Even with the strength of his artistic vision, the convergence of his creative identity and his pitch perfect adaptation of the source, and the essential comic book feel of his films, Burton's chief success in the first Batman and its sequel is in the portrayal of Bruce Wayne. What Burton understood more than both Schumacher - who went for polished playboy and Nolan who went for preened, arrogant playboy was that Bruce Wayne didn't need to have an unlikable public persona. Yes, Nolan pushed the idea of Wayne's real mask being his public one, rather than his cowl, but Bale's performance as the character was a little too forced to the extreme end, and it's hard to understand why anyone would even care about him. It isn't enough to sell Bruce Wayne as an eccentric loner with borderline anti-social behaviour and a Patrick Bateman edge without the extreme psychosis, he has to remain a socialite who remains important in his community. That is the magic of his deception, and having him hiding as much as Nolan did just isn't as smart as Burton's more restrained, but still guarded version of the character. Where do you think Tim Burton's Batman sits in the ranking of the best Batman movies? Share your thoughts below in the comments.
