Tim Burton has always been an auteur. Never more than in his depiction of a comic book legend in his classic Batman. At the time, Bruce Wayne and his alter ego were best remembered in the public eye through the campy 1966 television series. Burton turned that vision on his head with a dark, gothic view, hiring the unconventional Michael Keaton to play the lead and getting music renegade Prince for the soundtrack. The genius of the project was hiring Jack Nicholson to play the Joker. With a history of unhinged characters on his resume, audiences flocked to watch as Batman worked overtime to stop the Clown Prince of Crime from randomly killing Gothamites at will. With Kim Basinger convincingly giving the crimefighter a reason to be distracted, Batman is great entertainment.
