The Batman

A serial killer story set in Gotham. Batman has been working for two years. He is not yet a legend; the police do not trust him, the city does not know him, and he is still experimenting. The mayor is killed at home. Beside the body there is a card left for Batman, with a riddle inside. From there the film is an investigation. Scene examination, archives, a nightclub, a prosecutor, a police commissioner, and a new riddle at every murder. The Riddler is not a personal enemy. He is emptying out the corruption the city has hidden for years, and everyone he kills has a file. Selina Kyle enters the same circle on her own account and the two lines cross. What the narrative is interested in is not justice but revenge: the film says that Batman spreading fear has not healed the city but produced people who take him as an example, and its ending rests on that. As a genre it is not a superhero film but a detective story. There is little action, the running time is long, and the narrative moves on clues. The image is almost entirely dark and wet; red light is used like a system in the street scenes. The motorway chase was shot largely with real vehicles. The music is by Michael Giacchino and one theme repeats throughout. Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell and John Turturro are in the cast. Matt Reeves directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes slow, dark detective films. Who it is not for: anyone expecting pace; it runs close to three hours and most of it is talking.