ROTTEN TOMATOES: Christian Bale Talks "Dark Knight" Training

Christian Bale Talks "Dark Knight" Training

by Fred Topel | May 01, 2007

"Batman Begins" not only made Christian Bale a bankable superstar, it also made him a pro at dodging direct questions about any Batman-related sequels. While promoting this summer's POW drama "Rescue Dawn," Bale was kind enough to tease about the new Batstunts we may see in "The Dark Knight." His previous experience with the stunt team has encouraged them to let him do even more this time around.

"We kind of were untested before, [now] they know that I know my right from my left," Bale said. "They know that when I walk, the arm swings the right way and everything so there’s a little more confidence in me about my ability to pick things up quickly. We did start a while back in training which I believe is a mystery for what we are training for."

Bale in "Batman Begins"

While he would never reveal any story points, in fact sometimes delighting in vaguely dodging the fanboys, Bale did assure us that "The Dark Knight" was a significant progression from "Batman Begins."

"Actually I’m liking very much the idea because I haven’t reprised a role ever before and so I know it already. We’ve got a great cast as well, and Chris [Nolan] and I work very well together so I know that we’re going to be finding an awful lot to add to it. The last thing it is is treading water."

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(1-20 of 34 posts) | Reply

Matanuki writes:
on May 01 2007 09:18 AM

Why couldn't it be this easy to believe in every comic book movie franchise?

(Reply to this)

Merlin235 writes:
on May 01 2007 09:30 AM

In reply to this comment (#863435)
Whatever, I'm axiously awaiting Elektra 2

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on May 01 2007 09:38 AM

In reply to this comment (#863436)
Good one, Merlin. And I just can't wait for Catwoman 2.

(Reply to this)

Bigbrother writes:
on May 01 2007 09:40 AM

In reply to this comment (#863436)
I hear they're bringing in Jennifer Love Hewitt to take over the part...sorry couldn't resist pouring a bit of salt in Nuki's wound :)

(Reply to this)

originalsince84 writes:
on May 01 2007 10:07 AM

In reply to this comment (#863435)
because this franchise casts actors. the other franchises just cast eye candy and glitz them up with CGI. If you look at Begins you had several academy award winners. Look at FF and you have a bunch of no names and Jessica Alba.

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on May 01 2007 10:24 AM

In reply to this comment (#863438)
LOL. Bbro, you sir... are becoming quite the nemesis. :-)

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on May 01 2007 10:54 AM

In reply to this comment (#863439)
Agreed on all counts! My throat is definitely not one you'll ever have to shove that argument down. Seems they're trying to change it up with FF though in the upcoming sequel. One can hope... In the meantime, no hope necessary for Nolan's Batman franchise. Looks like Spiderman is coming to a nice close as well. One from each comic label, I guess. All we need now is Image to step up and fix the mess they let be made of Spawn back in '97.

(Reply to this)

Dane Cook is NOT Funny writes:
on May 01 2007 11:40 AM

Christian Bale is amazing in everything he does. I can't wait to see this Batman movie.

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sharpless writes:
on May 01 2007 11:48 AM

I don't think it's just a case of casting good actors. The writing in Batman Begins was tastefully and respectfully done. It wasn't just, "BANG! Here's foxy Johnny Storm and BOOM! Jessica Alba is naked when she's invisible! LOOK! a sinister guy! Ooh, tension! Stunts!" I mean, starting Begins with Bruce Wayne in Asia (sorry, I suck... I forget where exactly he was) wasn't the most orthodox way of beginning the movie. It's like time and a lot of care were given towards making this a faithful and compelling adaptation of Batman. If only more comic book movies would take the time to tell a good story and tell it well, before trying to win over the young popcorn crowd with a bright, shiny toy. (Unless you're Sam Raimi, in which case you can apparently have your cake and eat it too.)

(Reply to this)

pinkincide writes:
on May 01 2007 12:35 PM

In reply to this comment (#863443)
I agree, it wasn't primarily the acting or necessarily Bale that made it work. There weren't any particularly demanding acting scenes. It worked because they took the whole concept seriously--and gave a big middle finger to previous Batman garbage. I was amazed how they delved into the progression of all the batgear. Those types of supporting details are just the types of things that get killed in committee for the sake of more explosions.

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Matanuki writes:
on May 01 2007 01:30 PM

I consider it some pretty great fellowship to be able to converse with yall, Batman fans and all. (You can't imagine the flack I catch in, typical all of places, the gym when trying to carry on a debate against an army of Superman freaks. Where the hell are you guys when I need you?!).
Sharpless, I agree and disagree with you at the same time. Casting great actors is only half the battle, but it's significant since the bigger the actor, the higher the demand for a great script. Not to mention they can go all Samuel L. Jackson circra Shaft 2000 on em if they're being stupid and lazy with the script.
We were just talking about Fantastic Four a few days ago. If you think about it, and it's only suddenly coming to mind for me in light of these conversations so I claim no level of superior thinking, Fantastic Four is probablly the least faithful and most insulting of all the comic book films. The comic was largely a sci-fi tale of discovery, with the characters always doing intelligent and interesting things. A great Fantastic Four movie would probably be best served as a straight laced science fiction film, written, like Begins, in opposition of the usual narrative template for these kind of movies.
Pinkincide, you couldn't be more on point with the attention to detail in Begins. Filmmakers should take notes from this team and start taking their source material seriously. The fans do, after all. Not to mention the writers and artists churning out the comics each month. Who are these movie clowns to invade our world for the sake of a quick dollar without even doing us the honor of respecting these mythologies?

(Reply to this)

Bear45 writes:
on May 01 2007 04:21 PM

Hopefully he's training to bust some Dark Knight kung-fu.

(Reply to this)

TheGodfather writes:
on May 01 2007 05:34 PM

Hopefully the editing will allow us to be able to see his kung-fu moves this time.

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ck100 writes:
on May 01 2007 07:19 PM

It's really hard to pinpoint what exactly makes a great comic book movie. But first and foremost is should have a great script. If you have a great script, then I personally think that's half the battle one. I mean even the most inept director can still make a good movie if the script is good. Look at George Lucas and "Star Wars". :P

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synergyred writes:
on May 01 2007 08:11 PM

God I LOVE that picture. I should get it blown up to poster size and hang it over my bed. The boyfriend probablywould be less than enthusiastic though....

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Matanuki writes:
on May 02 2007 05:17 AM

In reply to this comment (#863449)
That's a safe assumption.

(Reply to this)

selke99 writes:
on May 02 2007 05:30 AM

In reply to this comment (#863447)
First off, I think this is by far the best superhero movie ever made (some of spiderman dialogue is too hokey). But one thing that kept it being perfect was the action scenes were filmed like the camera was on Batman's shoulder! I have the extended DVD which has extras that show Batman's action scenes from farther away, so you can see all the characters, and it looks good! If Bruce Wayne supposedly learned all these different fighting techniques, wouldn't you want to have the audience actually see proof of this? I hated this on the second Bourne too. Can't wait till the pic though. And yes, FF4 was stupid. But of course I'll be seeing the sequel.

(Reply to this)

Darth_Ninch writes:
on May 02 2007 05:53 AM

In reply to this comment (#863447)
[b]I really hope not.[/b]
THe fighting will lose a lot of impact if filmed from farther back, and IMO, filming Keysi from a far distance would be underwelling, boring, and just plain silly.

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on May 02 2007 06:25 AM

In reply to this comment (#863452)
A fight scene that makes no visual sense can have no lasting visceral impact. Not being able to see Batman fight is like not being able to see Superman fly. You'd probably agree that a Superman film with all the flying scenes edited out would be, well, much worse than Superman Returns. The same argument applies. The fight scenes in Begins remain a flaw, no matter how nifty an excuse Nolan comes up with for it. Let's hope he learns from his mistakes this time around.

(Reply to this)

mac1165 writes:
on May 02 2007 07:05 AM

In reply to this comment (#863454)
I agree. This is the best superhero movie to date, primarily because it wasn't produced only to get 14 year old boys to the theater for a week or two. Everything about this movie (aside from the fight scenes) was just about perfect, the best being the script and Christian Bale's performance. What amazed me is how this movie convinces you that given access to enough money and access to technology (Bruce Wayne enterprises) that Batman could truly exist.

The fight scenes were shot entirely too close, though. I am a big fan of wide establishing and medium shots in action scenes, sprinkled with close ups. Just look at movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Die Hard. Action scenes here were flawlessly carried out without confusion, shaky hand held cameras, and rapid fire editing. Close ups were used only for dramatic effect.

This idea of forcing viewers into the middle of the action and cutting away every three seconds just doesn't work for me. It's a cheap technical trick used to make moviegoers think they're seeing something amazing. In reality, it's lazy and doesn't require a director to artistically stage action scenes as most did in the past. Check out Mel Gibson's Apocalypto as an exception to the rule. If you can get past all the blood, these are some of the most exciting, artistically designed action scenes I've ever seen.

(Reply to this)

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