Batman: The Dark Knight - Opening Sequence Analysis

My detailed breakdown of the opening sequence of Batman: The Dark Knight (2008) - Click HERE to view sequence.

The Dark Knight is a 2008 British-American superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the second part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins.

The opening sequence features a bank robbery featuring 'criminals' of Gotham city. Themes in the sequence include Game Theory vs. Fair Division, as well as more basic themes such as Morality vs. Evil.

The Joker is introduced as an intelligent and cunning character, this is shown through his organisation of a complex and ingenious bank robbery. Furthermore, The Joker is portrayed as ruthless and greedy through his insistence that each mobster should kill his partner to increase each member’s payout. We see the cowardice and intense greed of the mobsters of Gotham when they agree to the Joker’s scheme. The Joker prevails as the only remaining member of the robbery. This highlights his superior intelligence in comparison to Gotham’s other criminals.

Each criminal sports a plastic clown mask – hiding expressions. The area is well lit and the crime is carried out in broad daylight to show the criminals have no fear of other authority in Gotham such as Police. This kind of no fear attitude of criminals is common in all superhero films. The clown masks portray the criminals as conformists and anonymous, these masks also insinuate that the criminal’s work for The Joker as the Jokers image is similar to that of a clown.

Extreme long opening shots act as establishing shots and again show the scale of the crime and more-so give the fictional Gotham City a sense of identity. The aerial tilt and opening long shots also manipulate the use of IMAX cameras deployed in the main action sequences. 

The age demographic of the Batman franchise has traditionally been fairly young. However, the Dark Knight aims to appeal to a far wider audience, this is reflected in the opening sequence with the use of gritty scenes of death as well as the far darker portrayal of The Joker. The film will appeal more to males due to the dark and gritty atmosphere of the film; the main protagonist and antagonist are also male characters.

Overall, the film's opening sequence features violence, action, and a tight, clever and sophisticated plot. It meets the needs and wants of every wide demographic.