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Ideas Thread: for... The Dark Knight edits

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This is like the Crystal Skull Edit thread, as I’m not going to be able to do this myself (a lack of tools, not knowhow), but I wanted to make a thread suggesting how we might trim down the already-great Dark Knight into something maybe a bit better… or at least different.

Things you didn’t think work well?  Things that went on too long?  Tweaks to existing scenes?  Throw them out here!

For example, I think there are a few scenes that could be excised with some work.

I loved that The World’s Greatest Detective did some detective work in this movie, but the thing with the shattered bullet was just too much.

  1. What kind of 3D scanner could see bullet fragments in a brick?
  2. How could that same scanner get the fragments of fingerprint off of each piece and put them back together?
  3. Wouldn’t the fingerprint be way too partial on the actually bullet part since you push mostly on the shell as you’re putting it in?
  4. Why would Batman assume that the fingerprint on the bullet would belong to someone who lives along the parade route / why would the Joker assume that Batman would assume or even be able to figure that out?

It’s obvious the Joker knew someone would figure it out since he had the telescope and blinds on a timer.  It would be nice if one of the dead people in the room with the bullet lived at the address on the parade route, because that would make much more sense.  The Joker killed someone to take over their apartment, and figured the irony of the last names made it even better.

Also, I feel that Bruce taking the ballet away was unnecessary, because he doesn’t really need an excuse to leave.  Also, what did all these Russian ballerinas think when a plane lands in the water next to them and Bruce swims over and they never see him again?  It could cut from Bruce and Alfred talking about the plane to the shot over the city, or even from Lucius and Bruce talking and cut from the line about “Now that’s more like it” to the city which would leave a bit more mystery as to what they’re talking about.

Another thing I’d like to see is a version of the movie with the IMAX scenes from Disc 2 of the DVD in their original 1.44:1 aspect ratio, not the all-theatrical version on the DVD or even the 16:9 crop for the Blu Ray.

Again, this is just a thread for suggestions.  Maybe we’ll inspire someone to take it up!

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When Batman's standing on the Sears Tower, and you hear the Joker say "....you'll find Harvey Dent there," cut from that to the parade and Bruce searching the apartment, as if the Joker gave him the address.

My ONLY problem with that is that I LOVED the scene with Batman at the crime scene.  Straight out of the comic books, and the first time he's really shown as a detective in the movies.  Even though I agree about the logistics of the shattered bullet, I wouldn't cut any of it out.

As for the ballet thing, just don't show him on the boat.  Show Dent and Rachel seeing the newspaper clipping, then cut to him in Hong Kong.  He didn't really need to *do* that, just make everyone think that he did.

And the disc 2 IMAX scenes do NOT include every IMAX shot in the movie.  They didn't even throw in the montage scene where Batman finds the coin, and Alfred burns the letter.  If anyone has the full-screen version, they should compare that to the IMAX scenes on disc 2 and the Blu-Ray - maybe they didn't crop them much since they're already basically full-screen.

Now, here are the ONLY suggestions I'd make to improve TDK:

1) Make Scarecrow's voice match his voice in BB (the distorted growling).  It sounds stupid and unimpressive in TDK.
2) Cut Dr. Crane's "Not my diagnosis" line.  Awful.
3) Cut "Have a nice trip, see you next fall."
4) If feasible (may not be), cut all references to the "sonar" thing.  I'd much rather see that excised than the bullet thing.

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Which "sonar" thing?  Using it in Hong Kong is the set-up for having it at the end of the film.

My outlook on life - we’re all on the Hindenburg anyway…no point fighting over the window seat.

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Both.  I thought both were kinda stupid, to be honest.

Cutting it in Hong Kong is easy.  Just cut Bruce/Fox's conversation in the crowd of people (not really necessary now that the sonar concept is gone) - now the second phone is just an EMP device that knocks out all the power to the building.

Cutting it later in the movie is trickier and, honestly, I have no idea how it'd be done.

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I noticed a continuity mistake that would be hard to fix.  After the interrogation scene where Joker tells Batman where Harvey and Rachel are, Batman says he's going after Rachel but he goes after Harvey.  Then later in the film, there's a reference to those same addresses for the final confrontation with Harvey.  So which one do you change, and how?

My outlook on life - we’re all on the Hindenburg anyway…no point fighting over the window seat.

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Ziz said:

I noticed a continuity mistake that would be hard to fix.  After the interrogation scene where Joker tells Batman where Harvey and Rachel are, Batman says he's going after Rachel but he goes after Harvey.  Then later in the film, there's a reference to those same addresses for the final confrontation with Harvey.  So which one do you change, and how?

The Joker gave Batman the wrong address so that Batman would lose whoever he really wanted to save.  Or did I miss them mentioning it again?

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Doubleofive is right.  That was intentional - the Joker knew Batman would choose Rachel, and he really wanted to hurt both Harvey and Batman.  So he lied about which one was where, so that Batman would save Harvey, and the person they both cared about would die.

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Ok, I didn't think of it that way.  I figured the Joker was so confident that it wouldn't matter which one Batman or the cops went for.

Where was it mentioned that Joker swapped the addresses?

My outlook on life - we’re all on the Hindenburg anyway…no point fighting over the window seat.

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Ziz said:

Ok, I didn't think of it that way.  I figured the Joker was so confident that it wouldn't matter which one Batman or the cops went for.

Where was it mentioned that Joker swapped the addresses?

I don't remember that it was explicitly stated, but that was the impression that I got.

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It wasn't mentioned specifically, but I don't get why so many people don't understand that.  I got it the very first time I saw it - when Batman opens the door and Harvey screams "No!" I immediately though "Oh, that bastard!  He switched the addresses!"  But after the move, almost all of my friends thought what you did, Ziz.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU_XlgpNTh8

4:45 - Joker: "Don't worry.  I'm going to tell you where they are - both of them - and that's the point.  You'll have to choose."

That's why I thought he was telling the truth about the addresses and the subsequent change was a continuity mistake.  Joker was confident that Batman couldn't save both of them so no point in lying about who was where.

My outlook on life - we’re all on the Hindenburg anyway…no point fighting over the window seat.

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That's not how I saw it.  He was making Batman choose, alright - but Batman thought he was choosing who to save, when in reality the Joker made him choose who would die.  By choosing to save Rachel, he actually chose here to be the one to die - the Joker knew Batman would make it while the police weren't fast enough.  He did get to see his "Batpod" in action, and it was pretty damn fast.

That's another thing I'd like to see excised from the movie - any mention of the name "Batpod."  It sounds quite stupid IMO.  I don't think they ever called the Batmobile "Batmobile" in the movie.  It's a vehicle he uses, another high-tech gadget, a tool - but we don't need to know its name.  We can just be left to think "Batcycle" in our heads, the way we think "Batmobile" when we see his car.

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I think the only mention of "Batpod" is Alfred when Bruce is leaving to save Reese.

My outlook on life - we’re all on the Hindenburg anyway…no point fighting over the window seat.

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That's what I mean.  Just cut that little exchange between the two of them.  Alfred doesn't even get it for him, so why bother asking?

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Ziz said:

Ok, I didn't think of it that way.  I figured the Joker was so confident that it wouldn't matter which one Batman or the cops went for.

Where was it mentioned that Joker swapped the addresses?

As others have stated, it's more implied than explicitly stated. The closest they come to doing so is when Batman and Gordon are mobilizing to save the two. Gordon asks Batman who he's going after. He says Rachel. Gordon tells his men that they're going after Dent. So when Batman opens the door and sees Dent, you're supposed to go, "Oh, shit. The Joker switched addresses on him."

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Ziz said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU_XlgpNTh8

4:45 - Joker: "Don't worry.  I'm going to tell you where they are - both of them - and that's the point.  You'll have to choose."

That's why I thought he was telling the truth about the addresses and the subsequent change was a continuity mistake.  Joker was confident that Batman couldn't save both of them so no point in lying about who was where.

 

Just to chip-in on this one, to say how it played out to me. 

As ShiftyEyes pointed out, Batman tells Gordon that he is going after Rachael....

Although the Joker knew he was going to hurt Batman with the fact that he was confident that he couldn't save BOTH people in time, and was happy to reveal both addresses to him.....he ALSO intended the additional, and probably worse kick in the teeth to him, by swapping the facts around, in case he did manage to reach the address of the one he wanted to personally rescue the most, in time. 

He's a mean, and tricky fellah, that Joker.  

 

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Doubleofive I absolutely agree about the ballistics scene with Batman. Recreating the bullet and then recreating a finger print...utterly ridiculous. Determining what type of round was used is one thing but then to recreate the finger print was too much.

 

One other suggestion, take out all the cheesey one liners that the SWAT member was stating when they were transporting Dent.

"The Empire can't stop us now..now its our turn" -Luke-

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ChainsawAsh said:

Now, here are the ONLY suggestions I'd make to improve TDK:

1) Make Scarecrow's voice match his voice in BB (the distorted growling).  It sounds stupid and unimpressive in TDK.
2) Cut Dr. Crane's "Not my diagnosis" line.  Awful.
3) Cut "Have a nice trip, see you next fall."
4) If feasible (may not be), cut all references to the "sonar" thing.  I'd much rather see that excised than the bullet thing.

 

I kind of made some folks angry in another post by saying films like these should just be left alone. But I still have to put my two cents in about suggestions.

 

1) His voice was distorted because that's what they heard when under the effects of the gas. Correct me if I'm wrong, been awhile.

2) That part I think is classic because though he's a whack job he still considers himself an expert in his field and thinks he can analyze Batman.

3) Yeah that's kinda campy.

4) Hmm, impartial. Either way. Agree some of the James Bond stuff was kinda drawn out.

But please if anything get rid of the "garble with cat litter" voice Batman has in this one.

Or here's an idea doubleo5, try to throw in a small scene where He's placing a voice harmonizer around his neck before suiting up. Would make more sense, so he would be sure no one would recognize him by chance.

If you can set that up, be tough as it would be a new scene. Maybe could find some of that elsewhere I guess?

 

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Well, I always thought he had a voice changer in his mask, in order to make himself sound scarier.  Remember, he sounded that way to Rachel at the end of BB, who was immune to his gas at the time.  The whole scene is just lazily performed by Murphy, which is sad because I really like him as an actor - those two changes would fix his performance 100%.

Another cheesy line my friends reminded me of: "No more dead cops!"

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"Not my diagnosis" is classic, who could have a problem with it?

The old Batman franchise was killing off villian by villian.

Leaving Scarecrow open is great, and that line kind of sets it up.

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I'm fine with leaving Scarecrow open, but you don't need him to say that awful line in such a bored "Look at me, I got paid a ridiculous amount of money to come here for one day and say this one line" way to do it.  It makes me cringe (literally) every time I hear it.

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Cut Dent's "The night is darkest before dawn... and the dawn will come" line in his press conference. No one can say something like that and expect to be taken seriously.

 

Also cut some of Gordon's rambling at the very end. He goes on for way too long.