Amazing analysis! This is why this thread exists. Agreed with everything above. Especially the point that Bane's take-over of the city should have happened earlier. Nolan should have sacrificed Modine, Dent Act, "Chase Batman!", etc subplots and maybe done some reshooting to condense the first act. I don't like how the first time we meet Bane in the city (after the prologue) it's in his own lair in the sewers. Should have been a scene in there where he does evil shit somewhere in Gotham to reemphesize that he's the bad guy and up to no good. And I always thought the motives why Batman comes back was really unclear - if the streets are so clean, why come back? Then again, I've only seen it once so I might have missed something.
Thanks for taking the time to read my essay! I know it was extremely long. Sort of like the movie!
I actually liked the sewer scene. I don't like that it led to Gordon being in bed for half the movie for no real reason, well besides that he is hurt and they wanted to set up a cool exchange between Gordon and Bruce dressed as Batman the very first time he met Gordon on the rooftops in BB. I think mainly they should have cut out JGL coming to rescue Gordon. It isn't entirely clear why Bane's men would go after Gordon all of sudden either. Its not like he can stop them. Its a cool scene but I would have removed it.
Another cool intro to Bane in Gotham would have been if he crashed the charity event in the beginning. But then that would be a completely different movie.
I actually think both the intros for Bane (plane sequence) and Catwoman (stealing necklace and interaction with Bruce) are brilliant, perfectly shot, and the accompanying music elevates them.
As for your question, Bruce sees 2 reasons to come back. First as Bruce he has to come back into the picture because his company is about to be taken over, there is no profit, and he sees how it really affects the causes he cares for (the orphanage).
Bruce also starts to wonder why Selina would want his fingerprints while pretending to be after the pearls. His Batman instinct and urge is kicking in. Then he hears about Gordon being hurt, goes to see him, and Gordon tells him about "this evil rises" from the sewers. That is all he needs to hear to realize this is no ordinary crime (the fingerprints) and that this Bane dude means trouble.
Strongly disagree though about the cop fight taking place in daylight - it gives the movie a different feel: it doesn't need to take place during the night because it wants to be a visually different movie. This is fine, I think.
Yeah its a really personal preference and I know some would prefer day time. I think in a movie like this when you have a guy dressed as a Bat and 1000s of extras, a lot of the goofy stuff which makes its way into the final cut gets hidden by the darkness of night.
My other preference would have been if the fight between Bane's army and the cops took place at a separate location then the batter between Batman and Bane. I would have liked it if it just them two alone on the steps of the building they were fighting on. More dramatic. The brawl of 1000s could have worked as background to the main fight. It still does but I think visually it might have worked better how I am imagining it. Again minor preferences.
That reminds me of that bit in this movie where Bruce takes off the cowl and talks to Alfred and his eye make up is gone. He looks fucking swagtastic in the suit without the cowl, but still funny.
The scene after he comes back from his first night out right?
There is some picture evidence of the scene from Batman Returns. Someone find it!
