The Batman film franchise has certainly set a high standard for superhero action cinema. Between the iconic truck chase from The Dark Knight, the “Gotham of Tomorrow” brawl from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, the cathedral duel in Tim Burton’s 1989Batman, and even the wackier battles in the Adam West era, each cinematic version of the caped crusader has left a unique stamp on the Bat’s combat techniques. Robert Pattinson is the latest to do so with his acclaimed role in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.
While The Batman took as much inspiration from classic crime films like Chinatown and All The President’s Men as it did the work of Bob Kane, it certainly didn’t skimp on the set pieces. Similar to his elevated approach to the recent Planet of the Apes prequels, Reeves proved that he could craft an emotional dramatic narrative that incorporated thrilling action sequences as well. The Batman features some of the most intense fight scenes in superhero film history; it frequently pushes the boundaries of the PG-13 rating.
Here are all the major fight scenes in The Batman, ranked.
RELATED: 'The Batman' Global Box Office Brings In $248.5 Million Opening Weekend
8. Batman Escapes The Police Station
Pattinson’s Batman has a fascinating relationship with the Gotham Police Department; he’s skeptical about trusting the police in a city that’s so steeped in corruption, yet he finds a consistent partner in Jeffrey Wright’s Commissioner Jim Gordon. Gordon is questioned by the other cops for placing his trust in a vigilante, and he’s forced to help Batman out when he’s held captive at the Gotham police station.
While it's an entertaining sequence that sees Batman faking an assault on Gordon, it stretches the realm of believability that had otherwise not been broken in the film. Batman escapes a little too quickly, and the cops seem incompetent for the sake of the plot. It’s also very similar to some of Batman’s encounters with the GCPD in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, and doesn’t feel as unique to Reeves’ vision.
7. Selina Kyle Tries To Kill Falcone
Zoë Kravitz stepped into the role of Selina Kyle, and she more than succeeded the high expectation that the role came with. While Anne Hathaway, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Lee Meriwether had each crafted unique versions of Catwoman, Kravitz certainly got into more of the action than any previous iteration of the character. In one of the pivotal sequences in the film, she attempts to kill Carmine Falcone (John Turturro).
The scene is more emotional than it is action-packed, and Selina isn’t at her A-game. An emotional reveal has shaken her cognition, and she’s distracted and conflicted about whether she can complete her mission. It's a well-acted scene, but not as compelling as an action sequence.
6. Batman Breaks Into The Iceberg Lounge
The Batman pays its tribute to noir cinema with its homages to classic crime movie hangouts. The Iceberg Lounge is the centerpoint of Gotham’s criminal underbelly where supervillains like Falcone and The Penguin (Colin Farrell) trade drinks and secrets with the corrupt members of the city’s infrastructure. Batman breaks into the Iceberg Lounge during an early sequence to question The Penguin.
It's a relatively brief scene that previews another battle in the Iceberg Lounge later on, and it serves a more expositional role in introducing The Penguin to the narrative. It's an effective character reveal, and Farrell chews the scenery with a completely unrecognizable performance. It was necessary for the earlier scene to be more restrained, it's just not as entertaining as some later fights.
5. Batman Versus Falcone’s Henchmen
Batman makes a second visit to the Iceberg Lounge towards the end of the film in order to stop Selina from murdering Falcone in cold blood. Falcone’s men attempt to stop him, and we get one of the most intense sequences of Batman taking down thugs ever committed to film. Ben Affleck’s Batman was more murderous, but Pattinson takes down the low level criminals without breaking the character’s ethical standards.
Batman is clearly more combat savvy than any of his opponents, but he’s in a race against time and doesn’t make it a priority to make sure every thug stays down. It signified a greater importance to his mission, as he was no longer going out of his way to humiliate every one of his enemies like he did during the train sequence at the beginning of the film.
4. Batman Uncovers The Collar Bomb
Some of the best Batman scenes of all-time aren’t as heavy on action as they are suspense; whether it's sniper chaos at Commissioner Loeb’s funeral in The Dark Knight or his heartbreaking confrontation of Andrea Beaumont in Mask of the Phantasm, it's always interesting when the caped crusader is forced to weigh the consequences that his action have. One of the most powerful themes of The Batman is how Bruce learns the difference between vengeance and justice.
When The Riddler (Paul Dano) rigs a bomb to the corrupt District Attorney Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard), Batman decides to attempt questioning him as the cops create a perimeter. It's reminiscent of the iconic restaurant scene in the original The Godfather and several classic Alfred Hitchcock films that Reeves may have taken inspiration from.
3. The Opening Batman Train Station Brawl
Batman says “I’m Vengeance,” and it's clear that while he’s already in his second year of being a crime fighter, he still hasn’t discovered his true role as Gotham’s savior. Batman patrols the streets in order to strike fear into the heart of the city’s criminals, but he’s less focused on solving crimes than he is beating the pulp out of every thug he can get his hands on.
This raw, untapped rage is evident within a brutal introduction to the character in which he takes down an entire criminal gang ruthlessly. What’s impressive is that Batman doesn’t feel particularly heroic in this scene, and it's clear by the end of the film that his merciless nature wasn’t actually solving any problems.
2. Batman Battles The Riddler’s Followers
The Batman is a very long film (the longest of the franchise), but it concludes in epic fashion without sacrificing the realism that Reeves has established. Although he initially thinks that The Riddler has been foiled, Batman discovers that the serial killer has inspired a violent cult following. The parallels to QAnon conspiracy theorists and Internet radicalization is an eerie commentary on the real world.
Reeves does a great job at making this real world connection effective without sacrificing the entertainment value of the sequence. More than any other scene in the film, the ending shows the furthest extent of Batman’s gadgets. It also showed the humanity of Batman, as he’s frequently injured and nearly fails.
1. The Batmobile Pursues The Penguin
There have been many great Batmobile sequences in the history of the franchise, but The Batman may have topped them all. Batman is once again trying to track down The Penguin, and when Falcone’s top enforcer escapes a busted drop deal, he reveals his iconic vehicle. Batman pursues him in a street chase featuring eye-popping visuals.
Reeves creates a very realistic version of Gotham, and the more elaborate chase is one of the rare moments in the film where it's just purely entertaining. It's simultaneously satisfying and hilarious to see The Penguin’s shocked reaction to his opponent. It also perfectly sets up a major reveal that occurs right after when Batman and Gordon press the supervillain for information.
