Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman
Directed by Christopher Nolan

As flawless as flawless gets, Batman Begins features a beautifully complex storyline that absorbs the viewer into the dark and wholly un-comical world of Gotham City. Without any unnecessary overuse of flashbacks, the film succeeds in significant events in Bruce Wayne's childhood and past that shaped him into the driven individual he is now. Batman, after all, is only a man in a cape and this film is not afraid to show Batman struggling, temporarily foiled by the enemy, and his need for friends like Alfred and allies like Sergeant Gordon. Perfectly cast Christian Bale shows his talent, able to pull off the sexy, suave billionaire of Bruce Wayne and the ruthless, snarling shadow of Batman with equal aplomb.

We are introduced to Bruce Wayne as a child and it becomes immediately apparent the role bats plays in his life. This segment is seamlessly integrated into Bruce's situation at a frosty Asian prison and his acceptance into Ra's Al Ghul's training site for the mysterious League of Shadows, which hangs precariously off an icy mountainside. All throughout the film both Bruce Wayne and Batman are in a constant state of change and improvement, learning from the past to better the future.

A nice touch is the prominence of Morgan Freeman's character, Lucius Fox, who is the mastermind behind Batman's high-tech equipment. Making Batman's snazzy tools all things that were once meant to be mass produced for the defense industry adds a factor of reality that is lacking in superhero films. Combined with the utter humanness of this Batman, it is apparent that he's just a regular guy with a historical interest in Gotham City who just won't give up instead of some indestructable being who fell out of the sky.

Needless to say, the action is as spectacular as it gets, complete with the obligatory explosions and mass destruction that makes movies worth seeing on the big screen. A real treat is the car chase between regular city police Crown Vics and Batman's new six wheeled "tank," never once referred to as the Batmobile to spare it from the laughable stigma of past Batmobiles.

Batman Begins, like many other action flicks, seeks to add humorous relief to break the intensity. Screenwriter, director and actor achieve this in a slick manner that isn't at all cheesy. One of my favorite lines is when Bruce becomes trapped under a beam that fell from the burning roof of the Wayne mansion and Alfred comes to the rescue, remarking "what is the point of all those push-ups if you can't lift a bloody log!"

Some people may be disappointed at the lack of a love story, but the fact is, this film isn't a story about Bruce Wayne's love life, it's about the development of Bruce Wayne into Batman and his reasons for doing it.