THE BATMAN: Matt Reeves Reveals How TAXI DRIVER And A Real-Life Police Officer Inspired Bruce Wayne's Journal

THE BATMAN: Matt Reeves Reveals How TAXI DRIVER And A Real-Life Police Officer Inspired Bruce Wayne's Journal

The Batman showed Bruce Wayne keeping a journal of his nightly escapades. In the film's director's commentary, Matt Reeves revealed how Taxi Driver and a real-life cop inspired the hero's notes.

By DanielKlissmman - Apr 20, 2022 06:04 PM EST
Filed Under: The Batman

The Batman centered on a Bruce Wayne that wasn't as experienced as we've seen him in many previous Batman adaptations. He was younger and still learning the ropes of the superhero/vigilante business. As was to be expected, being a night-based crimefighter who was just starting out came with its difficulties — mainly the lack of sleep, as Bruce stated near the beginning of the film: "These nights all roll together in a rush, behind the mask."

As such, Wayne had a few strategies to keep things straight and remember everything he would go through as the Caped Crusader. One of them was a journal in which he kept track of his daily activities. It was a humanizing idiosyncrasy for the Dark Knight, and director Matt Reeves has revealed the cool pop-culture and real-life inspirations behind it. 

On the Apple-exclusive director's commentary, Reeves discussed Bruce's journal, stating that it was inspired partly by Taxi Driver protagonist Travis Bickle (played by Robert De Niro) and Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (at the 6:37 mark):

"[I] wanted him to have this almost Travis Bickle-like quality of keeping a journal. And it was really inspired — a little bit — by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; the idea of Dr. Jekyll charting [his] experiment — seeing what the effect of becoming Mr. Hyde is on him and what happens to him, and then keeping track of it and writing it down." 

The director then revealed that Bruce's journal-habit was partially inspired by a rookie police officer: "[I] thought, 'Okay, we have a year-two Batman. This isn't an origin tale. We're gonna start right inside of his head, and how do we do that? Let's start in his journal, and the journal will be a recording of the nights, when he goes out into the city.' And I actually — when I was writing — also found a journal online from a rookie cop. The first year of his career. [He worked the night shift], and he talked about becoming a nocturnal animal, because he was coming out at night. And I just thought that was so great, and I thought it so spoke to this idea of Bruce going [out]."

The Batman portrayed its titular character in a more realistic and somewhat unsettling light than prior films (excluding several elements from Christopher Nolan's trilogy), so it makes sense that something as seemingly ordinary as a police officer's journal and as dark as Taxi Driver inspired Bruce Wayne's proclivity to write down his nightly activities.

It may seem like a small detail, but the journal played a pivotal role in the film and its atmosphere. Not only due to how prominent Bruce's narration was, but also because it served as a useful storytelling tool, given how it clued audiences in on Bruce's troubled mental state from the beginning.

The Batman is currently available on HBO Max and to own on digital. 

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Dope21
Dope21 - 4/20/2022, 6:07 PM
Officially done with DC after watching this movie. Was already done only watching The Batman on a welm. Big mistake. Crap vision. Most bland 3 hours in the theater ever.

DC is straight trash
kylo0607
kylo0607 - 4/20/2022, 6:23 PM
I am usually a Marvel fanboy, but my God - this film was the best thing DC have put since TDK trilogy.

Seen it 3 times and I can't wait to watch it at home once my steelbook arrives!
LongMayHeReign
LongMayHeReign - 4/20/2022, 7:32 PM
@kylo0607 - Agreed! I just finished watching it a couple of hours ago and I'd say it's a toss up between The Batman and Batman Begins as my second favorite Batman films with The Batman having a slight edge due to recency bias.

But I have to say I think Battinson is my favorite Batman of all time so far! Dude just has such a great on screen presence as the Bat, love him in the role.
knocturnalzen10
knocturnalzen10 - 4/20/2022, 6:30 PM
I loved this film , it had to be the most disturbing , fear inducing batman I've seen in film.
I look forward to the direction they can go with them ... i hope they go with the court of owls. the world built it's too practical for Mr. Freeze but if Reeves can make it work , I'm all in.
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 4/20/2022, 6:30 PM
Definitely gave off Watchmen vibes.
JosephCronos92
JosephCronos92 - 4/20/2022, 6:32 PM
love this movie, Best Batman movie for me atm.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 4/20/2022, 6:38 PM
Batman Ego energy. Journal was a nice addition
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 4/20/2022, 6:40 PM
Loved that. The journal narration in combination with the style of the handwriting was straight out of Year One.



dracula
dracula - 4/20/2022, 6:44 PM
Hope we get court of owls for the last movie

Tie the court of owls to robin’s origin and have the main conflict be the battle for dick grayson’s fate
Forthas
Forthas - 4/20/2022, 7:14 PM
Why exactly would Batman keep a journal? If it were ever found, it would connect him to Bruce Wayne.
IronGenesis
IronGenesis - 4/20/2022, 11:54 PM
@Forthas - you would guess the journal is in the Batcave…the Batcave is under Wayne Manor or in this version WAyne Tower.

Find the journal…you find Batcave … you find Bruce Wayne.
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