The Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

The Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a 2013 superhero action film based on the DC Comics character of Batman. It is a remake of the 1993 animated film Mask of the Phantasm and stars Eric Bana, Christina Hendricks, Geoffrey Rush, Bryan Cranston and Crispin Glover.

Plot
Bruce Wayne is a millionaire philanthropist and playboy but is also the secret alter ego of Gotham's dark knight; the Batman. When he was a child, Bruce witnessed the murder of his parents at the hands of a lowly street thug who was never caught. Since that day, he swore to take on crime in the godforsaken city, no matter the cost. Operating from his secret lair, the Batcave, and with the help of his loyal butler and guardian Alfred Pennyworth, he is one of the few men left standing against crime in Gotham; the only others being police sergeant James Gordon and the new district attorney Harvey Dent.

During a conference of Gotham's crime bosses, a gangster known as Sal Maroni is murdered by a shadowy figure after Batman intrudes upon the meeting. Batman is subsequently blamed for the killing. A councilman named Arthur Reeves publicly states that Batman is a threat before attending a party at Bruce Wayne's mansion. During the party, Reeves teases Bruce for his bad luck with women after failing to hook up with someone and reminds him of an old flame, Vicki Vale.

Ten years previously, when Bruce was in college, he encountered Vicki in a graveyard where he was visiting the grave of his murdered parents and the two began to pursue a romantic interest in one another. At the same time, Bruce decides to start fighting crime and interrupts the robbery of an armoured truck one night, wearing only a ski mask to conceal his identity. Although he succeeds, the criminals mock him and do not fear him, causing Bruce to become discouraged. Due to his romance with Vicki, he decides to put his ambition to rest and asks her to marry him. However, a short time later Vicki suddenly leaves Gotham with her father and breaks up with Bruce through a Dear John letter. Distraught, Bruce finally takes up the Batman mantle.

Bruce is delighted when Vicki mysteriously reappears in Gotham and learns of her father's mob ties. At the same time, the killer hunts down the Chechen, another crime lord, and then targets crime boss Rupert Thorne. Both Maroni and the Chechen had previously acted as enforcers for Thorne. Fearing for his life, Thorne turns to another old ally; the Joker. The Joker agrees to help Thorne in trapping the villain, believing them to be an insane Batman.

That night, the killer arrives at Thorne's office only to find that gangster already dead, his face having been horribly disfigured by the Joker. The Joker reveals through a tape recording that a bomb has been planted in the room. The room explodes as the killer flees, only to be followed by Batman. However, Batman's pursuit is foiled by the police, who believe he is responsible for the murders. Vicki arrives and saves Batman, revealing that she knows who he is and they spend the night together at Wayne's home.

Vicki explains to Bruce that she and her father had to flee to Europe to hide from the mob, to whom Vicki's father owed a lot of money. Bruce begins to suspect Vicki's father of being the phantom. However, he soon learns that Reeves, in return for the mob's generous campaign contributions, ratted them out and that Vicki's father was murdered. Reeves is then killed by the Joker.

Batman soon locates the Joker's hideout; a run-down amusement park which houses a minituare replica of Gotham City. The killer also appears but the Joker has also figured out what Batman has; Vicki is the killer, taking revenge for her father's killing. The Joker is also revealed to have been the last remaining member of the gang; before the accident which changed him forever, he was mob hitman Jack Napier, who personally murdered Vicki's father on Thorne's orders. During the ensuing fight with the Joker, a series of rigged explosions begin to destroy the theme park. Vicki grabs hold of the battered Joker, who laughs maniacally as she bids Bruce farewell. Batman is knocked by an explosion into a waterway and swept away to safety.

In the Batcave, Alfred consoles Bruce, telling him that Vicki couldn't have been saved. Bruce weeps as he finds an old locket containing a photo of him and Vicki. The film ends with Batman standing atop a Gotham skyscraper as the Bat-Signal lights up the sky and he swings away to continue his vendetta against crime.

Cast
Eric Bana - Bruce Wayne/The Batman

Geoffrey Rush - Alfred Pennyworth

Bryan Cranston - Sergeant James Gordon

Christina Hendricks - Vicki Vale

Billy Dee Williams - Lucius Fox

Michael Fassbender - Harvey Dent

Crispin Glover - Jack Napier/The Joker

Lance Henriksen - The Phantasm (Voice)