A man by the name of Matches Malone is propositioned by 17-year-old prostitute Holly Robinson, to which he refuses. He is reluctantly drawn into a brawl with her violent pimp and attacked by several prostitutes. Selina Kyle, a hang-around-type, watches.
Flass and Gordon break it up, arresting 'Malone.' Flass is a little too rough on Malone and Gordon is suspicious of Flass' acceptance of the pimp and and crew. Flass keeps referring to Gordon as rookie until Gordon states he has more years under his belt than Flass. Malone escapes. Malone walks into Wayne Manor, as we see on the gate, and is greeted by an overwhelmed Alfred and Leslie Thompkins as he sheds his disguise and we learn it is Wayne, home from aboard.
Some back story scenes of the murders and his training regiment. Good flash backs ala Batman Begins but not nearly as in depth.
He tells Alfred his crime fighting intentions. He also sets a goal to head Wayne Ent at the behest of Alfred, if only so he doesn't become a Howard Hughes-type. This is where he creates the facade. The next night Gordon is on a stake out, watching Carmine Falcone from afar. 5 fellow officers come up from behind and jump him. They drag him to Falcone who says "The next time you stick your face in my $hit again, I'm going to kill you. Your gaining some status as a cop the people can trust so I thought I'd give you the option to work with us or continue to work against us." (out walks Flass) (Gordon spits in his face and is thrown into the woods, beaten even worse) Meanwhile, Wayne, in a ski mask, jumps a few thugs He wins easily but is angry they didn't fear him. Day break: It's a media frenzy as Wayne announces his return to Gotham after having not been home for 12 years upon graduating high school. He now has total control over Wayne Ent. Among the shareholders at the table is Lucius Fox. Gordon gets the edge on Flass, who's trading with the pimp from earlier, and kicks the crap out of them. He leaves them naked and handcuffed to each other.
Gordon talks with Barbara about regretting moving here. She says he needs to be strong. "Gotham needs a good man." He says "Gotham needs more than that. This place is a no man's land. The mob and thugs run this city. It's no place to raise a child. (he holds her stomach) They have every cop in their pocket." "Not every," she says as she tosses him his badge, "Don't forget what you are. You're a symbol for what's right. We should stay. You can change Gotham." He asks "Are you sure you won't regret this? If I devote myself to cleaning this city from the inside, it might year us apart." She answers reassuringly, "Nothing will ever tear us apart." The same basic flow of conversation is had by Alfred and Bruce. When Alfred shuts the door a bat flies, from the darkness, into Bruce's face and he has his costume. Led by Falcone, the heads of the 5 (mob) families are having a sit down. The Batman crashes from the roof top and warns them he is out there. He escapes before any of the mobsters can shoot him. Mobsters present: Sal Maroni, Rupert Thorne, Lew Moxon, Bruno Mannheim, Tony Zucco Loeb orders Gordon and Detective Sarah Essen to bring Batman in by any means necessary. Lien does this as a way to 1) keep Gordon busy and 2) keep Batman away from Loeb. Assistant district attorney Harvey Dent becomes Batman’s first ally as they work together to bring down Falcone. Dent's anger worries Batman. Gordon, too, has an ally in Essen. Gordon and Essen track Batman, on a mission to capture a gang of thugs, into an abandoned building. Upon learning of his location, Loeb orders a trigger-happy SWAT team led by sent in. Barely managing to survive after two bullet wounds and enraged as the team’s carelessly fired bullets injure several people outside, Batman beats the team into submission and, after using a device to attract the bats of his cave to him, he flees amid the chaos. Selina Kyle, after witnessing him in action, believing him to be an anti-villain, dons a costume of her own to begin a life of crime. After committing several robberies, all of which, contributed to Batman, Catwoman makes herself known by robbing the Falcones and all of their associates blind. Gordon and Essen continue to track Batman and surmise possible identities of the vigilante, Both Wayne and Dent are suspects. They work, along with Dent, behind the scenes to help the Dark Knight evade both Falcone and Loeb. Gordon's son is born; he has a brief affair with Essen and, a short time later, confesses to his wife. Catwoman is able to manipulate an arrangement with Batman in order to tell him what she has learned; Falcone and Loeb have conspired to kidnap Gordon's family in hopes of breaking him. While scoping out his wife's home, Gordon spots the front door open and busted. Suspicious, Gordon enters to see Johnny Vitti, Falcone’s nephew, and his thugs holding his family hostage. Batman, who had been following Gordon, comes crashing in and brawls with the thugs. Gordon chases Vitti, who has fled with the baby. He blows out Vitti's car tire on a bridge and the two fight hand-to-hand, with Gordon losing his glasses, before Vitti and James Junior fall over the side. Batman, arriving at the bottom of the bridge, with a large portion of his face exposed as his mask had been torn almost entirely off, in the nic of time, shoots his grappling hook and swings into the air and saves the baby. Batman has to complete the landing into the water, making sure to keep Junior safe. Gordon realizes that he is standing before a, now, completely unmasked Batman, but says that he is practically blind without his glasses and lets Bruce go.
In the final scenes of the comic, Flass turns on Loeb and Falcone, supplying Dent with evidence and testimony; Loeb resigns and Falcone is imprisoned. Gordon is promoted to captain and stands on the rooftop waiting to meet Batman to discuss somebody called The Joker, who is plotting to poison the reservoir. Cast Thomas Gibson as Batman At 31 years old, playing 26, has the good looks (Soap opera star) and the steely eyed stare of a hardened bad ass (Criminal Intent) to play Batman perfectly. His age will favor him as the years pass by in movie town but he only ages a few years i.e. in 1993 his true age is 31 and he plays a 26 year old and in 1995 he plays a 28 year old at the true age of 33. In 1997, at 35, he plays 35. In the 1999 finale, at 37, he will play 40.
Tom Berenger as Gordon Before Berenger mutilated his face via plastic surgery he was a solid, tough-as-nails, every-man. I take you no further than The Substitute. Berenger was 43 and a great precursor to the Mitchum-Gordon seen on my '89 fancast and first chapter of this story.
Lance Henriksen as Alfred You're just going to hate me for not picking a Brit for this and 3 things are worth considering: 1is that it ain't the first time. 2 is that if we are ok with a Brit playing an American than this had better be accepted as well. 3 is that I am happy enough with picking a favorite of mine that I don't care too much ;). Henriksen is 53 and lines up nicely as the younger version of my TDKR Alfred.
Mary McDonnell as Barbara Gordon Guilty of only knowing her from Independence Day and Donnie Darko, the 41 year old actress who showed me how strong willed and hot tempered she can be. Those reasons are good enough for me.
Alyssa Milano as Catwoman The sultry 21 year old has the look down pat and it was around this time that she was looking to expand her resume.
Robert Patrick as Harvey Dent Even though he may not look exactly like a younger version of my TDKR Two-Face, I have 3 valid arguments. The Miller drawn Dent looks nothing like any other version. Future Dent got plastic surgery. It's Robert freakin Patrick. Hot off of T2, Patrick went down, in my eyes, as one if the best villains ever. Side note: he'd make a great (non-comedic) JJJ in the new Spider-man series.
Frances McDormand as Sarah Essen My best casting in this series thus far. She optimizes Essen as physically as she does her ability to perform the hardened cop. It's hard not to hate
Helen Mirren as Leslie Thompkins Mirren's intensity mixes wonderfully with her subtlety and I feel she would play off of Henriksen nicely.
Michael Rooker as Flass I've loved Rooker ever since Cliff Hanger. He was intense and intimidating. He made me laugh as the dead pan opposite of Jason Lee in Mallrats. He was intense and intimidating. He had me on the edge of my seat, never knowing what he would do next or, for that matter, if I wanted to root for him, boo him or laugh or cry in The Walking Dead. In that, too, he was very intense and intimidating. It's know wonder I want him as Flass.
Burt Young as Loeb Young is a Rocky alumni and, because of that, holds a special place in my heart :). Young could be an excellent, slightly offbeat, foil, along with Flass, to Beringer's hard-boiled Gordon.
Danny Aiello as Falcone Aiello is one of the most iconic Italian actors around. If anyone, Italian or otherwise, audience member or actor, were to compile a list of the best Italian-American actors I'd be surprised if he wasn't in the top 5 and call the lister an incompetent doll if he wasn't in the top 10.
Vincent D'Onfrio as Johnny Vitti The selection of large, Italian character actors is scarce. However, if there were a hundred to choose from, D'Onfrio would still be the best.