Pat-Hingle Movie Reviews

Sally Field gives a career turning performance in 1979's Norma Rae. Up to that point, Ms. Field was better known as a TV actress who starred in fluffy comedies like Gidget, The Flying Nun & The Girl With Something Extra. In 1976, she showed a more serious side, taking home an Emmy for her work as a young girl with multiple personalities in Sybil. After Sybil, she proceeded to star in more fluff pieces like Smokey & The Bandit, Hooper & The End with her then boyfriend Burt Reynolds. Norma Rae was a film with much more substance. In fact after reading the script, Mr. Reynolds advised her that she would win an Oscar for the film. He turned out to be quite prophetic. Ms. Field is superb in the title role. Norma is an unassuming factory worker from a small town in the South, who is widowed and has two kids with two separate fathers. That is until she meets Reuben Warshawky (Ron Liebman). Reuben is an Union organizer from New York City and he is trying to get the mill workers to set up a union. Most people ignore as they are fearful for their jobs, but Norma is intrigued and she starts meeting with Reuben to try and start a union. She is met with resistance and is bullied by her bosses, but Norma is not persuaded to quit. She feels that she has stood by her whole life without making a difference and this is her chance to actually matter. There is of course the famous scene where Norma is about to be removed from the mill and she defiantly stands on a table with the Union sign. Her co-workers one by one realize the chances she's taken for them and they shut off their machines in support. The film has some excellent supporting work from Mr. Liebman, Beau Bridges and Pat Hingle, but this is Ms. Field's film all the way. She proved Mr. Reynolds right and took home the 1979 Best Actress Oscar and set forth on a path that would add another Oscar to her collection and feature some of the best films of 1980's & 1990's.

The acting was fine, excellent actually, but the characters they played seemed a bit too stereotyped for my taste. That said, the film is certainly worth seeing; regardless of your feelings about unions, the acting in this film makes it worth seeing.

Sally Field gives the performance of a lifetime in this fact-based story of a factory worker who puts her life on hold to make life better for those around her. "Norma Rae"(1979) was a powerful eye-opener to the life led by ordinary people working under extremely poor working conditions.

Best known at the time for her light roles as "Gidget" and "The Flying Nun", and although she did capture an emmy for her outstanding performance as "Sybil", she was not thought of as a serious dramatic actress.Director Martin Ritt knew a good thing when he saw it though, insisted on casting her and his instincts were right. Sally went home from the Oscars that year with a well deserved Best Actress Award!

Norma Rae doesn't have much going for her in her life. She has two children that she's raising on her own,has lots of problems with men, and works in a textile mill in the south. The conditions of the mill are deplorable.The wages are pitiful, people on their feet all day, with barely a break, most going deaf from the noise of the machines, some even getting cancer. But it is the only job in town for most of the locals. A New York Union Organizer comes to town(Ron Leibman) and tries to convince the workers they should go Union and fight for their rights. Most are leary and afraid of loosing their jobs, but one decides it's the right thing to do.

Norma Rae goes against the grain to try and convince the 800 workers that this is the best thing for them and their children(Who will also probably work there some day). She becomes somewhat of an outcast but doesn't give up. She becomes more determined and defiant as ever as the film progresses. Eventually she realizes the power she holds.There's the wonderful famous scene where she stands on the table with the UNION sign, but the most telling scene of her determination is when it takes four very large men to remove this 90lb. woman from the premisis.It is a film that will stay with you and still holds value socially and politically today.

Martin Ritt is always excellent at bringing these social issues to the viewing audiences in an entertaining way. Director of Photography John Alonzo also adds greatly to the film with his great camera angles. Ron Leibman is wonderful as the "fish out of water" organizer who becomes mentor to Norma. Rounding out the cast and all excellent in their roles is Pat Hingle as Norma's father and Beau Bridges as her new husband.

The DVD is beautiful. The film is over 20 years old but you won't notice that. It's in Anamorphic Widescreen(2.35:1) and presents a great picture. Nice color and sharp images. The sound is Stero Surround, and is very pleasing. There is a "Back Story" featurette on the making and casting of the film, which is very informative. It may be viewed in French and there are subtitiles in English and Spanish.This is an important film and 20th Century Fox has given it some nice attention.

A great addition to any DVD collection...enjoy...Laurie

A beautiful movie that focuses on family relationships and the breakdown of the human psyche, __The Shining__ is not for the faint of heart. Though it does not have the raw horror of the original _Shining_, it does have the sadness down pat. The movie is well worth it once one sees the ending, which is the best and saddest part. What strikes the viewer as most sad in the movie is that the father is always somehow there, unlike in the original, and he always wants to come back but can't. He does things to his wife and son that he does not want to do and then he has to die for it.
The story follows a family of three. The couple and their son go down to the Overlook Hotel to caretake for the place which has had a few hairy incidents over the past year. The son knows that something will happen because he is psychic. However he knows he cannot do anything to stop it because he is so little. What makes this movie a nailbiter is the fact that so many things could have been stopped or prevented. On a whole this movie is one of the best horror dramas ever crafted.

Read the book and loved it, saw the Kubrick movie and thought it was great but recently saw the remake and thought it was also great!

It is so scary it just may scare the poop out of you!

I liked every thing about the remake including how Tony was more like in the book instead of like in the first movie where they had him be invisible and had that kid who played Danny bend his finger up and down and talk in that annoying squeaky, croaky voice whenever he was communicating with Tony.

Sorry but even though the Kubrick movie was great I also liked Stephen King's remake and actually to my surprise actually preferred it.

I was sorry to learn that folks in certain parts of the world had to wait so long for this version of The Shining to be released to VHS and DVD. And, I can't help but wonder just what Mr Kubrick was so worried about that he took so long to allow Stephen King the right do his own version of the book. Then, you only have to watch the two films (after reading the book), and all questions are answered.
Don't mistake me - I greatly enjoyed Kubrick's interpretation of The Shining. Particularly Danny's encounters with the ghosts of the previous caretaker's creepy daughters.
It's unfortunate in some ways that Kubrick's version was only minutely faithful to the original story. Most of it was pure fabrication on his part. Still, perhaps that's a blessing. It just emphasises even more how wonderful and refreshing it was to see Stephen King's adaption.
There are plenty of points for comparison to prove how much better the latter version is, and I'm not talking about special effects here. The wall of blood crashing down through the hallway well and truly scared me the first time I saw it, and I had to freeze-frame the VCR to get a good look at the massacred images of the two little girls.
However...Firstly, it was totally refreshing to see Tony portrayed as a proper character, rather than Danny Lloyd pretending that his finger was talking to him. And Courtland Mead's performances each time Danny went into a self-induced trance were riveting - especially the very first one of the movie. The revelation that Tony was really just a representation of Danny's older self was also a nice touch. It also makes sense - it would be far less threatening to Danny's sanity to think that the apparition appearing to him to warn him of danger was someone else entirely, rather than an older version of himself.
Further, Courtland Mead's all-round performance and portrayal of Danny Torrance was spot on. He is so convincing in the way he portrays a scared little boy who doesn't always know what is the right thing to do. His defiance in trying to prove he isn't frightened of the apparitions the hotel is producing is very believable, and his love for (and fear of) his father is even more so. And, his confusion about his awesome gifts is powerfully realistic.
For example, his reaction when Dick Halloran reassures him that, should there be any trouble, all he needs to do is call out with his mind, is highly emotional. He gives a strong impression of a child who, knowing he is in a potentially terrifying situation, has just seen the light at the end of a very black tunnel.

Rebecca DeMornay is wonderful as Wendy Torrance. She so accurately portrayed a loving wife and mother who is still recovering from the horror of living with a violent alcoholic. Her apprehension around Jack - particularly where Danny is involved - is all too real. She does a magnificent job of playing a woman who, while loving her husband dearly and trying to help him all she can, is still frightened of him, at least on a subconscious level.
Unlike Shelley Duvall in Kubrick's version, DeMornay does not present a Wendy Torrance who is feeble and pathetic, and to be pitied. Rather, her Wendy Torrance is a woman to be admired, and respected. The fight she puts up against Jack towards the end of the film is strongly indicative of this. Where I recall Duvall cowering in a corner and screaming hysterically (okay, I admit I'd probably do that myself in a similar situation), DeMornay's Wendy shows strength of character to put up a fight, even though physically harming her husband obviously galled her a great deal.

As for Steven Weber... Words fail to fully describe the incredible performance given by this actor. The whole story of The Shining was supposed to revolve around the family relationship of the Torrances, with focus primarily on Jack and Danny as the Overlook's main targets. Steven Weber was truly brilliant as a man constantly teetering on the brink of oblivion, struggling to maintain his dignity and self-respect as a husband and father in the wake of a life wasted on alcohol abuse.
It was chilling to watch Jack's gradual descent into madness, as portrayed by Weber. It was a stark contrast to the sulky, sullen presence of Jack Nicholson throughout Kubrick's version. Although I agree that Nicholson is brilliant as an actor, I also agree with another reviewer. Nicholson was the wrong choice for the role of Jack Torrance. Right from the start, he gave the impression that he'd already lost his mind, and was spending the entire film just waiting for the right moment to grab the axe and go beserk.
Weber's performance was far more subtle than that of Nicholson. Perhaps more time to explore the personality of Jack Torrance might have had something to do with this, but I also believe that King deserves much credit for producing a screenplay that allowed for it.
Although I knew exactly what was going to happen, I still sat through the entire thing hoping that Jack would come to his senses, realise what was going on, and get himself and his family out of there. Of course, that was never going to happen, but I think it was wonderful that the film was able to draw those sorts of emotions from the viewer.

I think that is the thing that really sets Stephen King's version apart from Stanley Kubrick's. With Kubrick's version, you are merely an observer. There's no effort to really draw the viewer in. It gives a few chills and thrills, but there is no real emotion. King's screenplay draws you in right from the beginning, and holds you right until the final scenes.
Though Stanley Kubrick's film was fine in its own right, it is not, and never will be a patch on Stephen King's magnificent adaption.

And, for the record, there was nothing corny about the ending. It was a nice touch that Jack was redeemed right at the end, and his brief appearance at Danny's graduation was nothing short of heartwarming. It was also a nice touch to add the image of the sign promising to rebuild the Overlook - though God-willing no one will ever commit the travesty of making a sequel.

Based on a true story, the film details how two young men sold U.S. secrets to the Soviets in the mid-seventies during the height of American apathy and disillusion.

Taken from the excellent non-fiction book by Robert Lindsey, director John Schlesinger's film does a fine job of creating the feeling and temperament of the time but stumbles in a couple of important areas, though the leads, Timothy Hutton as Christopher Boyce and Sean Penn as Daulton Lee, are in terrific form.

Boyce was the "falcon" as he dabbled in falconry, Daulton the "snowman" due to his dealing cocaine, or snow.

Boyce was the oldest of a large Catholic family whose father was retired FBI. Boyce was given a job too quickly with TRW, at the time working with the CIA on secret projects. Working from the "Black Vault," Boyce eventually decided to sell the information he saw to the Soviets. His drug dealing childhood friend Lee became the courier who transported the data to the Russian Embassy in Mexico.

While the story flows well on screen, the film cannot deliver what the novel makes apparent, namely WHY Boyce became a traitor. Other minor nitpicks include a scene (that never occured in real life) of Boyce seeing his ex-girlfriend Alana before impending arrest added for schmaltz effect only, and a badly edited moment of him ripping apart a gift from his co-workers that leaves the viewer puzzled.

However, everything else is fine. The cast is superb, particularly Pat Hingle as Boyce's father. The look of the film is true to the era it occured in. Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays produced a compelling score, collaborating with David Bowie on the theme song.

This is not an action film, and the better for it. Instead The Falcon And The Snowman gives the viewer psychological insight into espionage. It does not go far enough but is a solidly enjoyable film and deserves your attention.

this true life storey was good, timothy hutton and sean penns
portrayal of..wannabee spies , was a tale that needed to be told in modern day america, showing the powers that be...that it can still happen....sell out your country for the almighty dollar

I enjoyed this movie immensely. It was fairly true to life and very well done. Hutton and Penn are terrific and Schlesinger does an excellent job in directing.
For those of you that are curious, Christopher Boyce will be released from a halfway house in San Francisco on March 15, 2003. He will be paroled after 25 years in prison, including spending time in SuperMax in Colorado, alongside Oklahoma City bombers Timothy J. McVeigh and Terry L. Nichols, and the Unabomber, Theodore J. Kaczynski. (Information taken from the LA Times story "The Falcon and the Fallout" by Richard A. Serrano, published March 2, 2003.)

Film biography is very ticky business. Directors are often tempted to to make their subjects out to be over the top martyrs, or self- importent gods. Frank Pierson avoids that trap in this wonderful look at our 33rd president, Harry S. Truman. The Truman we see here, as brought to us by the always wonderful Gary Sinise, is a very flawed human being. He's not sure of everything, and he makes his share of mistakes. However, he is also an honest, inteligent man, who works hard to help our country, and becomes one of our greatest presidents.Pierson's attempt to make such an honest movie is commendable, as is his wonderful recreation of America in the first half of this century. Rural Missouri in the 1920's and Washington D.C. in the 1940's are brought to us effortlessly. It is a delight to see such informative and interesting portrayals of great men like Harry Truman coming out in recent years. It is importent that we as Americans know about the great men who have served our country, and what better a way then through the movies?

Gary Sinise does a magnificent job of playing one of the greatest Presidents in history. To see the saga of a President who didn't rely on the polls, but instead simply did the right thing and let the chips fall where they may is very refreshing. From this movie (and even moreso if you read McCullagh's book, or any book about Truman and MacArthur) you can easily see why Truman HAD to fire the general. This is an amazing story: the story of a man who, at age 49 was a poor farmer in Missouri, and at the age of 60 was President of the United States. Anyone who loves this country should cherish this film.

This DVD stars Gary Sinise as Harry S. Truman and covers his life from when he is a farmer, through marrying Bess, up until the time he leaves the White House. Gary is terrific as usual and when he gets going as the older Truman on the campaign trail, he is dynamic. Also stars Diana Scarwid as Bess, who is usually in campy movies such as playing Christina Crawford in Mommie Dearest, but she is also very endearing as Mrs. Truman. There are some very cute points, especially when the Truman's move into the White House, the "first house they have ever had alone" and Mrs. Truman comments about how dirty it is! Not to be missed! One minor flaw - there are NO special features on this DVD.

This is a great portrayel of Billy Mills. The details of the movie are not the best(such as the football lines in the Olympic stadium). Robby Benson studied Billy Mills as well as worked with Mills to get the character down pat. He also trained for and ran a marathon to actually learn how to run like Mills. The story does a great job through flashbacks of telling of Mills' life growing up. It is a very inspirational story that I show my cross country teams. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to be inspired.

The beauty of sport is when an athlete overcomes great obstacles with courage and determination. This is what Billy Mills does and it's a story all Americans should know and treasure. The story of someone's life is very difficult to capture in a 90 minute video, but this movie portrays the circumstances and happenings of a great man and an inspiration. I watched that movie countless times, including the night before the state championship in cross country. I used to hear the drumming Sioux music from the races during my races. Running Brave became my movie and Billy Mills was my hero as I faced the uncertainty of adolescence and won the state championship.

A movie based on the life of Olympic runner Billy Mills. His love for running everywhere drew him into a dream to run in the Olympics. Billy's dream wrapped itself around the hearts of his people on the reservation which made him even more determined to run, and to win. There is a realistic difference in Billy's life on the reservation and his life in college which is not only shown starkly by the scenes, but also in Billy's thoughts, actions and reactions. I recommend this movie for people of all nationalities and ages.

This is the best Batman movie in the entire series. It is dark, gothic, and the actors were superb. Michael Keaton plays Bruce Wayne, millionare playboy by day, and Batman, a dark and mysterious crime fighter by night. Michael Keaton is excellent as the Dark Knight and should of played him for the rest of the series. Jack Nicholson as the Joker was also an excellent pick. He plays an evil, demented crime boss well. Tim Burton directed this movie and he made the mood gloomy and gothic, the way Batman and Gotham City is represented in the comic books. The following two Batman movies after "Batman Returns" should of been directed by this gothic wizard. "Batman" is a super hero classic and will be for a long time. I remember first seeing this in a movie theater in the summer of 1989, I was just a kid, and I was highly impressed. That was the summer of Batman, with all the hype surrounding this awesome movie. The sequel "Batman Returns" was also good, but not as good as this one. If you can only see one Batman movie and can't decide which one to watch, watch the first, the original, "Batman" the movie. It's pure magic.

After a long last, another Batman film was created after the 1966 version. It was worth the wait! Michael Keaton is the best Batman, Kim Basigner isn't bad as reporter Vicki Vale, and Jack Nicholson is a definite showstopper as the psychotic, scene-stealing, hilarious villain as the Joker. Tim Burton does an excellent direction job, the script is very witty and good, and Anton Furst's production design is dark, vivid, and also won an Oscar. Danny Elfman's score is a classic. Possibly the best Batman film, Batman combines humor with seriousness and Burton's distinct visual style. Better than the eye candy, special effects driven, colorful comic book adventures Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, in which one is good and the other isn't that good. Also possibly better than the dark, dazzling, malevolent Batman Returns. Unlike the latest two Batman outings, Batman and Batman Returns rely on darkness, a great production design, Burton's direction, great makeup and perfomances, and cleverness. The other Batman films rely on eye candy, special effects, okay peformances, okay scripts with some funny lines, and comic book type adventures. They are different yet both good in different ways. Overall, a blockbuster and very much worth buying or renting. Enjoy!

BATMAN is one of the best movies of all time. It is also the best of the Batman series. Jack Nicholson does a tremendous job as The Joker. Michael Keaton does a great job playing Bruce Wayne/Batman. This movie is action packed, funny, and very well done. I strongly recommend you buy this movie. I also recommend you buy BATMAN RETURNS in addition to this movie. You won't regret I gaurantee.

This is the best Batman movie in the entire series. It is dark, gothic, and the actors were superb. Michael Keaton plays Bruce Wayne, millionare playboy by day, and Batman, a dark and mysterious crime fighter by night. Michael Keaton is excellent as the Dark Knight and should of played him for the rest of the series. Jack Nicholson as the Joker was also an excellent pick. He plays an evil, demented crime boss well. Tim Burton directed this movie and he made the mood gloomy and gothic, the way Batman and Gotham City is represented in the comic books. The following two Batman movies after "Batman Returns" should of been directed by this gothic wizard. "Batman" is a super hero classic and will be for a long time. I remember first seeing this in a movie theater in the summer of 1989, I was just a kid, and I was highly impressed. That was the summer of Batman, with all the hype surrounding this awesome movie. The sequel "Batman Returns" was also good, but not as good as this one. If you can only see one Batman movie and can't decide which one to watch, watch the first, the original, "Batman" the movie. It's pure magic.

After a long last, another Batman film was created after the 1966 version. It was worth the wait! Michael Keaton is the best Batman, Kim Basigner isn't bad as reporter Vicki Vale, and Jack Nicholson is a definite showstopper as the psychotic, scene-stealing, hilarious villain as the Joker. Tim Burton does an excellent direction job, the script is very witty and good, and Anton Furst's production design is dark, vivid, and also won an Oscar. Danny Elfman's score is a classic. Possibly the best Batman film, Batman combines humor with seriousness and Burton's distinct visual style. Better than the eye candy, special effects driven, colorful comic book adventures Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, in which one is good and the other isn't that good. Also possibly better than the dark, dazzling, malevolent Batman Returns. Unlike the latest two Batman outings, Batman and Batman Returns rely on darkness, a great production design, Burton's direction, great makeup and perfomances, and cleverness. The other Batman films rely on eye candy, special effects, okay peformances, okay scripts with some funny lines, and comic book type adventures. They are different yet both good in different ways. Overall, a blockbuster and very much worth buying or renting. Enjoy!

BATMAN is one of the best movies of all time. It is also the best of the Batman series. Jack Nicholson does a tremendous job as The Joker. Michael Keaton does a great job playing Bruce Wayne/Batman. This movie is action packed, funny, and very well done. I strongly recommend you buy this movie. I also recommend you buy BATMAN RETURNS in addition to this movie. You won't regret I gaurantee.

This is the best Batman movie in the entire series. It is dark, gothic, and the actors were superb. Michael Keaton plays Bruce Wayne, millionare playboy by day, and Batman, a dark and mysterious crime fighter by night. Michael Keaton is excellent as the Dark Knight and should of played him for the rest of the series. Jack Nicholson as the Joker was also an excellent pick. He plays an evil, demented crime boss well. Tim Burton directed this movie and he made the mood gloomy and gothic, the way Batman and Gotham City is represented in the comic books. The following two Batman movies after "Batman Returns" should of been directed by this gothic wizard. "Batman" is a super hero classic and will be for a long time. I remember first seeing this in a movie theater in the summer of 1989, I was just a kid, and I was highly impressed. That was the summer of Batman, with all the hype surrounding this awesome movie. The sequel "Batman Returns" was also good, but not as good as this one. If you can only see one Batman movie and can't decide which one to watch, watch the first, the original, "Batman" the movie. It's pure magic.

After a long last, another Batman film was created after the 1966 version. It was worth the wait! Michael Keaton is the best Batman, Kim Basigner isn't bad as reporter Vicki Vale, and Jack Nicholson is a definite showstopper as the psychotic, scene-stealing, hilarious villain as the Joker. Tim Burton does an excellent direction job, the script is very witty and good, and Anton Furst's production design is dark, vivid, and also won an Oscar. Danny Elfman's score is a classic. Possibly the best Batman film, Batman combines humor with seriousness and Burton's distinct visual style. Better than the eye candy, special effects driven, colorful comic book adventures Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, in which one is good and the other isn't that good. Also possibly better than the dark, dazzling, malevolent Batman Returns. Unlike the latest two Batman outings, Batman and Batman Returns rely on darkness, a great production design, Burton's direction, great makeup and perfomances, and cleverness. The other Batman films rely on eye candy, special effects, okay peformances, okay scripts with some funny lines, and comic book type adventures. They are different yet both good in different ways. Overall, a blockbuster and very much worth buying or renting. Enjoy!

BATMAN is one of the best movies of all time. It is also the best of the Batman series. Jack Nicholson does a tremendous job as The Joker. Michael Keaton does a great job playing Bruce Wayne/Batman. This movie is action packed, funny, and very well done. I strongly recommend you buy this movie. I also recommend you buy BATMAN RETURNS in addition to this movie. You won't regret I gaurantee.

This is the best Batman movie in the entire series. It is dark, gothic, and the actors were superb. Michael Keaton plays Bruce Wayne, millionare playboy by day, and Batman, a dark and mysterious crime fighter by night. Michael Keaton is excellent as the Dark Knight and should of played him for the rest of the series. Jack Nicholson as the Joker was also an excellent pick. He plays an evil, demented crime boss well. Tim Burton directed this movie and he made the mood gloomy and gothic, the way Batman and Gotham City is represented in the comic books. The following two Batman movies after "Batman Returns" should of been directed by this gothic wizard. "Batman" is a super hero classic and will be for a long time. I remember first seeing this in a movie theater in the summer of 1989, I was just a kid, and I was highly impressed. That was the summer of Batman, with all the hype surrounding this awesome movie. The sequel "Batman Returns" was also good, but not as good as this one. If you can only see one Batman movie and can't decide which one to watch, watch the first, the original, "Batman" the movie. It's pure magic.

After a long last, another Batman film was created after the 1966 version. It was worth the wait! Michael Keaton is the best Batman, Kim Basigner isn't bad as reporter Vicki Vale, and Jack Nicholson is a definite showstopper as the psychotic, scene-stealing, hilarious villain as the Joker. Tim Burton does an excellent direction job, the script is very witty and good, and Anton Furst's production design is dark, vivid, and also won an Oscar. Danny Elfman's score is a classic. Possibly the best Batman film, Batman combines humor with seriousness and Burton's distinct visual style. Better than the eye candy, special effects driven, colorful comic book adventures Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, in which one is good and the other isn't that good. Also possibly better than the dark, dazzling, malevolent Batman Returns. Unlike the latest two Batman outings, Batman and Batman Returns rely on darkness, a great production design, Burton's direction, great makeup and perfomances, and cleverness. The other Batman films rely on eye candy, special effects, okay peformances, okay scripts with some funny lines, and comic book type adventures. They are different yet both good in different ways. Overall, a blockbuster and very much worth buying or renting. Enjoy!

BATMAN is one of the best movies of all time. It is also the best of the Batman series. Jack Nicholson does a tremendous job as The Joker. Michael Keaton does a great job playing Bruce Wayne/Batman. This movie is action packed, funny, and very well done. I strongly recommend you buy this movie. I also recommend you buy BATMAN RETURNS in addition to this movie. You won't regret I gaurantee.

Batman Returns is as great as Tim Burton's original blockbuster and 1000 times better than ANYTHING Schumacher could cough up.

Burton knows how to choose good actors for his awesome characters. Keaton is a phenomanal Batman with the right portrayal of darkness as his character is portrayed in the comic.

Danny Devito and Michelle Pfeifer are EXCELLENT. They are the only villain team-up which made sense unlike the garbage in Schumacher's festivals of stupidity. Devito does such a great Penguin, its hard to imagine your watching Devito at all. He's a totally different person in this film much like Jack Nicholson was with The Joker in Batman.

To the moron who thinks Burton would kick himself after seeing the Batman animated series, what do you think the series was based on? Had Burton not done this movie or Batman in 1989 you wouldnt have Batman The Animated Series at all. Why do you think the series is dark, the music is by Danny Elfman, and some characters are like their movie counterparts such as Penguin and Catwoman.Tim Burton's work is responsible for the animated series pal.

All in all, an EXCELLENT movie with enough humor, action, and plot that makes this stand wayyyyyy above either of Schumacher's Bat-films that concentrate on special fx and not plot and character like this film.

TRUE Batman fans will appreciate Tim Burton's work for the great characters and writing.

Certainly the darkest 'kid-material' based film ever made.
This film noir has great imagery, psychological depth and funny,
sad and outright dark black quotes plus brilliant, gothically
decayed nostalgic visuals. Also, four other characters represent the character 'Batman' in the movie. Max Shreck-the millionaire
businessman, Penguin-the orphaned outsider, Catwoman-the costumed
vigilante, and Bruce Wayne-the awkward, concealed identity of Batman, though his exact opposite, and the characters are all written to hint at it in the film, but it won't hit you over the head with it.

The characters that are alive at the end of the film speak to
reveal it's main character's current mental health state. The
films plot concerns a character abandoned, literally thrown away
in his childhood because of being born with his irregular hands
causing him to look like a Penguin. Out of what he sees as vengeful justice, he becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, gradually assuming the role of the horrible monster that he always looked like.

He is reluctantly accepted when he returns to society and is
given another chance. He decides somewhere along the way that he does not want to return to this city for some reason (or was it planned all along, while looking at the record list when he was supposedly searching for his human name, did he write down the first born sons of Gotham? Later Catwoman remarks that he already has an 'enemy list'
before staying long in Gotham).

He 'forgives' his parents but is secretly blaming the city for his woes. Penguin tries to live
there but he cannot fully, he finds his sense of belonging seemed
like an illusion (like most Tim Burton films portray), he then,
self-destructively gives up, betrays their trust and bitterly
attempts to murder the innocent before his mayoral bid can be won.
Gotham City represents a lot of evil in this picture, Batman is
a brooding, anti-hero and he's one of the only good people in the
town -in film noir there are no heroes, this is the essence of
Gotham. There's a consistent motif of having the Penguin character
see everything he can't have through bars, if you look you'll find
him eyeing his parents (as the camera) behind bars and Catwoman
after she rejects him, etc. yet he never enters a jail cell.

"Did you miss me... did you miss me?" Penguin, to his penguins

A notable amount of biblical resemblance's here, a basket
carrying a baby down a river that is like from a story about Moses,
Penguin is exactly 33 years old when he arises, like Christ is
said to have after death at that exact age. Originally he was
originally supposed to actually state "yes, Virginia, there is
an anti-Christ!" in the ballroom scene, etc. Penguin reminds
some people of an evil man from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', he later wants to drown infants.

"I am not a human being! I am an animal! Cold-Blooded!"

When the actress portraying Catwoman/Selina Kyle is making the cat
costume, she opens a drawer with about four different colored
scissors, on Edward Scissorhands, Burton explained having scissors
in his films "is about, trying to touch someone, and not being
able to." That was established, as one of Catwoman's many problems,
no real love life. We know why she destroys the Shreck building,
because he is guilty of crimes and she cannot prove it, she sees
this as revenge, like Penguin does. In 'Batman Returns' there are
no situations that have a black or white answer, like film noir. Burton also said
that dressing up changes every character.

As well look at how Burton depicts colorfully clothed overly happy people as stupid,
fake and annoying, without really changing much of anything about
people we know, this harsh contrast is obvious right before
the Penguin agrees to be mayor. Max Shreck (named after the
actor who played Nosferatu in 1922) is a murderous businessman
but in the ballroom scene he shows that even he loves his child,
unlike Penguin's parents, proving he does not deserve to die.

The star character hardly gets shown as often as the others do
(because studio limitations dictate Batman wouldn't be allowed
to be portrayed as messed up as the villains in the movie so
you can't show much of the character or really learn about him,
therefore, the villains represent Batman). The song
'Super Freak' is in this movie as an instrumental during the masked ball, I think that must say something
about Batman! At the end with when the car stops, a sign reads 'Super Drug'. It all is clothed a very unreal, hazy, dreamlike
quality. The image at the cemetery where the Penguin looks down
at the ground with a gravestone cross above him and the first
time we see Bruce, staring out the window reflecting the bat
signal are my favourite parts. In the sewer, close to the finish,

Batman/Bruce admits with Penguin, Shreck, and Catwoman there,
that he is Bruce Wayne, and that 'we're the same, split right
down the center'. He rips off his mask, and at that moment a
thread in Catwoman's mask breaks open to reveal her blond hair.
With an admitted (in the film) sad, though satisfying
Christmas-time end to it all, the movie was dismissed as a 'shallow'
script because of it's superhero nature (it does have some
bizarre fight scenes) and did not make as much money as was hoped.
Still, I think it's genius and it must be my favourite film,
nervous breakdowns and all. Batman debuted in 1938.

"Go to heaven!"

When I saw the first Batman by Tim Burton I thought for sure that the sequel wouldn't be as good, because it so often isn't. I was therefore very surprised to love this one much more.

Michelle Pfeiffer is one of my favourite actresses, because I always found fascinating the tough-girl-but-good-person aura she gives. I love the combination of that with the character of Cat woman, who's all that plus the vulnerability, the body, the shiny suit, the one liners, the acrobatics, the whip...It's so bloody exciting! If I was an actress I would kill for a part like that. As I am not, I admit I wish I WAS like that!

Also, it's a movie full of unforgettable lines, something that seems to have gone out the window when the golden era of actresses like Joan Crawford was over, lines like "I don't know about you miss Kitty, but I feel so much yummier", and "You can never have too much power", not to mention the dialogue about the dangers of mistletoe that takes place between Batman and Cat woman.

One of the best movies ever made and certainly my favourite as far as Tim Burton's movies go.