Batman (1989) Cathedral fight scene-Batman vs Joker thugs (and big strongman)

I don't own anything

[TheNBAfan]

The goon flying through the floor and completely missing Batman is pure genius

[kye]

The last Joker Goon was so bad ass. He’s the only one that seemed like a real threat to Batman at this point and he even fought a ninja earlier in the movie. This guy had brute strength and threw him around and punched through his armor with his bare hands. I remember seeing this opening night and people cheering when Batman got him in the end. Nonetheless it was a great challenge.

[iacovoskritz]

I love how violent the fights are. They feel raw and messy, which gives it a much more realistic feel.

[babymammoth]

Fun fact: This actor who played the strongman goon here was one of Denzel Washington's stunt doubles in 1991's Ricochet (the fight at the end on the Watts Electrical towers) and Wesley Snipes' in Demolition Man

[SageofSorrow]

0:47 Keaton nails the presence of Batman with just that simple glare.

[hoodkiller]

One thing I really like about this scene (and the Burton films in general) was its usage of darkness and how scary and intriguing it made Batman look. I always loved how Batman blends in so perfectly with the darkness and shadows of the environment he's in and how it made him look so haunting, believable and atmospheric (especially with his cape and cowl). It definitely added to the look and is part of the reason Keaton looked so great as the character. He actually looks like a creature of the night. Really not hard to see why criminals (and even the police) are so terrified and don't think he's human.

[DplusisD]

1:45 - I love the way Batman basically bounces off this guy. I always took it as the director's way of acknowledging that Keaton is not a big person. He can fight, but there's no way he can generate enough force to move a guy that size.

[boromir]

Got to say that thug put up one hell of a fight against batman

[john_spartan_el_demoledor]

I love this scene. My childhood movie.

[unknownyoutuber]

Fun fact: The black strongman who beats up Batman in this scene is actually inspired by/based off the black Joker thug who beat up Commissioner Gordon in Batman: The Killing Joke before Gordon was kidnapped. That was one of the inspirations Burton took from that novel and he tried to make a character/fight scene resembling him.

[cobraelectric]

"It can be truly said that I have a bat in my belfry"

That soft chilling laugh along with the ominous silence that followed made you think that Batman could really die in the belfry

[MrLobo]

This fight scene traumatized me when I was a kid. I watched the movie alot on VHS and whenever this fight scene was about to go down I feared for Batman.

[michaelcrandle]

For a moment there I thought that was Ray Charles beating up batman 🤣🤣😂

[TheAesirGod]

For anyone wondering the strong henchmen is played by a man called Clive Curtis.

[blackedlight]

In the 80s/90s this was the original Batman vs Bane fight.

[therealtgvenom]

I think I can tell what Batman was thinking form beginning to end of this scene.

- From the time he started climbing up those stairs to the part he finally got all the way up, he was both worried for Vickie's safety, angry both because Joker has his lover and because he's the same guy who killed his parents and made who he is, and determined to stop Joker once and for all.

- When he got up the stairs and was roaming around a bit, he still had those same emotions but Joker toying with him psychologically made him a bit nervous due to how he kept jumping around and him finding out it was a trap at 0:47 when he was getting surprised and ambushed.

- When he beat that flippy dude easily, he looked up and seen Joker and Vickie dancing and this made him possibly angry as he stood in the background watched the two danced probably waiting for the right time to stop the fun and games and get his hands on Joker.

- When that second guy tried to get Batman, he was so focused on the dance that he was once again startled at that guy but at the last minute when he fell through the floor.

- Then when the third and final guy appeared begun the real fight, he looked surprised that he not only came out of nowhere and effortlessly threw Batman, but he even shook off his powerful side kick and put the pressure on Batman so much that he had to run away and regroup.

- The part where Batman jumped off the bell for a desperate attempt to either scare/surprise him and probably tackle him to gain an advantage on him but got thrown into the stairs. He looked like he was both shocked and scared when Batman was trapped in that strong chokehold at how helpless he seems to be right now.

- From the part he was getting pounded on, he looked like he's in pain, worried, tired, scared and looks like he's given up all hope to stop Joker and save Vickie, because this guy is legit the toughest person Batman had the displeasure to fight against and in Batman's eyes he looked unstoppable

- When he got kneed in the face and stumbled almost to his death, he probably was thinking about giving up but then he probably was thinking about Vickie and his parents. Then he did the unthinkable, he managed to gather enough adrenaline and rage which made him yell out loud as his legs wrapped around this guy's neck, use his leg strength to throw him down the hole as he was forced to kill him and barely win and hardly survive. The rest of this scene he looked very pissed off when he finally got his hands on Joker.

[mcs-blsg]

The black strongman fight always reminds me of an Indiana Jones-style fight. The hero easily dispatches the other henchmen, but is clearly outmatched physically by the big strong guy, and he has to use his wits rather than his muscles to defeat him.

[RichardBarkman]

It’s made me laugh as kid. @1:29. He’s tried ambushed Batman but nope the floorboard is weak’n’old. he’s just killed himself. 😂 but still laughing today.

[MrLobo]

In the novelization, Joker hired the final goon in kung fu studio but he demonstrated boxing, street fighting skills.

[melhem]

Cathedral climb and fight scenes are the best parts of this film.