Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Batman: End of All Hope

Author(s): Tony
Location: Pittsburgh

"Batman: End of all Hope"

Directed by Chan-wook Park
Written by Timothy J. Sexton
Music by Javier Navarrete
Produced by Grant Hill

Main Cast
Billy Crudup as Batman/Bruce Wayne
Robert Knepper as The Riddler/Edward Nigma
Madeleine Stowe as Silver St. Cloud
Ian McKellen as Alfred Pennywood
William H. Macy as Commissioner Jim Gordon
Laurence Fishburne as Lucious Fox
Martin Henderson as Dr. Richard Thorton
Ling Bai as Echo
Mellisa George as Query

Tagline: "One mans revenge is another mans obsession"

Synopsis: Chapter 1: "I am the beginning of all things. I am at the end of eternity. There is but one path from my beginning to my end. My whole embodies indifference. What am I?"The sounds of the heart monitor triggered that empty feeling Bruce had at the bottom of his soul, sitting there bed side near his father figure for most of his life. After the near death beating from Two-Face and Black Mask, Alfred still was in his coma. Months have past and comas this long are a rarity, which bothered Bruce. All he could do is sit back and think the fact that Mask had escaped and left Two-Face to die. Due to the wounds, Bruce knew no word would come from Black Mask in a long time, and it hadn't. His personal psychiatrist, Dr. Richard Thorton suggests that Bruce should be get back to work to pass the time, throw parties and socialize with the wealthy. He was after all the most powerful man in Gotham, which later on would prove to be his downfall.Chapter 2: "No legs have I to dance, no lungs have I to breathe, no life have I to live or die, yet I do all three, what am I?"A yacht party was how Bruce tried to forget about the problems at hand. On this yacht was sassy Silver St. Cloud and the brilliant, yet esoteric Edward Nigma. Atracted was Silver towards the blissful Bruce Wayne they all knew, yet he was confronted by the always plotting Nigma, who had to be restrained from Bruce. According to Nigma, he felt insulted that Bruce made his name through the family, money, and power, while his own wit and intelligence would prove to be much more potent. After the confrontation, Silver and Bruce would continue their discussions, and soon to be very close friends, which is what Bruce needed, or did he?Chapter 3: "You heard me before, yet you hear me again. Then I die, 'til you call me again. What am I?"Edward Nigma was a disturbed inventor, a genius fascinated with riddles and puzzles. He suffered from obsessive compulsion, the only reasons for his soon to be actions were to prove that he was the greatest person in the history of the world. That is how is alter ego, the Riddler, began. With no sign of Batman in weeks, The Riddler decided to begin his experiment. Along with his two assistants Echo and Query, two firearm and combat rebels, the Riddler would take his inventions and turn them into death traps, when the simple answer of a riddle would be the only chance of escape. He could never kill his victims when he had full control. With Batman missing, the Riddler owned the streets of Gotham.Chapter 4: "Give me an x, I'll stand to face you. Give me a cross, I'll turn my back on you. What am I?"With the Riddler purposely leaving clues at his crime scenes calling out Batman, Jim Gordon is on the hunt to find the Bat to put an end to the Riddlers madness. While Bruce was still in an emotional state and spending more time with Silver, Nigma went on a search to identify Batmans identity. After all the Riddlers careful calcuations, he would know Batmans true identity, but to reveal it was to easy. Nigma wanted to manipulate Gothams most feared vigilante in his personal life, starting with the murder of his psychatrist Thorton. With Bruce knowing the Riddler was after him, he took extreme caution with Silver, but it was too late. The Riddler captured Silver and put her in a mechnical device that would be stopped if Silver knew the keyword. "No sooner spoken than broken. What is it?" Chapter 5: "I come in darkness, but fill the mind with light. I bring enlightenment to some, while gripping others in the hand of fear. What am I?"After the funeral Bruce could think of nothing but vengeance. The device was triggered by sound, and all Silver had to do was silence herself, she couldn't. The Riddler had done it and drawn the Bat out. Now, Batman is on a mission to the Riddler down. To do so he must beat the Riddler at his own game he must take back the streets of Gotham, go through the Riddlers deadly traps, and some how, some way bring him to justice.

What the Press would say:
The Bat is back, and this time with a vengeance. Director Chan-wook Park, the man who brought us Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, takes part in the second film of this Batman epic. Park is known for his cult classics based on the revenge theme, End of all Hope was made for Park. His inventive and clever directing has a visual style that outstrips his ability to tell a story. Aside him is returning writer of Scars of Tomorrow, Tim Sexton, who once again brings a marvelous script that pays tribute to the old Batman comics, the ruthless villains and troubled hero. Much like Scars of Tomorrow, End of all Hope doesn't hold anything back, while being a superhero film it's not for the faint of heart Though not gory in the least bit, it's the surroundings that make this film what it is, a more disturbing look at a superhero that shows human capability, emotion. Aside from the director change, much of the cast has stayed the same. Crudup returns and is putting any other superhero that put on the black suit in shame. Crudup shows more acting ability then any other role in his career. While this film is loaded with suspenseful action, close calls, and nifty gadgets, Crudup takes on the most challenging aspect of Batman, realizing he's human after all. A new addition has been added to End of all Hope, and that is the natorious villian The Riddler, played by the uncomparable Robert Knepper. Knepper takes his ruthless Prison Break antics to use and transforms into the Riddler, a man with one of the most dangerous weapons, obsession. Nothing in his personal life was distorted, some people are just born evil. His weakness is himself, his condition allows him to be defeated. Knepper is sadistic, witty, and sinister, as a Batman villian should be.Don't miss out on falls most riveting action drama, Batman: End of all Hope. The superhero film for adults, the next great sequel in film.

FYC:
Best Picture - Chan-wook Park
Best Director - Chan-wook Park
Best Actor - Billy Crudup
Best Supporting Actor - Robert Knepper
Best Original Screenplay - Timothy Sexton
Best Original Score
Best Cinematagraphy
Best Art Direction

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