The Batman Review: 7 Ups & 2 Downs
5. The Riddler’s Darkness
Ooft! Paul Dano = tour de force.
Reeves doesn't pull any punches with the direction for his combined Edward Nashton/Riddler character either. The very first thing you see Dano's villain do will make you squirm, and the flick does a cracking job of escalating his importance in each follow-up scene.
Jim Carrey from Batman Forever, this isn't. Nobody's slagging off the great man's over-the-top work back in the mid-90s, but Dano takes The Riddler in an altogether different direction. There's an intense bleakness to his appearance, behaviour and the messages he leaves for Bruce Wayne, and it's all...a riot.
Serial killer vibes are nothing new to the Batman universe. Somehow though, Dano's intelligent portrayal of someone who enjoys toying with Wayne elevates his character to Jack Nicholson as The Joker comparisons. That's high praise indeed, albeit deserved praise.