The Dark Knight Trilogy: Jim Gordon’s Top 10 Moments

A tribute to Commissioner James Gordon, overlooked by many, but one of the strongest and most interesting characters in Nolan's Batman opus.

By Alex Leadbeater /

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Commissioner James Gordon has been one of the most overlooked heroes of Christopher Nolan€™s spectacular Dark Knight Trilogy. When The Dark Knight Rises hit cinemas a couple of months ago, all the talk was around Bane€™s reign of terror and Bruce Wayne€™s state at the end. But one thing that was skimmed over was Gary Oldman€™s once again sterling performance as Gotham€™s chief of police.

Oldman is one of the finest actors working today and also one of the most overlooked. Whether he€™s providing delicious over the top villainy in Leon, delivering a downbeat tour-de-force in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or brightening up the biggest of blockbuster franchises, he€™s a completely dependable actor with an eye for a good project. And Jim Gordon may just be his finest performance of all. Unlike many of the other supporting characters in Nolan's epic, Gordon has a proper development arc over the three films, starting out as a lone good cop who, through an assault on the mob and corruption, becomes the leader of a resistance and a hero in his own right. In previous film attempts, he was more of a police liaison who explained why Batman was never arrested. For his saga, Nolan has provided Oldman with a truly great character that evolves as much as Batman and his city. Gordon is ultimately a metaphor for the state of Gotham. And so in tribute to this excellent, but often ignored commissioner, here€™s his ten finest moments from The Dark Knight Trilogy. There were lots of small moments I really wanted to include, but just couldn€™t fit in. The look on his face when Batman€™s return appears on the TV, the bittersweet reveal of the statue and the loving €˜this time, I saved him€™ to his son; all great moments that couldn€™t quite make the list. The ten moments here showcase Oldman€™s versatility and show all sides of Gordon€™s character. It€™s no coincidence that they are also some of the best moments in the series.