6. A Sideways Step To The East
Following the breath-taking bank heist that opens The Dark Knight, the Mafia entrusts their wealth with Chinese accountant Lau; who swiftly absconds to his Hong Kong skyscraper. Therefore it falls to Batman, with the help of Foxs ridiculously elaborate skyhook, to track down Lau and make him squeal. Bond, conversely, is dispatched to Shanghai to retrieve information from mercenary Patrice, the one who got away in the opening sequence. Both protagonists are cloaked in darkness, laden with hi-tech gadgetry and tasked with the perfect ambush. The Hong Kong sequence showcases The Dark Knights incredible IMAX footage, all vertiginous exterior shots and action with the immediacy of shattered glass. Skyfall opts for a slower, more suspenseful ascent, with Bond slinking as though on a chessboard; visible only when illuminated by the giant neon signs in the surrounding skyline.
Both films journey to a first-act Eastern setting that is never revisited, literally or figuratively. As exciting as they are, each sequence is made to feel like a side-step in the plot; the part of the story encased in parentheses.