why don't we ever see the detective side of Batman in the movies ?

[Dr Will Hatch]

The Dark Knight had the most Batman playing a detective, with the fragmented bullet scene.

As to why it's not done more, I suspect for the same reasons Superman being an investigative reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, isn't explored more in his films. It's not the attraction for the films, so it's cut or played lip service to.

There was some detective work at the beginning of Rises too when he investigates Selina Kyle.

[KabutoRyder]

I think he does enough detecting.

I mean are people looking for it to be like a cop TV procedural complete with the first act red herring, the footchase that leads to a diving tackle of the suspect into a pile of trash or a street vendor cart and a last second clue 8 minutes before the credits roll?

[Cyke]

Yet he didn't know that Clark had a mother named MARTHA!

Hah!

I think he does enough detecting.

I mean are people looking for it to be like a cop TV procedural complete with the first act red herring, the footchase that leads to a diving tackle of the suspect into a pile of trash or a street vendor cart and a last second clue 8 minutes before the credits roll?

Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing that.

0pXux.jpg

[t hedge coke]

I think he does enough detecting.

I mean are people looking for it to be like a cop TV procedural complete with the first act red herring, the footchase that leads to a diving tackle of the suspect into a pile of trash or a street vendor cart and a last second clue 8 minutes before the credits roll?

It would be awesome to see Batman pursue the wrong person entirely for forty straight minutes, especially if he's as brutal as movie Batman often is.

But, it would be a disaster for marketing, toys, and... people who go to see Batman movies.

[Death&Return of Superman]

Yet he didn't know that Clark had a mother named MARTHA!

No, the movie was detective work for the viewers watching the movie.

[Death&Return of Superman]

It would be awesome to see Batman pursue the wrong person entirely for forty straight minutes, especially if he's as brutal as movie Batman often is.

But, it would be a disaster for marketing, toys, and... people who go to see Batman movies.

As long as it was good it wouldn't be a disaster for people watching it. If it had Batman looking characters toys wouldn't be a problem.

[AJBopp]

I think he does enough detecting.

I mean are people looking for it to be like a cop TV procedural complete with the first act red herring, the footchase that leads to a diving tackle of the suspect into a pile of trash or a street vendor cart and a last second clue 8 minutes before the credits roll?

What modern TV has brought us to:

This is what people think a detective show is now.

[Totoro Man]

or, y'know, they could have made them more like those Guy Ritchie "Sherlock" films. those felt more like Batman movies than Sherlock Holmes. but, at least Downey Jr. and Law were a fun 'dynamic duo'. I can see why the Holmes-purists would hate those movies... but I had fun with that first one.

[Death&Return of Superman]

or, y'know, they could have made them more like those Guy Ritchie "Sherlock" films. those felt more like Batman movies than Sherlock Holmes. but, at least Downey Jr. and Law were a fun 'dynamic duo'. I can see why the Holmes-purists would hate those movies... but I had fun with that first one.

I was going to say this earlier, but I'm almost surprised they didn't at least try something like those with Batman between 2012 and now. Those are mystery movies where we see a good deal of detective work, and they aren't skimping on the action either. I'd actually say we get better action scenes in those two Sherlock Holmes movies than any Batman movies that's been made. And, and they're WB movies that did pretty fucking good at the box office while also costing less than Batman Begins. You would kind of think when WB was going over relaunching Batman yet again they'd look back on their own Sherlock films, (the last of which came out in 2011) see the first one cost them $90 million and made $524 million, and maybe think that just maybe doing that with Batman wouldn't be all that bad of an idea.

[Jim Kelly]

Or you know they could make mystery movies like that other English director makes--you know that guy who directed MEMENTO, INSOMNIA, THE PRESTIGE and INCEPTION. What's his name?

[Death&Return of Superman]

Or you know they could make mystery movies like that other English director makes--you know that guy who directed MEMENTO, INSOMNIA, THE PRESTIGE and INCEPTION. What's his name?

A Batman movie like Insomnia? That sounds horrible. Memento is the only good one of the bunch—I'll take it more like the Sherlock movies.

[t hedge coke]

As long as it was good it wouldn't be a disaster for people watching it. If it had Batman looking characters toys wouldn't be a problem.

If a Batman movie has the Joker in it, they need to market Joker toys.

If there's any mystery to who is doing the crime and it ends up being the Joker... they need to be able to market those Joker toys before the movie hits.

The only reason the Talia bait and switch worked, at all, is because there's no way they wouldn't make more toys of Bane than Talia, anyway, no matter what the plot. Bane's what you're shoving on all the merchandise. Once you get to more recognizable characters or, to be blunt, male characters, that leeway decreases.

These are market-driven movies. If it's important, it has to be encapsulated in one of the first three commercials they run.

[Zero Hunter]

I think if they ever do a Batman TV series they would play up the detective angle more since they would have more time to slow things down now and then. In a 2 hour movie there is just not enough time to squeeze it in properly.

[batnbreakfast]

As others said... look at your own Sherlock Holmes movies WB (Ok they're not perfect but have a fighting detective guy).
Or just give us a goddamn animated movie with a mystery. After a Batman'66 animated movie everything seems possible.
Maybe an adaption of Black Glove or Black Mirror but I'd prefer something original. The problem with animated movies seems... they just don't have the writers for it.

[Death&Return of Superman]

If a Batman movie has the Joker in it, they need to market Joker toys.

If there's any mystery to who is doing the crime and it ends up being the Joker... they need to be able to market those Joker toys before the movie hits.

The only reason the Talia bait and switch worked, at all, is because there's no way they wouldn't make more toys of Bane than Talia, anyway, no matter what the plot. Bane's what you're shoving on all the merchandise. Once you get to more recognizable characters or, to be blunt, male characters, that leeway decreases.

These are market-driven movies. If it's important, it has to be encapsulated in one of the first three commercials they run.

What you're talking about doesn't even kind of matter. A Batman movie playing as a mystery isn't going to **** with the toys. The only way toys might "spoil" a mystery like you're getting at is if the mystery centered around the revel of the Joker himself being a mystery—which isn't how a detective thing would need to work, and wouldn't be what a mystery would need to be centered around. If they were to center the movie around the mystery of someone's revel, and they even kind of cared about toys being a spoiler, they could alway sell the "Mystery" version of the character first. You ever see that Capcom fighting game JoJo's Bizarre Adventure? One of the hidden characters is a character called Shadow Dio



If they so wanted to, the first series of toys could be like this Shadow Dio, where the toys face is purposely obscured. Shadow Joker, painted in shadows, dressed differently than normal—than later they release the unobscured normal Joker that's dressed differently than normal Joker. Now they've got multiple Joker veriants to sell of an alt costume Joker. More toys to sell, I'm sure they'd love that.

They could also do something like The Red Hood or The Phantasm. Who's behind the mask? First series of toys before the movie, mask don't come off.