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Plot

Behind the black cowl, Gotham City superhero Batman is really millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), who turned to crimefighting after his parents were brutally murdered before his eyes. The only person to share Wayne's secret is faithful butler Alfred (Michael Gough). The principal villain in Batman is The Joker (Jack Nicholson) who'd been mob torpedo Jack Napier before he was horribly disfigured in a vat of acid. The Joker's plan to destroy Batman and gain control of Gotham City is manifold. First he distributes a line of booby-trapped cosmetics, then he goes on a destruction spree in the Gotham Art Museum while the music of Prince blasts away in the background, and finally he orchestrates an all-out campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Gothamites, hoping to turn them against the Cowled One. Meanwhile, reporter Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) becomes the love of Batman's life-which of course plays right into the Joker's hands. Photographed by Roger Pratt, designed by Anton Furst, and scored by Tim Burton's favorite composer Danny Elfman, Batman was a monstrous box-office hit, making $100 million in the first ten days of release--$82,800,000 in North America alone. Incidentally, Billy Dee Williams' comparatively small role as DA Harvey Dent was originally designed to set up the sequel, wherein Dent was to convert into master criminal Two-Face; but by the time the producers got around to that character in 1995's Batman Forever, Two-Face was played by Tommy Lee Jones.
MPAA Rating:
PG-13
Genre(s):
Action,Crime and Mystery,Fantasy
Run Time:
126min.
Theatrical Release Date:
06/23/1989
DVD Release Date:
03/26/1997
Status:
In Theaters
Distributor(s):
Warner Bros.
Director(s):
Tim Burton
Starring:
Michael Keaton , Jack Nicholson , Kim Basinger , Robert Wuhl , Pat Hingle
Themes:
Haunted By the Past,Disfigured Criminals,Double Life,Criminal's Revenge
Tone:
Bleak,Atmospheric,Dreamlike,Goth,Lavish,Tense,Moody,Stylized
Keywords:
Superhero,betrayal,butler,city,crimefighting,death-in-family,disfigurement,emotional-problems,justice,millionaire,obsession,orphan,revenge,trauma,vigilante,villain
Country of Origin:
USA (06-23-1989)
Language:
English