His reputation in tatters, Batman has disappeared from Gotham. Crime is down thanks to the Harvey Dent act denying criminals parole and Bruce Wayne is rarely seen. Into this calm city arrives Bane, a muscly, semi-masked psychopath intent on destroying Gotham. But how will Batman know to arrive with the batlight broken?
The key to Chris Nolan's success with his Batman franchise lies in taking key parts of the Batman mythos and fitting them to his much more realistic personal vision of Gotham. Bane is not just a steroid boosted thug. He's intelligent tactician first, physically intimidating second.
As with inception set pieces at the beginning, middle and end are breathtaking in vision but most of the film is character driven so we understand the why of the characters.
Surprisingly little is added to Batman leaving time for the new roles to step up. Tom Hardy as Bane delivers a literal powerhouse performance but is not the standout. Michael Caine with very few scenes elevates his bit part to be a prime driver of Batman's story but even this old hand can't outshine Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. She nails the manipulation of men, being criminal but not actually bad, and a tension around Batman with a performance of immense subtlety that will likely mark her out as the definitive Catwoman in many a fans mind.
An outstanding close to a triology that sneaked adult film making into the mainstream cinema with an end that is surprisingly satisfying for the closure of an excellent franchise.
