1. Capture of Gotham
Could there have been a more pivotal moment? This was when things got
really bad. With Batman gone and Gordon in the hospital, there was no hope for what was about to happen. The patriotic Star-Spangled Banner playing as Bane walked down his road to revolution was one of the best moments in the entire movie. He stepped out of the darkness heralding the news of Gotham's destruction while everyone looked directly at the man responsible for it all. Bane, being one for theatrics, wanted the city to see their "savior" and revel in his presence. He had the charisma, the fear, and what it took to be the poster boy for what would eventually be revealed as Talia's version of chaos. Much of this article focuses on Bane's effectiveness as a villain and Nolan's plan for such a being. Though Bane was trivialized near the end, everything before Talia's reveal was the result of a stone cold killer. Though Selina Kyle was a fantastic addition in the movie, her character was solely a plot device - a good one at that - and lacked a memorable scene that drove the movie forward. Anne Hathaway was perfect in her performance though and was a much needed presence in the Batman universe. The ending was equally brilliant, but the scenes listed above made it possible. Again, every single scene could have been included in this article, but if that was the case, a "How Brilliant is The Dark Knight Rises?" article would have been more fitting. This article had a different purpose.