Bab 55: Chapter 54
Los Santos, Chinese Theater
"Batman: The Dark Knight is now in theaters!
Stewart is a comic shop owner. The shop doesn't make much money, but he enjoys talking about comics with his customers. Recently, the popularity of "Spider-Man" has significantly boosted the sales of Marvel comics in his store. However, Stewart feels a bit regretful. As an avid DC fan, he wishes for Batman's popularity to rise again.
**"**The release of "Beginners" brought a slight increase in interest, but it wasn't much.
When Stewart heard that Xu Can would be playing the Joker in "The Dark Knight," he eagerly waited in line all night at the ticket window to secure tickets for the premiere. He wanted to introduce his new girlfriend to the world of comics he loved.
However, his girlfriend Katie didn't seem interested in superhero movies.
"Is this movie going to be as blockbuster as 'Batman Forever'?" she asked.
"I don't know, but the trailer looks promising," Stewart replied.
"I feel like superhero movies are all the same—just fights back and forth, and then the hero defeats the villain," Katie said nonchalantly. "I prefer films with depth, like suspense movies made by great directors."
It was hard for Stewart to argue with her. The previous Batman movies were indeed disasters. "Shadow Begins" was decent, but Stewart didn't have much confidence in "The Dark Knight."
"If you can't trust Nolan, at least trust Xu Can. He's sure to bring surprises," Stewart added.
At that moment, the theater lights dimmed, and the IMAX logo appeared. The audience fell silent, eagerly waiting for the movie to start.
...
[Produced by Warner Pictures]
[DC Comics]
[Co-produced by Star River Pictures]
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Hans Zimmer's score created a tense, uneasy atmosphere as the movie began. The sound, like the accelerating ticking of clock hands, gripped the audience's emotions as the camera slowly zoomed in on a building. Boom! The glass shattered, and the movie officially began.
A robber wearing a clown mask fired a grapple to break in. Across the street, a menacing figure held a clown mask in hand. As the camera zoomed in, the figure grew larger, almost making it hard to breathe on the IMAX screen.
Five masked robbers, working together, entered a bank from different points, preparing for a robbery. Judging by the mask's style, everyone knew it—this was the Joker's handiwork.
"Why does everyone call him the Joker?" one robber asked.
"I heard he wears strange makeup on his face…like war paint, to intimidate his enemies," another replied.
As they swaggered into the bank, one robber fired a hail of bullets at the ceiling. "Hands up, heads down, and kneel! No one move!" The robbers quickly took control of the lobby, while another hacked the circuits to disable the alarm. But just as the technician finished his job, he was shot dead by another robber.
The audience was in for a surprise from the start.
In the bank lobby, as the robbers controlled the civilians, one supervisor pulled out a shotgun and killed one of them. "Whose money do you think you're robbing?" he demanded. But his shotgun jammed, and he was shot down.
The robber in charge of opening the vault succeeded but was immediately killed by his accomplice. The Joker had instructed them to eliminate each other after completing their tasks so the remaining person could claim the entire share of the money. This cunning plan revealed the Joker's evil, even though he hadn't yet appeared on screen.
Finally, after several large bags of banknotes were packed, only two robbers remained. One pointed a gun at the other. "The Joker must have told you to get rid of me too, right?" Just as he was about to shoot, a school bus burst through the wall, knocking him down. The bus driver, another of the Joker's accomplices, tried to help load the money but was shot dead by the last surviving robber.
The surviving robber approached the bank supervisor and stuffed a grenade into his mouth. "What doesn't kill you…" he began.
Normally, the phrase would end with, "…makes you stronger." But this time, the robber finished with:
"…makes you weirder!"
When he took off his mask, the whole audience almost gasped in unison—it was the Joker himself! Xu Can's face, painted in a grotesque manner, bore a chilling smile. Since Warner announced Xu Can would play the Joker, the media speculated if he could live up to the legendary portrayal by Jack Cornelius. Many doubted whether Xu Can could challenge Cornelius' iconic performance.
But the moment Xu Can's Joker made his debut, everyone forgot about the previous versions. This was the Joker!
The Joker jumped onto the school bus with the money and blended into a convoy of buses outside, successfully evading the police. In just six minutes, the Joker's meticulous, ruthless plan was executed flawlessly, instantly establishing him as the film's standout character.
People even forgot this was a Batman movie—their minds were consumed by the Joker's performance.
...
On the roof of the Gotham Police Department, Sheriff James Gordon turned on the Bat-signal, projecting Batman's logo into the night sky. But Batman was busy dealing with criminals.
Scarecrow, making deals with gangsters, and ordinary people pretending to be Batman were all swiftly subdued by the real Batman. However, the Scarecrow, easily captured, was a mere footnote in "The Dark Knight," as Batman faced a far more dangerous opponent—the Joker!
During a high-altitude chase, Batman landed heavily on a car to subdue a criminal, a visually impactful scene that resonated with the audience. "Handsome!" someone in the audience exclaimed. "Yeah! Batman!" cheered another. This was one of the few highlights for Batman in the entire movie.
Bruce Wayne returned to his base to tend to his wounds, only to find that Rachel, his childhood sweetheart, was now dating someone new—the righteous prosecutor Harvey Dent. Rachel, still portrayed by Katie Holmes, remained a key character in the film.
At a court hearing, Harvey Dent, confident and charismatic, planned to imprison a group of gangsters, including Sal Maroni. But the witness suddenly betrayed him, leading to an adjournment.
...
At night, Gotham's gangsters gathered for an underground meeting, desperate to find a way to deal with Batman. Suddenly, a man in strange attire broke into the meeting. "Ha ha ha ha…" His emotionless laughter mocked the gangsters.
"Who the hell are you?" one of them demanded. "Believe it or not, I'll twist your head off!"
"Don't get excited. I'll do a magic trick for you," the man replied calmly. He pulled out a pencil and stuck it upright on the table. "Do you believe I can make this pen disappear?"
"What the hell are you—"
Before the gangster could finish, the man grabbed his head and slammed it onto the pencil, driving it through his skull. "Ta-da! Look, it's gone."
In just 30 seconds, the Joker once again became the focus of the audience. His chaotic yet calculated demeanor captivated everyone.
If Jack Cornelius' Joker had a hint of comedy, Xu Can's Joker was pure chaos. His subtle facial expressions, voice, and mannerisms brought the character to life in a way that left film critics stunned. Could this really be the same actor known for his sunny, handsome Spider-Man?
"I know why you don't dare to go out at night," the Joker taunted the gangsters. "Because of Batman. But I can help you kill Batman."
The Joker left a business card and walked away, leaving the gangsters powerless against him. Unlike the gangsters, who had their underground rules, the Joker had no rules, no boundaries.
Because of an internal leak, the Gotham police couldn't trace the money back to the gang. The person in charge of the Liu family on Hong Kong Island had already fled. Gordon and Harvey Dent had no choice but to ask Batman to go to Hong Kong Island to capture him.
Using the Skyhook plan, Batman stealthily infiltrated Liu's building, planted a high-tech sonar device at the front desk, and pinpointed the target's location. Hong Kong actor Edison Chen made a brief appearance in this scene.
Batman attacked at night, using his advanced technology to break into Liu's building. He successfully captured Liu's boss from the top floor and made a dramatic escape, taking the enemy's head from the army and delivering Liu to the police station. Harvey Dent finally had the evidence to imprison Sal Maroni and other underworld forces.
But just when everyone thought Gotham would return to peace, the Joker struck again. He took a fake Batman hostage and used cruel methods to force the real Batman to appear. Even when the Joker wasn't on screen, his presence was felt—his madness and unpredictability were chilling.
"Are you Batman?" the Joker mocked. "Why are you just like Batman? Oh hahahahaha… Did you see it? Batman won't make Gotham better. He'll only make it more chaotic! If you want Gotham to improve, Batman must take off his mask and surrender! If he doesn't show up, someone will die every day… Starting with this poor man here. I'll keep my word! Hahahahaha…"
How could there have been such a villain in previous Hollywood crime films? The Joker kept everyone on edge. Xu Can's performance reached a level where he became the Joker himself.
Even Christopher Nolan was taken aback by Xu Can's performance. The scene wasn't in the script; it was an improvisation by Xu Can, which made it even more terrifying. Nolan couldn't help but wonder if this Chinese actor was truly sane.
...
"Who is Batman?" the Joker demanded.
The audience's hearts pounded as the Joker pushed his madness to the limit.
Just as everyone thought he couldn't get any crazier, he launched a grand plan that plunged Gotham into even greater chaos. He used high-profile murders to force Batman to reveal his identity, proving that Batman wasn't a hero—he was just another person wearing a mask.
Meanwhile, Harvey Dent, who once stood against crime, began to crumble under the Joker's psychological manipulation. When Rachel was killed, and half of Harvey's face was burned in a gasoline explosion, Harvey's transformation into Two-Face was complete.
...
The Joker's terrifying plans reached their peak when he forced two ferries full of people to decide between blowing up the other or being blown up themselves. But even in this dark, chaotic moment, humanity's last glimmer of hope shone through. Neither ferry chose to detonate the other, giving Batman the chance to save them.
However, the Joker didn't care. In the end, he was arrested, but he had already left Gotham in ruins. His goal wasn't just to kill; it was to destroy the spirit of the city, to show that even a righteous man like Harvey Dent could fall into madness.
The Joker's final words haunted the audience: "You think you've won, Batman? But you haven't. You're just a freak like me, trying to pretend you're better. But deep down, you know… we're all the same."
The movie ended, and the audience sat in stunned silence, processing the chaotic brilliance they had just witnessed.
Stewart turned to his girlfriend Katie, who was wiping away tears. She looked at him and whispered, "I was wrong. This wasn't just another superhero movie."
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