himself off from society. At the celebration of Harvey Dent Day, one party guest asks another, “Ever lay eyes on Wayne at one of these things?” to which the other replies, “No one has, not in years” (Thomas & Nolan 2012). Bruce is crushed by the loss of Rachel Dawes and by Harvey Dent’s corruption, and has distanced himself from his company, his contacts, and all of Gotham. He and Alfred fight over his decision to act as Batman once again, since Alfred believes Batman has already done all he can do in Gotham city. He eventually comes to trust a Wayne Enterprises employee, Miranda Tate, because of her philanthropic attempts to help Gotham. He develops a romantic relationship with her, and is shocked when he finally realizes she cannot be trusted. Bruce’s relationship with Selina Kyle is playful. He trusts her and wants to redeem her from her questionable actions, but she continuously flirts the line between good and bad morality. He eventually comes to realize how similar he is to Selina, and in helping her to start over, he attempts to give himself a new start.
Alfred is worried for Bruce’s safety when he begins to act as Batman once more, and eventually he leaves Bruce in a last ditch effort to make Bruce live a normal life.
“You see only one end to your story,” says Alfred, referring to Bruce’s belief that he’ll die as Batman. “Leaving is all I have to make you understand: you aren’t Batman anymore – you have to find another way” (Thomas & Nolan 2012).
Lucius plays his typical role of helpful benefactor, and Gordon is Batman’s trusted ally and partner. Selina Kyle is interested by Bruce/Batman’s antics, and although she is more concerned with saving herself, she finds herself carrying for Bruce and worrying about his wellbeing. Miranda plays her part well when getting close to Bruce, and he falls for her act. Detective John Blake still believes in Batman and has hope that Batman will ultimately save the city. His firm and constant belief in Bruce plays a big part in Bruce’s belief in himself. Bane realizes Batman’s importance as a symbol in Gotham, and as a result, he realizes the importance of defeating Batman and removing him from the city in order to complete his plan. “You don’t fear death,” says Bane. “You welcome it. Your punishment is to be more severe…not of your body. Of your soul” (Thomas & Nolan 2012).
Decisions
Batman’s decisions affect him personally, as well as affecting the city. His decision to take on Bane, even though Bane was physically superior, resulted in a miserable defeat for Batman, and imprisonment. The city would have likely been taken over regardless, but Batman could have been waiting in the city, rather than stuck in a prison in the Middle East. His choice to take the atomic bomb out of the city saves the people, but it results in his own death (as far as the people of Gotham are aware).
Batman’s decisions in the film are the most morally sound decisions he makes in the trilogy. In the previous films, his actions and decisions are debatable and often cringe-worthy, but in this film, he does nothing illegal or immoral. He acts as Gotham’s savior, and to fulfill that role, he needed to be blameless and a worthy sacrifice for the city. Bruce makes unwise decisions when he first resumes his work as Batman. He thinks he can be just as effective in the role, despite his long absence from Gotham. Alfred warns him to be careful or to reconsider, saying Bane is stronger and more dedicated than Batman, but Bruce disregards his warnings (Thomas & Nolan 2012). At the end of the movie, Bruce makes better decisions, fighting smarter instead of relying on his strength alone, and as a result, he is able to defeat Bane and save Gotham from the bomb.
Themes
The theme of death and resurrection is prominent in The Dark Knight Rises, and it shows the audience Bruce’s true commitment to serving and saving the city of Gotham. “His goodwill to Gotham is not just head-shaking, hand-wringing sentimentality. His compassion can be measured in the losses he has sustained. As Selina Kyle tells Bruce, ‘You don’t owe these people any more. You’ve already given them everything’” (Parker ebook). The Christian parallels with this theme are easy to see. Gotham is in desperate need of a savior, and the people are so far past the point of saving that it would take the sacrificial death of their hero, Batman, to fully reconcile the city. In the same way, Christianity regards Jesus as that kind of hero. Humanity had sinned beyond the point of reckoning, and it took the death of a blameless man, Jesus, to save the world from that sin. When Jim Gordon gives a eulogy for Batman, he reads an excerpt from “A Tale of Two Cities.”
“I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous, and happy” (Thomas & Nolan 2012).
Just as Batman himself rose from a pit in order to return to Gotham, he sees the people of Gotham rising from the pit of despair in which they had been trapped. “Batman’s rise allows a people to rise. His sacrifice makes their lives peaceful and blessed” (Parker ebook).
The other major theme of the film is hope versus despair. “Bane believes that without hope, despair is incomplete. When people realize that there is no hope the way things stand, they have no reason to play it safe or hedge their bets. But if the slightest possibility of escape is dangled in front of them, they will go mad trying to hold onto it” (Parker ebook). Once Bane has defeated Batman and overtaken Gotham City, he tells him that hope and despair are inextricably linked.
“As I terrorize Gotham, I will feed its people hope to poison their souls. I will let them believe they can survive” (Thomas & Nolan 2012).
Music
The Dark Knight Rises goes even further to ensure that the music mirrors the character of Batman. Christopher Nolan said of this film’s music, “Hans really wanted to come up with a notion of how you could have something that’s familiar, something you’ve seen in the other films that’s true to the heroics of that” (Nolan web). The “wing flaps” once again open the film, but they are not present again until Batman’s dramatic return to the city. This time, the flaps are present as a reminder that Batman is still a figure in Gotham and is not to be forgotten, despite his long absence.
Batman’s ostinato is a shadow of its former self, a significant parallel to Batman’s character, a broken shell of a man. Nolan commented that “at the beginning, [the ostinato] is really a ghost of itself. So you’re really just hearing this very ethereal version, this ethereal tune that is developed from the two notes that were always played in the other films, these very strident brass notes” (Nolan web). This ghostly theme is perfect for Batman’s character. The city has all but forgotten him, he is ignoring his former self, and he is a crippled man, both mentally and physically. As the film progresses, we see the firmer, more heroic version of the ostinato return, and by the end of the film, it has fully returned, or “risen” so to speak.
The Batman theme is gone for most of the film, much like Batman’s character. Its key appearance is at the end of the film, as it was in The Dark Knight, but its arrangement is much different. His theme is mournful and pensive, reflecting on his actions throughout the entire trilogy. The theme then transitions to a driven and hopeful arrangement as the film shows the positive impact that Batman has had on the city. This hopeful version of the theme leaves the viewer satisfied with the ending – showing optimism for the future and satisfaction for the characters.
