Nit-Picking: The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises was a great conclusion to Nolan’s Batman trilogy, but it wasn't flawless. There were many things in the movie that made you wonder.

Let’s start right at the beginning of the movie with the CIA.

First thing, why would the CIA let three men onto their plane without checking their identities first? Why didn't they just take the bags of their heads? I mean Bane is very recognizable with his mask in all; the CIA might have stood a chance on the ground.

Then we get into the plane and there is a few things that bothered me about this scene, as cool as it was.

First, why didn't a CIA plane detect an aircraft flying over them. You would think that they would have some sort of equipment to detect these sorts of things but apparently not.

Second, why did Bane have to leave one of his men in the plane to die? Once the CIA discovers the wreckage they’re going to immediately notice that the plane has been shot up and the wings have been ripped off. Their first thought should be that something strange has happened so it makes little to no sense to me to leave someone behind. It’s pointless and a waste of a life.

Third, if this was to suppose to be a stealth operation, which all the evidence points to. Why would Bane’s men do so much damage to the plane? You would think that the less damage done, the better.

Moving on, let’s look at Bruce Wayne’s fingerprints and Bane’s attack at the stock market.

In the movie we see Catwoman steal and sell Bruce Wayne’s fingerprints. She does this for a man named Dagget who wants control of Wayne Enterprises. So, he plans on using Bruce Wayne’s fingerprints to make some bad decisions in the stock market. OK,  this could work and be believable if they do it subtlety … but they don’t.

Later in the movie we see Bane attack the stock exchange and uses the fingerprints to force Bruce Wayne off the board of Wayne Enterprises. He does this by shooting up the stock exchange and terrorizing the hundreds of people working at the time. My question here is none of these people report that Bruce Wayne wasn't involved with the attack? And the police don’t think it’s suspicious that Wayne Enterprises goes down at the same time of a terrorist attack? No wonder Gotham is always terrorized by super villains, the police department has no clue what they’re doing.

Speaking of the police in Gotham, why did they all go into the sewers at the same time? This one really makes me scratch my head.

In the movie we see that the police force heads into the sewers to find Bane and his army. When I say police force, I mean everyone. The only two that stay above ground are Jim Gordon and John Blake. Unfortunately, Bane has the sewers setup with explosives that ultimately trap the entire police department.

*sigh* Why would you send all of your officers into the sewers? Who thought it was a good idea to leave a city without any police? You would think that a city as large as Gotham would have a lot of 911 calls during the day, who were taking care of those while the entire department was gathering to enter the sewers? This isn't remotely logical.

Next, how did Bruce Wayne get back into the city? In the movie we see that Bruce Wayne’s back is broken and he is put into a prison in the ground located in a desert. He eventually climbs out of the prison and then just shows up in Gotham.

Let’s go over a few things. First, Bane has taken total control of the city and his men guard it pretty well, I mean they’re keeping the U.S. Army out. Next, he destroyed all the bridges and access points to the city. Now, how did Bruce Wayne just wander into Gotham? He would have had to be seen by someone, right? Does he have some sort of underground tunnel network that he used? I want to know how he got there so easily.

Next, we see that Batman has painted a giant bat symbol on the side of a building with gasoline. OK,  when did he do this? You mean to tell me that no one saw him doing this in an occupied city? How did he do it? Also, don’t you think that it is a better idea to just get into action as the Batman because there is a bomb set to go off and people’s lives at stake?

Other things that bothered me I’m going to list below.

-         How did Bane know about Bruce Wayne’s armory when it’s supposed to be off the books?

-         How is the prison getting a Gotham City news channel?

-         Bane’s death

-         No one putting together that Bruce Wayne is Batman, even though they died at the same time.

-         Gordon never knowing that Bruce Wayne is Batman until he tells him. Some great detective work there.

-         Bruce Wayne showing up in a French Café after being declared dead. Isn't Bruce Wayne well known, wouldn't this start a stir in the media?

-         How the hell did Batman get out of the blast radius of the bomb in time?

-         Where are all the civilians of Gotham when the city is under Bane’s control?

-         Why did the police decide to attack Bane’s men with no real strategy or firepower? I mean Bane had tanks.

-         Bruce Wayne revealing his identity to John Blake? What if Blake turned out to be a bad guy?

-         Why is Bruce Wayne so trusting?

-         The magic knee brace.