The Dark Knight Chicago "The Dark Knight" Fans ...

[AgentChaos0066]

Seeing as how the writer and director of both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight both grew up in Chicago, and decided to use so much of the city prominently in the two Bat-films ... did anyone catch the nods to Chicago residents in The Dark Knight?

One of the police officers killed after Joker makes his threat to kill Harvey Dent is named ...

Richard Dent

As Chicago residents and sports fans know. Richard Dent was a SUPERSTAR for the Chicago Bears of the mid to late 80's, and was the Super Bowl MVP of the Bears only Super Bowl victory in 1985.

The other nod?

When Joker's giving the street addresses of Harvey and Rachel, Joker refers to "Avenue X and Cicero"

Cicero being a major street in the city of Chicago.

Just thought I'd point that out if no one caught them, or weren't from Chicago. Kind of wink, wink ... nod, nods to Chicago residents.

 

[byte19]

oh i caught 'em agent! i held my little squeal-like-a-girl moment inside when i heard them!!

 

[Bats]

Caught those as well. Wasn't sure 'Richard Dent' was intentional but still cool.

Also about the addy, there actually is an Avenue O in Chicago.

 

[Borat]

I'm not from Chicago, but thats really cool!

 

[animexcel]

I'm from Chicago and I noticed the Cicero name too, but not the Richard Dent part. When I first saw the movie, I thought the Joker said that Rachel was "having a wax" job or something.

 

[Scarecrow360]

Yeah those were pretty damn obvious nods.

But honestly I thought the whole film was an honor to Chicago considering that, besides the establishing and skyline shots, the city was completely unaltered cosmetically in any way.

Hey Byte, you get a display case for your reel yet?

 

[Goodfellas]

I highly doubt Chris Nolan of all people through a nod at a Chicago Bears Football player

I gurantee you it was a concidence

But i never knew C Nolan grew up in Chicago

 

[.Rorschach.]

I noticed the Richard Dent partMy Father is from the Chicago area and I grew up listening to go on,and on about Richard.

 

[hatebox]

'Richard' isn't exactly an uncommon name... could easily be coincidence.

 

[MessenjahMatt]

Is this a nod too?

hehe can't believe they missed that.

 

[Bats]

That's an actual store (or was....not sure if it's still in business now).

I'm more surprised they left the Starbucks store in there.

 

[gqxsensazn]

Did the majority of filming take place in Chicago? Except for Hong Kong, it looked like all the locations were in Chicago.

 

[Bats]

Most of it was Chicago. Besides Hong Kong they shot in London too.

 

[OctaviusINC]

I didn't get the Richard Dent one, then again I'm not a big sports fan. But I got Cicero cause my grandfather used to own a Currency Exchange on Cicero.

 

[usmcrice0311]

Is this a nod too?


hehe can't believe they missed that.

they left all the stores in that scene. you can see all of the names of the stores and the buildings all have their addresses still on them. my wife is from southside chicago so when we went home for xmas i made her take me on a dark knight tour.

went to the bank robbery building (old post office building) its all boarded up now but i made the wife get on my shoulders and take pictures of the stairs and entrance haha.

id say lasalle street was the coolest though. it was pretty much unaltered for the shooting.

 

[Goodfellas]

Richard Dent was a concidence people.....

 

[byte19]

not if you're in you 30's or 40's.... he was the bears leading QB sack man. like the film crew weren't giggling when Gary said it... let us dream dammit!

 

[AgentChaos0066]

Richard Dent was a concidence people.....

Why are you so sure? LOL ...

I mean of all names to pick? It's not a coincidence.

Anyone from the Bears 85 team is a LEGEND in this city. Selling anything from cars, to cigars, to salsa.

Let alone Richard Dent who was the MVP of the Bears only Super Bowl victory.

The damn screen writer grew up in this city.

Either it was an intentional nod, or the citizen from Chicago just thought of that name in reference to the player and didn't care whether anyone thought it was a nod or would even notice.

But if it werent for the fact that JONAH NOLAN grew up from childhood to adulthood in this city, then yeah I would say it's a coincidence.

But it clearly wasn't. As "Cicero" wasn't a "coincidence", either.

 

[AgentChaos0066]

not if you're in you 30's or 40's.... he was the bears leading QB sack man. like the film crew weren't giggling when Gary said it... let us dream dammit!

It's not even a dream. The man who penned the dialogue probably instantly thought of his name when it came time to think of two policemen names that would form Harvey Dent. And whether he conciously did it so Chicagoans would notice or not, Richard Dent in a movie largely filmed in Chicago put together by home grown Chicago talent ... yeah it isn't a coincidence. Just as referring to Cicero isn't, either.

 

[Steelsheen]

well, i'm not from Chicago, but getting to know stuff like this is a little fun

 

[Sweetchuck]

Yeah I got the cicero reference. Ive bought some "blo" or heroin just south of Chicago ave on the west side of Cicero...
Coincidence?
That and the fact that the whole hospital scene blowing up was right there "on" Cicero or 1 street over. So Im thinking that Heath had one of his assistants go over and get him some blo while he was there...That and the fact that he died of a Oxycontin overdose...
Coincidence?