7) Breaking The Bat – The Dark Knight Rises
This is the scene all Batman fans were looking forward to from the moment it was announced that Bane would be appearing in The Dark Knight Rises. If they were introducing Bane, it meant director Christopher Nolan was going to bring the villain’s signature move to life: the vicious beating of the Dark Knight which led to him breaking Batman’s back. Thankfully, Nolan did not disappoint and delivered one of the most visceral and gripping action scenes in Batman history.
The fight between the two characters is unflinchingly brutal, as Bane totally outclasses our hero in one-on-one combat. It’s hard to watch Batman being brought to his knees like this, but it’s also impossible to look away. As well as the fight choreography and Nolan’s shadowy direction, the sound design of the scene really adds something to the mood: there’s no score from Hans Zimmer here, just the faint sound of running water in the background – and the occasional wince-inducing crunching sound effect.
It might not show Batman at his best, but the effectiveness of his complete defeat here made it all the sweeter when the Caped Crusader triumphed over Bane at the end of the movie.