The Dark Knight: An Essay on Justice in the Age of Terror.
Gordon shows up shortly after the gunfire, and demands that Jack Napier be taken alive. During the chase, Batman eventually corners Napier, and catches him just before he falls into a vat of chemicals. However, Batman lets go, and Jack falls in. Gordon sees Batman, and orders him to halt, but the Caped Crusader gets away.
Since the film Batman came to theaters in 1989, five other full length films have followed, most notably The Dark Knight which many movie critics consider Oscar-worthy and exemplary at showing a post-modern superhero.
The 2005 motion picture Batman Begins takes the familiar pop culture icon of Batman and his civilian persona of Bruce Wayne and attempts to re-envision him for a 21 st century zeitgeist. While 20 th century incarnations of the dark-cowled avenger veered perilously between Wagnerian grandiosity, as authored by oddball director Tim Burton, and tongue-in-cheek camp, as in the 60s television.
It truly is a comic book movie. No matter about the new focus on realism or reviewers declaring The Dark Knight to be a crime movie rather than a comic book movie, these films share several important features with the graphic form from which Batman originates. The importance of shots and dialogue over shots.
The 1966 Batman film was just an extended episode of the TV show. Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman tried to distance itself from the 60’s Batman altogether. Christopher Nolan’s reboot of Batman Begins in 2005 and The Dark Knight in 2008 brings us back to the characters that were relatable to fans and audiences.
Third, Batman is the paragon for our love of cunning and intelligence. True, he doesn't exactly have an alien encyclopedia, but the notion of being Crazy-Prepared for the future in the chaos of real life is extremely appealing, and Batman can somehow do it without seeming silly or having Fan Dumb screaming Ass Pull. Fourth, Batman is our selves rising above reality.
That said, there's always the other interpretation. Batman is trying to stop the Joker from killing himself. Like he did the other most influential Batman comic, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns just 2 years earlier, which was also turned into an Animated Film, 2 (okay 3) years earlier.