Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch
We break down the iconic, IMAX-filmed bank robbery opening of Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece The Dark Knight.
If you were to ask 100 people their favorite comic book movie, I’d say that a majority of those people would at least consider The Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan’s 2008 thriller, The Dark Knight, is a crime thriller that heavily emphasizes the grounded aspects of one of the world’s most famous detectives. It has become one of the best superhero movies ever made. This movie, starring Christian Bale as Batman alongside Heath Ledger’s Joker, has been praised by audiences beyond comic book fans. In typical Nolan style, The dark Knight gets straight to the action. The film begins without a title sequence and immediately plunges you into a bank heist that takes place in the heart Gotham City. From there, the action is non-stop. The Joker is a new villain and he will do anything to prove that Batman’s not so different from the criminals who he has sworn to bring justice to.
The opening sequence features stunning IMAX visuals, and a dramatic introduction to the film’s antagonist. The scene was described as being as intense behind-the-scenes as it was on camera. The shooting took place in Chicago’s downtown area, and real Chicago residents were used as extras. This included real Chicago firefighters, police officers who were not on duty, and even people walking through the downtown area. It wasn’t all a game for the cast and crew. Did you know there was a real fire in the bank during filming, but it was ignored for an hour by everyone watching because they assumed it was a part of the production. Did you know that it took several hours to film the scene in which a full-sized bus is backed up into the bank because the bus had to be disassembled and reassembled within the bank’s lobby. Can you imagine how much work goes into a 5-second sequence? There is no scene in a super hero movie that is more iconic or more thrilling than this one. If you want to know more juicy details about the making of our favorite movie scenes, watch our Scene Breakdown episode (watch them all here).
Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch
