Bosef,
I understand what you are saying here. There are lines in the film that reference the revolution that is supposedly at the heart of Bane and Talia's plan. I was never confused by their motives, but rather I never really felt I saw their plan in action.
In Batman Begins, we saw how bad Gotham had gotten economically during the time when Bruce was a child and later when he returns to attend the trial of Joe Chill. That was The League of Shadows initial plan. Later, we see how panicked the people in the narrows are as the fear toxin is released, the second attempt by the League to take out Gotham. In both cases, we see the people of Gotham in peril and realize what is at stake, we see the plans in action.
In TDKR, all we see is bridges blown up and small groups of people huddled in buildings. Based on what is SHOWN in the film, all Bane has done is cut off the main island of Gotham from the rest of the world by blowing up a few bridges. He still allows food and supplies through for the people of Gotham, the citizens can still use their cell phones, watch their televisions, etc. Sure, sure you have the all too brief scene of the wealthy of Gotham being rounded up (which was never really made clear it was the so called people of Gotham doing the rounding up and looked rather like Bane's thugs). But other than that the people of Gotham are curiously MIA for alot of the film.
That is what could be confusing some people about Bane and Talia's plan. When Ra's blew through Gotham, there was some real danger and it was SHOWN on screen. The worst Bane does is force people to walk across ice and stay in their homes. I understand there was the constant threat of that bomb going off, but Nolan never shows any of the average citizens of Gotham in fear over it. If he had thrown in one or two scenes with people huddled in their homes, glued to their televisions, with looks of dread and fear, then perhaps Bane's plan would have felt more dangerous, more menacing.
But as played out in the film, it all seems rather pointless. I never felt the people in Gotham were ever in any real danger. I know, the bomb. Yes there was that. But the people were receiving aid, the cops were receiving food in the sewers, and the city itself looked pretty clean and orderly despite the fact that it was cut off from the rest of the world. I mean criminals were running loose and yet the city looks just as it had before Bane arrived.
Nolan never fully commits in regards to truly showing how Bane's plan would really play out. It was said in print and on television by Team Nolan that Bane was going to go further than the Joker did in TDK. Yet, I feel the Joker was far more menacing and his plan far more dangerous. We see the city in panic when Joker finally puts his plan in motion. Joker blows up a hospital, he kidnaps patients, he puts people into a state of real panic and most importantly we see that play out with the people of Gotham.
Nolan really forgot to include in TDKR one of the most important characters in his series to this point: the citizens of Gotham. Show me some people trying to escape in their panic and being killed for it. Show me families scared, children clinging to their parents. Show me people joining the revolution and becoming part of Bane's militia. Show Bane destroying buildings. Show the city in ruins, truly hellish.
You can't claim Nolan held back to appeal to families, because TDK sure didn't and it went on to make over $1 billion in BO. It feels more like Nolan just wasn't truly invested in the material this time. It is a shame. I understand this gentleman's argument that Bane and Talia's plan seemed more about revenge than finishing Ra's legacy. Sure we were told what it was about but I never felt we were ever really SHOWN. And that is an important distinction and one that really kind of ruins the film for me.
t: 
