9 Indisputable Reasons Christopher Nolan Is A Bad Director

3. PG-13 Action

The Dark Knight Rises I get it, Nolan is working within the studio system, and even despite his tremendous successes, he has to play by a certain set of rules, one of which is that if you're making a comic book film, it almost definitely has to be suitable for children. The problem is that with Nolan wanting to reposition the Caper Crusader as a gritty superhero, there are certainly aspects of the new mythos that would hugely benefit from being R-rated. The Joker, for instance, was an utterly terrifying villain who nevertheless wound up a little neutered because of the PG-13 rating; when he fakes his own death before slicing a gang member's face and killing him, the awkward editing reduces the moment's impact. If Nolan were just able to show a little blood, then things would be a lot more disturbing. Similarly, the final showdown in The Dark Knight Rises suffers from the infamous PG-13 bullets gimmick; despite Bane's armed mercenaries firing at the spuriously-armed Gotham City PD, they seem to only kill a limited number of them, all of who die bloodlessly. The sterile approach reduces the visceral impact and also the credulity of the plot; how the Hell were these mercs, firing in clear sight of the cops, not really hitting anything? It's dumb.
 
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.