The Dark Knight Rises Tom Hardy as Bane XXIX

[piccolo]

In light of the last page or two accurately deducing Bane's independence from Talia as a character and understanding his motivations, I'd like to share some thoughts on the character.

Bane is the best villain Nolan's thus far written in his career. The thing is, the Joker doesn't challenge Bruce on every level. He basically points out uncomfortable truths about him (he's more or less the same as the Joker [insane] and just copes with it differently), forcing him to question his moral decisions, because morality is such a massive part of the character and the themes in Dark Knight, it works wonders as the underpinning 'point' of the narrative.

I want to be clear nothing I'm saying is meant to devalue TDK or The Joker.

Bane, on the other hand, demonstrates the weight of the original choices Bruce Wayne made on becoming the character in the film first, challenging the very essence of that choice, simultaniously empowering that decision and showing its importance while tearing Bruce Wayne apart and his legacy with it, forcing Bruce to confront perhaps the most uncomfortable truth about the character in Nolan's films and the mythos of bruce- Batman is an emotional compulsion, it's a need to excise his demons, it's for him, not for the city. That uncomfortable truth dominates the first half of the movie from Alfred's poignant and critical monologues to Bane annihilating everything that enabled Batman to be Batman( the darkness, the theatricality, the power of fighting with such fierce skill, and finally, he takes control of his arsenal, the thing that ultimately enabled him to become the persona) whereas this is something The Joker only hints at and never focuses on. This is why the primary reason the time spent in the pit is so powerful and triumphant, he finally learns how to be empowered and let Batman be a symbol to Gotham, something seperate from himself, fulfilling the ultimate goal and plan he logicaly wanted for his city- something that couldn't have been satisfied were it not for Bane and his relationship and mirror-like nature to Bruce.

So that, and the social uprising, the terror, the emotive horror in his eyes, the conquerer, the dictator, all those things, along with what he means to that character and how it means so much more than The Joker frankly ever could, is why I think Bane is, objectively, a much better villain than his predecessor.

-Vader

I...totally agree. Its an unpopular choice because Heath's Joker has been iconized to the point where anything less than deity-like praise is blasphemy, but I do think Bane was the best villain character the series had.

One difference is that I still think Heath's Joker was the best performance of the series so far. He literally made the TDK for me, and every scene he wasn't in was one I just spent waiting for his next appearance. Character-acting wise he was just phenomenal.

But Bane was the best villain, imo, for all the reasons you listed and more. The global, blanketing scale of his machinations, his rich and utterly captivating backstory (that unfortunately was handed down to Talia ), his physical menace that you just felt in your bones, even when he wasn't hitting something (the hand on Dagget's shoulder...powerful). Things that the Joker just didn't have. Bane made his character look somewhat diminutive and one-dimensional by comparison, as amazing as he was. His presence forced Batman on a journey to find himself and be reborn as a new, better man, after deconstructing him layer by layer.

He was such a complete villain and did it all for me. You did a really nice job in your breakdown of his appeal.

 

[The Caped Knight]

Everytime I hear Bane go..."Not as much as yours..." when getting ready to fight Batman in the sewer I always think "Oh ****...here we go" to myself.

Sewer fight complete dialogue

Batman: You made a serious mistake.

Bane: Not as serious as yours, I fear

Batman: Bane!

Bane: Lets not stand on ceremony here, Mr. Wayne. patience has cost you your strength, victory has defeated you. Theatrically and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated, but we are initiated, aren't we Bruce? Members of the League Of Shadows! And you betrayed us.

Batman: Yes and you were excommunicated by a gang of psychopaths.

Bane: I am the League Of Shadows, I am here to fulfill Ra's Al Ghul's destiny! You fight like a younger man with nothing held back, admirable but mistaken.

Oh you think darkness is your ally. You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn’t see the light until I was already a man. By then, it was nothing to me but blinding! The shadows betray you because they belong to me!

I will show you where I have made my home while preparing to bring justice then I will break you. Your precious armory great fully accepted we will need it.

Ah Yes I was wondering what would break first your spirit or your body!

 

[~.:/|T-MaN|\:.~]

Sewer fight complete dialogue

Batman: You made a serious mistake.

Bane: Not as serious as yours, I fear

Batman: Bane!

Bane: Lets not stand on ceremony here, Mr. Wayne. patience has cost you your strength, victory has defeated you. Theatrically and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated, but we are initiated, aren't we Bruce? Members of the League Of Shadows! And you betrayed us.

Batman: Yes and you were excommunicated by a gang of psychopaths.

Bane: I am the League Of Shadows, I am here to fulfill Ra's Al Ghul's destiny! You fight like a younger man with nothing held back, admirable but mistaken.

Oh you think darkness is your ally. You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn’t see the light until I was already a man. By then, it was nothing to me but blinding! The shadows betray you because they belong to me!

I will show you where I have made my home while preparing to bring justice then I will break you. Your precious armory great fully accepted we will need it.

Ah Yes I was wondering what would break first your spirit or your body!

you sure that's what he says there? good transcription though.

 

[Baneis8feettall]

you sure that's what he says there? good transcription though.

It must be "gratefully" i guess.

 

[marcvader]

Theatricality

 

[Broker]

Sewer fight complete dialogue

Batman: You made a serious mistake.

Bane: Not as serious as yours, I fear

That line and Hardy's delivery sends shivers up my spine. Genius.

 

[SWAT]

My favourite performance of the year. Hardy was awesome.

 

[Poeman]

My favourite performance of the year. Hardy was awesome.

Surely you watch more movies?

 

[SWAT]

Surely you watch more movies?

... Not really. But nothing else comes to mind.

 

[Greens]

that was the case when I went to an advance screening in IMAX. Sound was overbearing, much better the second time in a non IMAX setting

Same here. The IMAX sound made it more difficult to understand Bane and other dialogue.

 

[KalMart]

I went to one in 'LieMAX'. picture was still great, but man was the overall sound mix and music punishingly loud and heavy. I want to see it again, but I don't want to deal with the sound again which will still be quite loud even in a regular projection.

 

[Nathan]

Watched the Movie today. Glad to see I was proven way wrong and that Bane looked really intimidating. My favorite shot of him, was in the sewer, with his shirt off. It's when he looked the most massive. Wish he would have run around without the shirt and west more often. Still wasn't too happy with the voice though. The accent sounded just too weird.

 

[jacobed]

Surely you watch more movies?

I watch many many movies and Hardy's performance is without a doubt one of the best of the year

 

[Poeman]

It was very good...but lets chill out for a bit. He called it the best this year. It's the middle of summer and as the fall season comes upon us. Some more fantastic acting will come on.

Daniel Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln will be the best performance of the year. Count on it.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Or Joaquin Phoenix in the master. Already looks incredible in the teaser clips.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Daniel-Day Lewis has the Oscar in the bag already. That picture singlehandedly reeks of Oscar gold.

Hardy was fantastic as Bane, but he won't get a nod by the Academy. He's a CBM villain who's face was covered by a mask.

 

[joker1524]

Imagine if lincoln bombs lmaoo

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Even if Lincoln bombs, DDL will still have a stellar preformance, and the Academy will recognize him for it. He's one of the Academy's favorites.

 

[Schlosser85]

There was nothing wrong with Hardy, but it isn't the best of the year, or even the best in the movie (Caine, IMO).

 

[Poeman]

There was nothing wrong with Hardy, but it isn't the best of the year, or even the best in the movie (Caine, IMO).

Disagree...Caine was only on screen for a short time.

Hardy was the best performance along with Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne was his best yet.

Special recommendation to the guy playing Foley

"Somebody get this hot-head outta here."

 

[Spuzz]

Even if Lincoln bombs, DDL will still have a stellar preformance, and the Academy will recognize him for it. He's one of the Academy's favorites.

And he's won the Oscar before. Something the academy often takes into account. It's rare that an actor gets more than one so close together, unless of course they're Meryl Streep.

But yeah I really want The Master to end up being as great as it looks and to sweep all the awards this year. PTA deserves his due!

 

[The Caped Knight]

This is AMAZING - Hanz Zimmer takes you inside of The Dark Knight Rises music process in a video + Bane's voice - http://wp.me/p2CCWq-1nO

Wow so Hardy did the voice with no dubbing involved in actual film.

 

[KalMart]

Zimmer: ....how were we going to beat what we did the last time?



Apparently by making it louder.

 

[Figs]

edit

 

[georgec]

Does anyone know if a stand-in was used for certain shots of Bane? It's incredible how they filmed his scenes to give him stature, but I'm just curious if it was Hardy the entire time (besides any stunts).