I get a huge kick exploring various connections within pop culture, including the thematic and stylistic links between Batman comics and cinema. To be fair, many of the comics are quite open about their influences, to the point that one of the rogues, Film Freak, once crafted a whole crime spree in Gotham City around a macabre journey through movie history, including this awesome tribute to Buster Keaton:
Catwoman (v2) #59
That said, with these posts I’m normally not interested in films that are explicitly referenced in the comics, nor am I interested in films that actually include characters from the comics (so, no, I won’t be writing about Joker: Folie à Deux for now, like I did about the first picture). Instead, I’m fascinated by movies that *feel* like they belong in the same universe as the comics, to some extent, but where Batman’s actual cast is missing from the story.
Last month, I did this exercise with a bunch of blockbusters. This time around, I’m suggesting some less obvious, less well-known works (at least outside of specific cinephile circles) that different fans of the Dark Knight should appreciate…
KISS THE BLOOD OFF MY HANDS (1948)
Behind this badass title hides an uneven movie, but one with a lot to recommend. It’s a visually engaging film noir that taps into much of what made this type of expressionist crime thrillers so appealing, as a deadbeat veteran kills a guy in the very first scene, setting up a paranoid manhunt which will keep him trying to escape the authorities, the criminal underworld, and his own impulses. Interestingly, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands is mostly set in Hollywood’s version of postwar London, portraying a bombed-out Britain with fuel rationing, rampant contraband, and corporal punishment, thus framing the protagonist’s own doom within a whole country struggling to recover from the recent conflict. It’s also a morality tale, to some degree, exposing the danger of uncontrolled PTSD and of being let down by the system while emphasizing the need to face the consequences of your actions and to work together to improve living conditions (Burt Lancaster even threatens an antivaxxer, at one point). More than the chiaroscuro lighting or the way the movie integrates the historical background, it’s this last feature that reminds me of some Batman narratives, namely those about recidivist criminals facing their mistakes… although in their case the redemption or comeuppance tend to come in a different form:
Batman & Robin Adventures #14
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THE MAN FROM HONG KONG (1975)
Ozploitation meets kung fu cinema in this propulsive, no-holds-barred action fest about an agent from Hong Kong’s Special Branch (committedly played by Jimmy Wang Yu) who goes to Australia to supervise an extradition and ends up totally trashing the place by going up against a local crime lord. There are obvious elements of copaganda (hell, the opening credits play over footage of police force training in HK) and a clear Dirty Harry influence, but also a conspicuous James Bond vibe, as Wang effortlessly beds Aussie babes (with way more tongue action than your average 007), drives around in a convertible, and remorselessly slaughters henchmen abroad (as one guy puts it: ‘This country’s got a small population and he’s getting through them very fast!’), including the most brutal of restaurant kitchen fights (sorry, Monkey Man!).
I suppose I should illustrate this one with a martial arts scene, but I can’t resist going with a classic confrontation against racist Australians:
Detective Comics #591
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PASSWORD: KILL AGENT GORDON (1966)
The story of a CIA agent trying to break up an arms deal with the Vietcong may be hard to take seriously, but Password: Kill Agent Gordon doesn’t expect you to take anything very seriously – it’s all just a pretext to globetrot from Paris to Tripoli (and eventually end up in a Spanish bullfighting arena, for some reason) while kicking ass, getting laid, and playing with the Cold War, Bond-style. This one was put together by a Eurospy dream team: the director, stars, and composer were all involved in loads of similar pictures and they knew exactly what they were doing. In fact, what most reminds me of classic Batman yarns is the movie’s shameless commitment to providing constant thrills, no matter how irrelevant (or even contradictory) they may be to the plot… Just in the first few minutes, our hero is kidnapped, only to be revealed it was only his colleagues trying to surprise him, then someone points a gun at him, but it’s just a perfume advertisement, and shortly thereafter he gets attacked by a couple of thugs who, it turns out, got the wrong guy and actually wanted to beat up someone else! It really is like a faithful adaptation of those comics where practically every page finishes on a cliffhanger, which can lead either to a fake-out or to yet another bombastic fight scene.
Batman #220
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RUNNING OUT OF TIME (1999)
An action-packed, ultra-convoluted cat-and-mouse game between a genius super-cop and a genius super-criminal is pretty much the foundation of the best Batman comics, so if one of my favorite directors, Johnnie To, gets on the case, you bet it’s going to show up in one of these lists sooner or later… Now, this is from when To was still a bit rough around the edges, but you can already count on his signature slick mise-en-scène and deadpan humor. What’s more, he has always been great at using small touches and visuals to signal characters growing closer to each other, and his mastery is definitely in full display here, as the ‘cat’ and the ‘mouse’ progressively bond. For all the shooting, punching, and speeding cars, Running Out of Time is ultimately a love story!
Legends of the Dark Knight #185
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SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (1947)
Fritz Lang directed (brilliantly) this take on the vast subgenre of psychological thrillers about women suspecting sinister things about their husbands… but instead of the typically fragile, insecure protagonist driven to the brink of madness, the awesome Joan Bennett plays the lead as ultra-determined, rational, and resourceful, taking charge of the situation even as Secret Beyond the Door gradually evolves from psychodrama to pre-giallo slasher movie. While fans of the Dark Knight are bound to appreciate the eccentricities of the twisted villain of the piece, I’m sure the main appeal will be the dark tone of the final stretch, which feels like an apotheosis of cinematic gothic horror.
Batman: Black & White (v3) #2
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TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD (1966)
Finally, this is just the sort of pulpy adventure that Batman comics occasionally went for in the Silver and Bronze Ages, with Tarzan fighting off treasure-hunting mercenaries in Mexico. Although he sports the obligatory athletic physique, this isn’t Hollywood’s iconic King of the Jungle speaking broken English, but rather an articulate, world-weary, highly intelligent version of the character (closer to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ creation). As a result, it’s not difficult to picture the Caped Crusader in this combination of brawns & brains, even if Tarzan is more willing to pick up a machine gun… That said, I’m not going to lie: Tarzan and the Valley of Gold definitely lacks both the high production values and the woke revisionism of 2016’s The Legend of Tarzan. Still, there’s an old-school charm to the proceedings. And while an early set piece involving a giant bottle could’ve been drawn by Dick Sprang, on the whole the movie is as gritty as it is campy, so I see it appealing to fans of the Haney-Aparo era of The Brave and the Bold.
The Brave and the Bold #107