BRUCE WAYNE has always had this need, this drive to take action because of the tragedy that befell him.
Hes not in the healthiest of places, in many ways, says Bale of his now-reclusive character.
If the theme of Batman Begins was fear, and The Dark Knight was a meditation on chaos, is TDKR all about pain? Thats constant throughout, admits Bale. But I think its more about him feeling the consequences of a life thats entirely directed by pain, and holding onto that pain, and just how long he can do that. Its about making the decision to continue [being Batman] in order to maybe self-destruct, or whether he can find some kind of rebirth, to be himself. Theres a certain amount of reflection.
Which isnt to say were in for yawning stretches of Bruce brooding in the Bat-cave. Chris is very good at recognizing the kind of movie that were making, that were not making a little character piece, asserts Bale. Theres no reason why you cant have a substantial amount of character in it, but were not going to go so far that people say, This is no longer the excitement that Im looking for.
I would say that in terms of brutality, this one exceeds the last one, reveals Bale. This is the first episode that Batmans ever physically been taken.