ESL @ Movie Quotes: The Dark Knight (2008)

Title : The Dark Knight (2008)

Plot keywords:
* Batman * Criminal * District Attorney * Chaos * Love Triangle
* Vigilante * Hidden Lab * Sequel * Faked Death * Police Commissioner

Taglines: Why So Serious?
Welcome to a world without rules.
I Believe In Harvey Dent.
Out of the darkness....there comes the Knight
You die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain
Can you avenge evil without becoming it?

Quotes :

Bruce Wayne/Batman

[To Rachel Dawes] You once told me, when I was finished, that we'd be together. Did you mean it?

I've seen now what I would have to become to stop men like him.

I knew the mob wouldn't go down without a fight. But this is different. They crossed the line.

Batman has no limits.

[To the Joker] This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good.

[To the Joker] What are you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone's as ugly as you?! You're alone!

[To the Joker] Then you're gonna love me.

[To Alfred] No. Gotham needs it's true hero. And I let that murdering psychopath blow him half to hell.

I believe in Harvey Dent.

[To Rachel] You know that day you once told me about, when Gotham would no longer need Batman? It's coming.

I'm whatever Gotham needs me to be.

[To Harvey, who is trying to intimidate one of Joker's henchmen by pretending to decide whether to kill or not on a coin toss] You'd leave a man's life up to chance?

[Referring to the fake "Batmen" who were using guns] That isn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to inspire people.

[To Gordon] You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me. Set the dogs on me. Because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes...the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.

[Pulls off the mask of one of the clowns revealing a hostage] Fox, the SWATs are targeting the wrong people! The clowns are the hostages!

[Quoting Harvey Dent] "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." I can do those things, because I'm not a hero. Not like Dent. I killed those people. That's what I can be.

[To Harvey Dent] You're the symbol of hope I can never be. Your stand against organized crime is the first legitimate ray of light in Gotham in decades. If anyone saw this, everything would be undone. All the criminals you pulled off the streets would be released, and Jim Gordon would have died for nothing."

[when the fake 'Batmen' ask Batman why they can't do what he does] I'm not wearing hockey pads.

Gotham needs a hero with a face.

[when the Joker tells him that they are destined to fight forever] You'll be in a padded cell forever!

The Joker

[First lines] No, no, no, no... I kill the bus driver.

I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger.

And I thought my jokes were bad.

How 'bout a magic trick? [slams a pencil into the table standing upright] I'm gonna make this pencil disappear. [he slams the man's head into the pencil, forcing the entire pencil through his eye socket] Ta-da! It's... [Turns to the men in the room] now, it's gone.

Oh, and by the way, the suit, it wasn't cheap. You oughta know, you bought it.

Let's wind the clock back a year. These cops and lawyers wouldn't dare cross any of you. I mean...what happened? Did your–did your balls drop off? Hm?

I know why you chose to have your,little uh [clears throat], group therapy sessions in broad daylight; I know why you're afraid to go out at night. The Batman. You see, the Batman has shown Gotham your true colors, unfortunately. Dent? He's just the beginning. [pointing at Lao via webcam] And as for the...television's so-called plan: Batman has no jurisdiction. He will find him and make him squeal. I know a squealer when I see one, and... [points at Lao, who shuts off the webcam]

If you're good at something, never do it for free.

[Tugging on a string connected to grenades] Ah, ah... let's not blow this out of proportion.

[Pulls out a Joker playing card] Here's... my card.

Wanna know how I got these scars? [nods encouragingly] My father was...a drinker. And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself; he doesn't like that. Not...one...bit. So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. He turns to me and he says, "Why so serious?" He comes at me with the knife, "Why so serious?!" He sticks the blade in my mouth, "Let's put a smile on that face!" And... why so serious?

Now, our operation is small, but there's a lot of potential for aggressive... expansion. So, which of our fine gentlemen would like to join our team? Oh! There's only one spot open right now, so we're gonna have [breaks a cue stick in half]... tryouts. [throws one half in between Gambol's men] Make it fast.

Look at me... LOOK. AT. ME!

See, this is how crazy Batman's made Gotham! You want order in Gotham? Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. Oh, and every day that he doesn't, people will die. Starting tonight. I'm a man of my word. [laughs maniacally]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen... we are tonight's entertainment! I have only one question: where is Harvey Dent?

You know, you remind me of my father. [holds knife to speaker's face] I hated my father.

[To Rachel] Well, hello beautiful. You must be Harvey's squeeze. And you are beautiful. Oh, you look nervous. Is it the scars? Wanna know how I got 'em? [grabs her chin as she continuously tries to look away] C'mere, look at me. So, I had a wife, who was beautiful...like you, who tells me I worry too much, who tells me I oughta smile more, who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks…[she squirms, and he pulls her back] Hey. One day they carve her face. And we got no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again. Hmmm? I just wanted to let her know that I don't care about the scars. So, I stick a razor in my mouth and do this... to myself. And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me! She leaves! Now I see the funny side. Now, I'm always smiling!

I like this job. I like it.

Harvey, Harvey, Harvey Dent. [pushes the unconscious (or dead) driver out of the way] Oh, 'scuse me, I wanna drive.

Now there's a Batman.

[Batman races towards him on the Batpod] Come on. I want you to do it. I want you to do it. Come on, hit me. Hit me! I want you to hit me! Come on. Do it! Hit me!

[After Batman has slammed his head into a table] Never start with the head. The victim gets all fuzzy. He can't feel the next–[Batman pounds the Joker's hand and he comically waits to register the pain] See?

[To Batman,laughing] I- I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No…no, no. No, you…complete me.

[To Batman] They need you right now. But when they don't...they'll cast you out. Like a leper.

When the chips are down, these, uh, these "civilized people"...they'll eat each other.

You see, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.

The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules. And tonight, you're gonna break your own rule.

How many of your friends have I killed?

Do you want to know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the… little… emotions. You see, in their… last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way...I knew your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?

You see, I'm a guy of simple tastes. I enjoy, uh, dynamite, and gunpowder, and gasoline! And do you know what they all have in common? They're cheap.

All you care about is money. This town deserves a better class of criminal, and I'm gonna give it to them.

I had a vision of a world without Batman. The mob ground out a little profit, and the police tried to shut them down one block at a time. And it was so…boring. I've had a change of heart. I don't want Mr. Reese spoiling everything, but why should I have all the fun? Let's give someone else a chance. If Coleman Reese isn't dead in sixty minutes, then I blow up a hospital.

Do I really look like a guy with a plan? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it! You know... I just do things.

It's all part of the plan.

There's no going back. You've changed things... forever.

The mob has plans. The cops have plans. Gordon's got plans. They're schemers, you know? Schemers trying to control their little worlds.

Freak? Why don't we cut you up into little pieces and feed you to your pooches, hmm? And then we'll see how loyal a hungry dog really is! It's not about money, it's about sending a message - Everything burns!

I just want my phone call.

Introduce a little anarchy…upset the established order…and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. And you know the thing about chaos? It's fair.

And here... we... go.

It's a funny world we live in.

[To Batman] This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You won't kill me because of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because... you're just too much fun! I think you and I are destined to do this forever.

You know what I noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan"…even if the plan is horrifying. If tomorrow I tell the press that, like, a gang-banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics...because it's all part of the plan. But when I say that one little old mayor will die... well, then everyone loses their minds!

You made it! I'm so thrilled.

You didn't think I'd risk losing the battle for Gotham's soul in a fist fight with you?! No... you need an ace in the hole. Mine's Harvey.

You see, madness, as you know, is... like gravity - all it takes is a little push!

Through the magic of diesel fuel and ammonium nitrate, I'm ready right now to blow you all sky high.

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you…the dawn is coming.

[To Sal Maroni, while sitting in a vehicle, after flipping his coin] You're a lucky man. [about Sal's driver, after flipping his coin once more] He's not...your driver [Two-Face shoots the driver, possibly killing Maroni in the process]

You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time…but you were wrong! The world is cruel. And the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased, unprejudiced, fair. His boy has the same chance she had: 50/50.

[in response to Rachel about leaving important decisions to chance] I don't, I make my own luck.

[To Joker] You live… [showing one face of his coin] You die! [shows the other face]

[To Gordon after he asks about the name they had for him at internal affairs] SAY IT!

[After the public demand the arrest of Batman] All right, then, take the Batman into custody. I am the Batman.

[To Rachel while she demands he tell the truth about Batman] Heads, I go through with it. [Tosses her a two-headed coin]

Have you ever had to talk to the person you love most? To tell them it's going to be all right, when you know that it's not? Well, you're gonna know how that feels like, Gordon. Then you can look me in the eye and tell me you're sorry!

[In response to Gordon saying he's sorry] No. No you're not. Not yet.

[To Maroni] Are you going to join your wife? Do you love her? Do you ever wonder what it would sound like to listen to her die?

Tell your boy it'll be all right, Gordon. Lie. Like I lied.

You think I want to escape from this? There is no escape from this!

It's not about what I want, it's about what's FAIR!

"When their enemies were at the gate, the Romans would suspend democracy and appoint one man to protect the city. It wasn't considered an honor. It was considered public service."

Commissioner Gordon

If we're going to play games, I'm going to need a cup of coffee.

[Batman has agreed to take the blame for Two-Face's murders so that Harvey Dent can be remembered as a hero] He's the hero that Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now…and so we'll hunt him…because he can take it…because he's not our hero… he's a silent guardian, a watchful protector… A Dark Knight. [credits roll]

[Holding a shotgun on the Joker] We got you, you son of a bitch.

No! Dent is there with them! We have to save Dent! I have to save Dent!

Mount the curb!

[After being told by Harvey that he runs a unit of dirty cops] They're not perfect, but I have to do the best I can with what I have.

[To Batman after he realizes he's going to take the blame for the murders] No, no. You can't, you're not.

[To the mayor, after being asked what they have on the Joker] Nothing. No matches on prints. DNA. Dental. Clothing is custom, no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. No name. No other alias.

Alfred Pennyworth

Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

It will be nice when Wayne Manor is rebuilt so you can swap not sleeping in a penthouse for not sleeping in a mansion.

(upon Harvey meeting Alfred) [Harvey Dent: Any psychotic ex-boyfriends I should be aware of?] You have no idea.

[After being told by Bruce Wayne that his failures lets him learn] Well, you should be pretty knowledgeable by now, then.

[before Bruce leaves him with a boat full of Russian ballerinas] You can tell me the Russian for "apply your own bloody suntan lotion"!

[After Batman asks him how he captured the bandit he was pursuing in Burma during his SAS days] We burned the forest down.

[After Bruce uses an extremely noisy gun to fire several test shots] I'm not sure you made it loud enough, sir.

[After Bruce tells him that today he gets to say 'I told you so'] Today sir, I don't want to. [pause] But I did bloody tell you.

Rachel Dawes

[To Bruce, after he announced his support for Harvey Dent] Harvey may not know you well enough to understand when you're making fun of him. But I do.

[Strapped to a timebomb, with a phone in front of her, hearing Batman saving Dent from the same situation] Okay … Harvey, it's okay. Listen to me- somew- [the bomb explodes]

Bruce, don't make me your only hope for a normal life.

[Voiceover while Alfred is reading Rachel's letter to Bruce] Dear Bruce; I need to be honest and clear. I'm going to marry Harvey Dent. I love him, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. When I told you that if Gotham no longer needed Batman we could be together, I meant it. But now I'm sure that the day won't come when you no longer need Batman. I hope it does. And, if it does, then I will be there, but as your friend. I'm sorry to let you down. If you lose your faith in me, please, keep your faith in people. Love now, and always, Rachel.

[To Batman, after he has saved her life] Let's not do that again.

[Answering Harvey Dent's marriage proposal just prior to her own death] I don't want to live without you. And I do have an answer for you. And my answer is yes.

Dialogue

[first lines]

Grumpy (car driver): Three of a kind. Let's do this.

Chuckles: That's it? Three guys?

Grumpy: Two guys on the roof, every guy gets his share. Five shares is plenty.

Chuckles: Six shares. Don't forget the guy who planned the job.

Grumpy: He thinks he can sit this out and still get his slice? I know why they call him "the Joker".

[Camera cuts to the two guys up on the roof]

Happy (safecracker): So, why do they call him "the Joker"?

Dopey (alarm guy): I heard he wears make-up.

Happy: Make-up?

Dopey: Yeah, to scare people. You know, war paint.

Dopey: [tampering with the bank's alarm system] Here comes the silent alarm…and there it goes. That's funny; it didn't dial out to 9-1-1. It was trying to reach a private number.

Happy: Is it a problem?

Dopey: Nah, I'm done here.

[Happy shoots him]

[Back in the lobby, the bank manager, who works for the mob, pulls a shotgun from under his desk and shoots Chuckles in the back; he proceeds to shoot at the other two in the lobby, one of which is the masked Joker]

Bank Manager: Do you have any idea who you're stealing from?! You and your friends are dead!

[Behind the counter]

Grumpy: [to the still masked Joker] He's out, right?

[The Joker nods; Grumpy gets up only to receive the bank manager's last round; the Joker then shoots the manager in the legs]

Grumpy: [to the Joker] Where did you learn to count?!

[Happy has cracked open the safe]

Happy: They wired this thing up with like 5,000 volts. What kind of bank does that?

Grumpy: A mob bank. I guess the Joker is as crazy as they say. Where's the alarm guy?

Happy: The boss told me that when the guy was done, I should take him out. One less share, right?

Grumpy: Funny. He told me something similar.

Happy: What? [turns around and realizes] No, no!

[Grumpy shoots him]

Grumpy: That's a lot of money. If this Joker guy was so smart, he would've had us bring a bigger car. [points his gun at the Joker, who is still in disguise] I'm betting the Joker told you to kill me soon as we loaded the cash.

The Joker: [looks at his watch] No, no, no, no. I kill the bus driver. [slowly steps to his right]

Grumpy: Bus driver? What bus driver?

[A school bus drives through the wall, killing Grumpy. the driver hops out]

Driver: School's out, time to go. Cat's not getting up, is he? [begins to load the money into the school bus] That's a lot of money. What happened to the rest of the guys?

[The masked Joker turns his back to the bus driver and walks forward, casually gunning him down behind him]

[The Joker climbs into the school bus to leave]

Bank Manager: You think you're smart, huh? Whoever hired yous... they'll just do the same to you.

[The Joker calmly stalks towards him]

Bank Manager: The criminals in this town used to believe in things. Honor. Respect! Look at you. What do you believe in, huh? What do you believe in?!

[The Joker kneels down, grabs the manager's face, and sticks a grenade attached to a string into his mouth]

The Joker: I believe…whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you… [Joker takes off his clown mask, revealing his horrifically scarred and painted face] …stranger.

[The Chechen is meeting with the Scarecrow in a parking garage to discuss a drug deal]

The Chechen: [shows him an addict, who is hallucinating under the effects of fear toxin] Look what your drugs did to my customers!

The Scarecrow: Buyer beware. [steps out of the van] I told you my compound would take you places. I never said they'd be places that you wanted to go.

The Chechen: My business is repeat customers!

The Scarecrow: You don't like what I have to offer, then you can buy from someone else…assuming Batman left anyone to buy from.

[Somebody dressed up as Batman is using a gun to fight the mobsters.]

The Scarecrow: That's not him.

[Suddenly, the Batmobile bursts through the wall of the parking garage.]

The Scarecrow: That's more like it!

Batman: Don't let me find you out here again.

Fake Batman: We're trying to help you.

Batman: I don't need help!

Jonathan Crane: Not my diagnosis.

Fake Batman: What gives you the right? What's the difference between you and me?!

Batman: I'm not wearing hockey pads.

Ramirez: He can't resist showing his face.

Gordon: What's he hiding under that make-up?

[Batman appears as if from nowhere]

Ramirez: Uh, people…can we get a minute please?

[Gordon shows Batman the surveillance photo of the Joker]

Batman: Him again. Who were the others?

Gordon: Another bunch of small-timers.

[Batman uses a Geiger Counter to check the dollar bills for radiation]

Batman: Some of the marked bills I gave you.

Gordon: My detectives have been making drug-buys with them for weeks. This was another drop from the mob, that makes five. We found the bulk of their dirty cash.

Batman: Time to move in.

Gordon: We'd have to hit all banks simultaneously. SWAT teams, back up…what about this "Joker" guy?

Batman: One man or the entire mob. He can wait.

Gordon: When the new D.A hears about this, he'll want in.

Batman: Do you trust him?

Gordon: It'd be hard to keep him out, I hear he's…[turns to find Batman gone]…as stubborn as you are.

Alfred: It'll be nice when the Manor is rebuilt. Then you can swap not sleeping in a penthouse to not sleeping in a mansion. [sees the poor job Bruce is doing at stitching his wound] Every time you stitch yourself, you do make a bloody mess. [begins to take over and inspect Bruce's work]

Bruce: It forces me to learn from my mistakes.

Alfred: Then you should be pretty knowledgeable by now, sir.

Bruce: My armor, it's carrying too much weight. I need to be faster.

Alfred: I'm sure Mr. Fox can oblige. Did you get mauled by a tiger?

Bruce: It was a dog.

Alfred: Huh?

Bruce: It was a big dog. There were more copycats last night, Alfred. With guns.

Alfred: Why don't you hire them and take the weekend off?

Bruce: [chuckles] That isn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to inspire people.

Alfred: I know. But things have improved. Look at the new district attorney.

Bruce: [focusing on the display of monitors in front of him, on which he brings up various footage of Harvey Dent] I am. Closely. I need to know if he can be trusted.

Alfred: [pointing to a monitor showing video of Dent and Rachel getting out of a cab] Are you interested in his character or his, ah…social circle?

Bruce: Who Rachel spends her time with is her business.

Alfred: I trust you don't have me followed on my day off.

Bruce: If you ever took one, I might. [takes off his shirt revealing many horrific battle scars]

Alfred: Know your limits, Master Wayne.

Bruce: Batman has no limits.

Alfred: Well, you do, sir.

Bruce: Well, can't afford to know 'em.

Alfred: And what's gonna happen on the day that you find out?

Bruce: We all know how much you like to say: "I told you so."

Alfred: On that day, Master Wayne, even I won't want to…probably.

Harvey Dent: [arriving late to court] Sorry I'm late, folks.

Rachel: Where were you?

Harvey Dent: Worried you'd have to step up?

Rachel: Harvey, I know these briefs backward.

Harvey Dent: [pulls out a coin] Well then, fair's fair. Heads, I take him; tails, he's all yours.

Rachel: Oh yeah? You wanna flip a coin to see who leads?

Harvey Dent: It's my father's lucky coin. As I recall, it got me my first date with you.

Rachel: I wouldn't leave something like that up to chance.

Harvey Dent: [flips her the coin] I don't. [reveals it landed on Heads] I make my own luck.

Bailiff: All rise. The Honorable Judge Carrillo, presiding.

Sal Maroni: [to Dent] I thought the D.A. just played golf with the mayor, things like that.

Harvey Dent: Tee-off's at 1:30. More than enough time to put you away for life, "Sally".

[Maroni's trial]

Harvey Dent: With Carmine Falcone in Arkham, someone must've stepped up to run the so-called Family. Is that man in this courtroom today? Could you identify him for us, please?

Witness: You win, counselor: it was me. [courtroom laughs]

Harvey Dent: [surprised and furious, walks over to the table and picks up a folder] I have a sworn statement, from you, saying that this man, Salvatore Maroni, is the head of the Falcone crime family.

Witness: Maroni? He's a fall guy. I'm the brains of the organization. [courtroom laughs again]

Judge: [bangs gavel] Order!

Harvey Dent: Permission to treat the witness as hostile.

Judge: Granted.

Witness: Hostile?! I'll show you hostile!

[The witness pulls out a gun, only for it to jam. Harvey punches him in the face and takes it]

Harvey Dent: [to Maroni] Carbon fiber. .28 caliber, made in China. If you want to kill a public servant, Mr. Maroni, I recommend you buy American.

Judge: Get him out of here.

Harvey Dent: But Your Honor, I'm not done.

[After the trial is over]

Rachel: We'll never be able to link the gun to Maroni, so we won't be able to charge him with anything, but the fact that they're trying to kill you means that we're getting to them.

Harvey Dent: [sarcastically] Well, I'm glad you're so pleased. I'm fine, by the way.

Rachel: Come on, Harvey. You're Gotham's D.A. If you're not getting shot at, then you're not doing your job right. What do you say we take the rest of the day off?

Harvey Dent: Can't... I dragged the head of the Major Crimes Unit down here.

Rachel: Oh Jim Gordon? He's a friend, actually. Try to be nice.

Gordon: I see you got a hell of a right cross. It's a shame Sal's going to walk.

Harvey Dent: Yeah, well, the good thing about the mob is they keep giving you second chances. [holds up a stack of the marked bills] Lightly irradiated bills. Fancy stuff for a city cop. You have help?

Gordon: We liaise with various agencies…

Harvey Dent: Save it, Gordon. I wanna meet him.

Gordon: Official policy is to arrest the vigilante known as Batman on sight.

Harvey Dent: Um-hm, and what about that flood-light on top of MCU?

Gordon: If you've got problems with malfunctioning equipment, I suggest you take them up with maintenance, counselor.

Harvey Dent: I've put every known money-launderer in Gotham behind bars but the mob is still getting its money out. I hear you, and your "friend", have found the last game in town and you're trying to hit 'em where it hurts: their wallets. It's bold. You gonna count me in?

Gordon: The fewer people who know something, the safer the operation.

Harvey Dent: Gordon, I don't like that you've got your own special unit, and I don't like that it's full of cops I investigated in Internal Affairs.

Gordon: If I didn't work with cops you investigated while you were making your name at IA I'd be working alone. I don't get political points for being an idealist, I have to do the best I can with what I have.

Harvey Dent: You want me to back warrants on search and seizure on five banks, without telling me what we're after?

Gordon: I can give you the names of the banks.

Harvey Dent: Well, that's a start. I'll get you your warrants, but I want your trust.

Gordon: You don't have to sell me, Dent. We all know you're Gotham's "white knight".

Harvey Dent: Yeah, well, I hear they have a different name for me down at MCU.

Gordon: I wouldn't know about that.

Bruce Wayne: I need a new suit.

Lucius: [looking at the business suit Bruce is wearing] Well, three buttons is a little 90s, Mr. Wayne.

Bruce Wayne: I'm not talking fashion, Mr. Fox, so much as function. [he hands his sketches for a new Batsuit to Fox, who inspects them]

Lucius You want to be able to turn your head.

Bruce Wayne: Well, it would make backing out of the driveway easier.

[Harvey Dent and Rachel are having a quiet date a very expensive upscale restaurant]

Harvey: It took me three weeks to get a reservation. And I had to tell them I work for the government.

Rachel: Really?

Harvey: The City health inspector isn't afraid to pull strings.

Bruce: [appearing seemingly out of nowhere and acting surprised] Rachel! Fancy that.

Rachel: Yeah, Bruce. Fancy that.

Bruce: [introducing the blonde trailing him] Rachel, Natasha. Natasha, Rachel.

Rachel: Natasha? Are you the...

Bruce: Prima ballerina for the Moscow ballet.

Rachel: Wow, Harvey's taking me next week.

Bruce: Really? So, you're into ballet?

Rachel: Bruce, this is Harvey Dent.

[Harvey and Bruce shake hands]

Harvey: The famous Bruce Wayne. Rachel's told me everything about you.

Bruce: I certainly hope not. So let's put a couple of tables together.

Harvey: [looks around] I don't think they'll let us.

Bruce: Well, they should. I own the place. [motions with his hand for someone to move a table]

Natascha: How could you want to raise children in a city like this?

Bruce: Hey! I grew up in Gotham, and I turned out all right.

Harvey: Is Wayne Manor in the city limits?

Bruce: [laughs] The Palisades? Sure. You know, as our new DA, you might want to figure out where your jurisdiction ends.

Natascha: I'm talking about the kind of city that idolizes a masked vigilante running around at night.

Harvey: Gotham City's proud of an ordinary citizen standing up for what's right.

Natascha: Gotham needs heroes like you, not a man who thinks that he is above the law.

Bruce: Exactly. Who appointed the Batman?

Harvey: We did. All of us who stood by and let scum take control of our city.

Natascha: But this is a democracy, Harvey.

Harvey: When their enemies were at the gates, the Romans would suspend democracy and appoint one man to protect the city. And it wasn’t considered an honor, it was considered a public service.

Rachel: Harvey, the last person the Romans elected to protect the city was named Caesar, and he never gave up his power.

Harvey: Okay, fine. You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Look, whoever the Batman is, he doesn't want to be doing this for the rest of his life. How could he? Batman is looking for someone to take up his mantle.

Natascha: Someone like you, Mr. Dent?

Harvey: Maybe. If I'm up to it.

Natascha: [holding her menu up, covering the upper half of Harvey's face, laughing] What if Harvey Dent is the Caped Crusader?

Harvey: If I was sneaking out every night, someone would've noticed by now. [touches Rachel's hand]

Bruce: [who has been listening and thinking intently] Well, I'm sold. Dent, I'm going to throw you a fundraiser.

Harvey: That's very nice of you Bruce, but I'm not up for election for another three years-

Bruce: [serious] No, you don't understand. One party with my pals, and you'll never need another cent.

[The mob bosses are assembled together]

Gambol: [Seeing the television being brought into the room] What the hell is this?

Lau: (On television) As you all are aware, one of our deposits was stolen. A relatively small amount. 68 million.

The Chechen: Who is stupid enough to steal from us?

Sal Maroni: 2-bit wackjob, wears a cheap purple suit and makeup. He's not the problem. He's a nobody. The problem is our money being tracked by the cops.

Lau: (In between this, we see MCU storming one of the banks) Thanks to Mr. Maroni's well placed sources, we know that police have indeed identified our banks using marked bills and are planning to seize your funds today. And since the enthusiastic new DA has put all my competitors out of business, I'm your only option.

Gambol: So what do you propose?

Lau: Moving all deposits to one secure location. Not a bank.

Gambol: Where then?

Lau: Nobody can know, but me. If the police were to gain leverage over one of you, everyone's money would be at stake.

The Chechen: What stop them getting to you?

Lau: I go to Hong Kong. Far from Dent's jurisdiction. And the Chinese will not extradite one of their own.

Gambol: How soon can we move the money?

Lau: I already have. [the camera pans out, showing that he is speaking on an airplane] For obvious reasons, I couldn't wait for your permission. (meanwhile, it shows Gordon arriving at the vault, finding it nearly empty, the radiated bills all that's left. Gordon, in frustration, kicks the bills) Rest assured, your money is safe.

[The Joker suddenly enters the room]

Joker: [fake laughter done in a deadpan voice] Ha ha ha ha, hahaha, ha, ha, ha, oh, a-hee-hee, ha ha, oh, hee hee, hee ha, ahaha. [returns to normal voice] And I thought my jokes were bad.

Gambol: Give me one reason why I shouldn't have my boy here pull your head off.

Joker: How 'bout a magic trick? [he slams a pencil into the table, point first] I'm gonna make this pencil disappear.

[Gambol's henchman tries to attack him; in one swift motion the Joker then slams the man's head into the pencil, forcing the entire pencil through his eye socket; the man falls over dead]

Joker: Ta-daa! [looks at where the pencil was with mock surprise] It's-it's gone! Oh, and by the way, the suit? It wasn't cheap. You ought to know, you bought it.

[Gambol rises angrily from his chair]

The Chechen: Sit! I want to hear, proposition.

Joker: Let's wind the clocks back a year. These cops and lawyers wouldn't dare cross any of you. I mean, what happened? Did-did your balls drop off, hm? You see, a guy like me…

Gambol: A freak.

[The men in the room laugh]

Joker: …a guy like me…look, listen, I know why you choose to have your little… [clears throat] "group therapy sessions" in broad daylight. I know why you're afraid to go out at night: The Batman. See, Batman has shown Gotham your true colors, unfortunately. Dent, he's just the beginning, and as–as for th-the television's so-called "plan", Batman has no jurisdiction. He'll find him and make him squeal. I know squealers when I see them, and… [points at the televised Lau]

The Chechen: What do you propose? (Lau, no longer feeling the conversation safe, turns off the tv)

Joker: It's simple. We, uh…kill the Batman.

[Men in the room laugh again]

Sal Maroni: If it's so simple, why haven't you done it already?

Joker: If you're good at something, never do it for free.

The Chechen: How much you want?

Joker: Uh, half.

[Once again, the men in the room laugh]

Gambol: You're crazy.

Joker: I'm not. No, I'm not. If we don't deal with this now, soon, uh, little – Gambol? – here, won't be able to get a nickel for his grandma.

Gambol: [slams the table, and angrily rises from his seat] Enough from the clown!

Joker: Ah-ta-ta-ta!. [rises from his seat as well, revealing grenades and explosives under his suit jacket with a string attached to his thumb] Let's not blow... this out of proportion.

Gambol: You think you can steal from us and just walk away?!

Joker: Yeah.

Gambol: I'm putting the word out: 500 grand for this clown dead. A million alive, so I can teach him some manners first.

Joker: Alright, so listen. Why don't you give me a call when you wanna start taking things a little more seriously? Here's…my card. [produces a Joker playing card and lays it on the table before exiting the room]

[We see Harvey Dent on the roof looking at the lit Bat-signal with his back to the camera; he turns around as Batman emerges from the shadows behind him]

Harvey Dent: You're a hard man to reach.

[Gordon storms onto the roof and angrily shuts off the Batsignal]

Harvey Dent: Lau's halfway to Hong Kong. If you would've asked, I would've taken his passports! I told you to keep me in the loop!

Gordon: All that was left in the vaults were marked bills! They knew we were coming! As soon as your office got involved--

Harvey Dent: My office?! You're sitting down there with scum like Wuertz and Ramirez, and you're talking to…Oh yeah, Gordon. I almost had your rookie cold on a racketeering beef!

Gordon: Don't try to cloud the fact that clearly Maroni has people in your office, Dent!

Harvey: [to Batman] We need Lau back. But the Chinese won't extradite a national under any circumstances.

Batman: If I get him to you, can you get him to talk?

Harvey Dent: I'll get him to sing.

Gordon: We're going after the mob's life savings. Things will get ugly.

Harvey Dent: I knew the risks when I took this job, Lieutenant. [turns back to Batman] How will you get him back any...

[Batman has disappeared]

Gordon: He does that.

Lucius: Our Chinese friends left town before I could tell them the deal was off.

Bruce Wayne: Well I'm sure you've always wanted to go to Hong Kong.

Lucius: What's wrong with a phone call?

Bruce Wayne: I think Mr Lau deserves a more…personal touch.

[Lucius and Wayne discussing Batman's needs for his journey to Hong Kong]

Lucius: Now, for high altitude jumps, you're gonna need oxygen and stabilizers. I must say, compared to your usual requests, jumping out of an airplane is pretty straightforward. [opens up a case containing the oxygen mask and tanks]

Bruce Wayne: What about getting back into the plane?

Lucius: I'd recommend a good travel agent.

Bruce Wayne: Without it landing.

Lucius: [smiles] Now that's more like it, Mr. Wayne. The CIA had a program back in the 60's for getting their people out of hot spots called Skyhook.

Bruce Wayne: You could look into that. Okay, now.

[Lucius showing Wayne the enhanced bat suit parts]

Lucius: Hardened Kevlar plates over titanium-tipped triweave fibers for flexibility. You'll be lighter, faster, more agile.

[Bruce picks up a gauntlet and accidentally causes the projectiles to fire into a metal cabinet]

Lucius: [rhetorically] Perhaps you should read the instructions first?

[Bruce looks slightly sheepish as he puts the gauntlet back]

Lucius: Now there is a tradeoff. Separation of the plates makes you more vulnerable to knives and gunfire.

Bruce Wayne: We wouldn't want to make things too easy now, would we? How will it hold up against dogs?

Lucius: [with sarcasm] We talking rottweilers or chihuahuas?

[Bruce gives him a dirty look]

Lucius: It should do fine against cats.

Gambol henchman: Yo, Gambol. Somebody's here for you. They say they've just killed the Joker. They brought the body.

[A group of young men walk in carrying Joker, covered from head to toe in trashbags, they place him on the pool table]

Gambol: So, dead. That's five hundred.

[Joker suddenly stands, fatally stabbing two of Gambol's henchmen as he moves, then holds a knife to Gambol's cheek, while the men who carried him in turn on the others and hold them at gunpoint]

Joker: How about alive, hmm? You wanna know how I got these scars? My father was…a drinker, and a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself; he doesn't like that. Not…one…bit. So–me watching–he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. He turns to me, and says… "Why so serious?" He comes to me with the knife, "Why so serious?!" Sticks the blade in my mouth, "Let's put a smile on that face!" And… [to Gambol's henchman] "Why so serious?"

[The Joker kills Gambol]

The Joker: Now, our operation is small, [grabs a pool cue] but there's a lot of potential for…aggressive expansion! So, which of you fine gentlemen would like to join our team? Oh. There's only one spot open right now, so we're gonna have… [breaks the stick in two] tryouts. [throws a piece onto the floor in the middle of the three henchmen] Make it fast.

[Lucius has just explained to Bruce a new cell phone sonar technology developed by Wayne Enterprises]

Bruce: [excited] Sonar? Just like a--

Lucius: A submarine, Mr. Wayne. Like a submarine.

[Lau is exasperated that Fox came all the way to China just to tell him the deal with Wayne Enterprises is off.]

Lau: Mr. Fox, I believe a simple phone call would have sufficed.

Lucius: Mr. Wayne didn't want you to think he was deliberately wasting your time.

Lau: Just accidentally wasting it.

Lucius: [chuckles] Very good, Mr. Lau. Accidentally.

[Sal Maroni, the Chechen, and various other mobsters are eating at a restaurant while watching Harvey Dent announcing the detainment of Lau on the news]

The Chechen: So, with word out, we hire the clown? He was right. We have to fix real problem: Batman.

[Gordon walks into the restaurant, smiliing]

Gordon: [referring to Dent on TV] Our boy does look good on the tube.

Sal Maroni: You sure you want to embarrass me in front of my friends, Lieutenant?

Gordon: Oh, don't worry. They're coming too.

[The police enter the restaurant and arrest all of the mobsters and their accomplices]

Mayor: 549 criminals at once? How did you convince Surrillo to hear this farce?

Harvey Dent: She shares my enthusiasm for justice. After all, she is a judge.

Mayor: Well, even if you blow enough smoke to get convictions out of Surrillo, you're gonna set a new record at appeals for quickest kick in the ass.

Harvey Dent: It won't matter. The head guys make bail, sure. But the mid-level guys, they can't. They can't afford to be off the streets long enough for trial and appeal. They'll cut deals that include some jail time. Think of all you could do with 18 months of clean streets. [At this, the Mayor suddenly goes quiet, as if contemplating a grand possibility]

Loeb: Mr. Mayor, you can't--

Mayor: No, get out. Both of you.

[Loeb and Gordon leave]

Mayor: Sit down. The public likes you. That's the only reason that this might fly. But that means it's on you. They're all gonna come after you, now. And not just the mob. Politicians. Journalists. Cops. Anyone whose wallets are about to get lighter. Are you up to it? [Harvey nods] You better be. Because if they get anything on you... [Stands in front of a window] ... and those criminals are back on the streets. Followed swiftly by you and me.

[A dead Batman impersonator slams against the window in the mayor's face]

Joker: [videotaping] Tell them your name.

Brian Douglas: [scared] Brian Douglas.

Joker: [giggling] Are you the real Batman?

Brian Douglas: N-no.

Joker: No? No?! [continues to giggle] Then why do you dress up like him?!

Brian Douglas: He's a symbol that we don't have to be afraid of scum like you.

Joker: Yeah... you do, Brian. You really do. Yeah… [Brian whimpers in terror; Joker's tone becomes one of mock-comfort] Oh, shh-shh-shh-shh. So you think Batman's made Gotham a better place? Hm? Look at me. LOOK. AT. ME! [turns camera to his face] You see, this is how crazy Batman's made Gotham! You want order in Gotham? Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. Oh, and every day he doesn't, people will die. Starting tonight. I'm a man of my word.

[Joker laughs hysterically as Brian screams]

Alfred: [bringing over champagne] A little liquid courage, sir?

Harvey Dent: You're Alfred, right?

Alfred: That's right, sir.

Harvey Dent: Rachel talks about you all the time. You've known Rachel her all her life?

Alfred: Well, not yet, sir.

Harvey Dent: Any psychotic ex-boyfriends I should be aware of?

Alfred: Oh, you have no idea.

Joker: [in the elevator to Bruce's penthouse as the doors open, holding Detective Wuertz at gunpoint in front of him and his men] We made it! [pushing Wuertz from the elevator and firing his shotgun up in the air which results in dead silence] Good evening, ladies and gentle-men. We are... tonight's entertainment! [grabs a piece of fruit and eats it, then talks with his mouth full] and we have one question: Where is Harvey Dent? [no one answers; he walks over to a woman, takes her glass and tosses out her champagne, then mimes drinking anyway and stalks towards the other guests] Do you know where Harvey is? Do you know who he is? [grabs a man by the face] Do you know where I can find Harvey? I need to talk to him about something; just something little, huh? [turning his head side to side from the top and receives no answer and continues on] No. [to another man as he eats food from the man's plate] You know, I'll settle for his loved ones.

Guest: We aren't intimidated by you and your thugs.

Joker: You know, [drops his shotgun which bangs against the table three times] you remind me of my father. [pulls a knife out and puts it to the man's mouth] I hated my father.

Rachel: Okay, stop!

Joker: [noticing Rachel for the first time and saunters towards her] Well, hello beautiful. [sloppily slicks his hair back] You must be Harvey's squeeze. And you are beautiful. [begins to circle her; stops and pretends to be concerned] Oh, you look nervous. Is it the scars? Wanna know how I got 'em? [grabs her chin as she continuously tries to look away] Come 'ere, look at me. See, I had a wife, she was beautiful… like you, who tells me that I worried too much, who tells me that I ought to smile more, who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks. Hey. [she squirms, and he forces her to keep looking at him] One day they carve her face. We have no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again, hm? I just wanted her to know that I don't care about the scars. So… (Rachel tries again to look away, he grabs her face and forces her to look at him.) I stick a razor in my mouth and do this… to myself. [Directs attention towards the scars on his face] And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me! She leaves! Now, I see the funny side. Now, I'm always smiling!

[Rachel knees him and pushes him off her]

The Joker: [laughs] A little fight in you. I like that.

Batman: [appearing suddenly] Then you're gonna love me. [punches the Joker]

[Joker grabs a gun and puts it to Rachel's head as he moves in front of a window]

Batman: Drop the gun.

The Joker: Sure. You just take off your little mask and show us all who you really are, hm? [shoots the window behind him and hangs Rachel out of it]

Batman: Let her go.

The Joker: Very poor choice of words! [Laughs as he drops Rachel]

Bruce Wayne: [watching the tape the Joker broadcast on the news] Targeting me won't get their money back. I knew the mob wouldn't go down without a fight, but this is different. They crossed the line.

Alfred: You crossed the line first, sir. You squeezed and hammered them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation they turned to a man they didn't fully understand.

Bruce Wayne: Criminals aren't complicated, Alfred. We just need to figure out what he's after. [Brings up the new batsuit in the cave, distracted, trying to think]

Alfred: With respect, Master Wayne, perhaps this is a man that you don't fully understand either. A long time ago, I was in Burma. My friends and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. So we went looking for the stones. But in six months, we never met anyone who had traded with him. One day I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing the stones away.

Bruce Wayne: So why steal them?

Alfred: Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

[One of Wayne Enterprises' accountants has traced the money and figured out that Bruce Wayne must be Batman, and confronts Lucius Fox with schematics of the Wayne Enterprises prototype Tumbler, which is obviously the Batmobile]

Coleman Reese: I want $10 million a year, for the rest of my life.

Lucius: Let me get this straight. You think that your client, one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands…and your plan is to blackmail this person? [pauses, smiles] Good luck.

[Detective Stephens and several other cops try to get Batman's attention with the Bat Signal to no avail]

Detective Stephens: Shut it off! He ain't coming! He doesn't want to talk to us. But God help whoever he does want to talk to.

[Cut to Maroni sitting in a noisy club with his mistress.]

Maroni's Mistress: Can't we go some place quieter? We can't hear each other talk!

Sal Maroni: What makes you think I wanna hear you talk?

Maroni's Mistress: What?!

[Batman approaches Maroni while fighting off his men, arriving at his location.]

Batman: [holding Sal Maroni on the edge of a fire escape] I want the Joker.

Sal Maroni: From one professional to another, if you're gonna scare somebody, pick a better spot. From this height, the fall won't kill me.

Batman: I'm counting on it. [he lets go of Maroni; the mobster lands right on his feet, breaking both legs]

[Batman drops down to the street below using his cape and grabs Maroni by his jacket]

Batman: Where is he?!

Sal Maroni: [in severe pain] I don't know where he is. He found us.

Batman: He must have friends!

Sal Maroni: Friends? Have you met this guy?

Batman: Someone knows where he is!

Sal Maroni: Nobody's gonna tell you nothin'. They're wise to your act; you got rules. But the Joker, he's got no rules. No one's gonna cross to you. If you want this guy you got one way, but you know what that is. Just take off that mask, let him come find you! Or are you gonna let some more people get killed while you make up your mind?

[Harvey has captured one of the Joker's thugs and tied him to a chair in an alley]

Harvey Dent: [Loading a small revolver] You wanna play games? [Fires the gun close to the henchman's ear, then forces it onto his head] How's that feel?

Thug: You wouldn't…

Harvey Dent: I WOULDN'T?! You don't think I will? You don't think I will?

Thug: Mm-hmm.

Harvey Dent: [Hesitates, then pulls the gun off his head] No. No, I wouldn't. That's why I'm not going to leave it up to me. [Pulls out his coin] Heads, you get to keep your head. Tails…not so lucky. So…you want to tell me about the Joker?

[The thug doesn't respond. Harvey flips the coin: Heads]

Harvey Dent: Let's go again.

Thug: I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! DON'T!

Harvey Dent: [Presses the gun against Schiff's head] You're not playing the odds, friend. Let's do it again.

[Harvey flips the coin high into the air. Batman catches it before Harvey can]

Batman: You'd leave a man's life to chance?

Harvey Dent: Not exactly.

Batman: His name's Schiff, Thomas. He's a paranoid schizophrenic. Former patient at Arkham. The kind of mind the Joker attracts. What do you expect to learn from him? [Walks away]

Harvey Dent: [Follows] The Joker killed Gordon. He's gonna kill Rachel--

Batman: [Turns and faces Dent] You're the symbol of hope I can never be. Your stand against organized crime is the first legitimate ray of light in Gotham in decades. If anyone saw this, everything would be undone. All the criminals you pulled off the streets would be released. And Jim Gordon will have died for nothing. You're gonna hold a press conference tomorrow morning.

Harvey Dent: Why?

Batman: No one else will die because of me. Gotham's in your hands now. [Hands Dent his coin, then walks away]

Harvey Dent: You can't. You can't give in. YOU CAN'T GIVE IN!

Bruce Wayne: People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?

Alfred: Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman. He can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make–the right choice.

Bruce Wayne: Well, today I found out what Batman can't do. He can't endure this. Today, you get to say, "I told you so."

Alfred: Today I…I don't want to. [they walk to the elevator] But I did bloody tell you. [Bruce laughs] I suppose they'll want to lock me up, too, as your accomplice. [they get on the lift, which takes them up]

Bruce Wayne: Accomplice? I'm gonna tell them the whole thing was your idea.

[Harvey Dent is holding a press conference about Batman. Bruce Wayne is standing in the audience, ready to turn himself in]

Harvey Dent: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. I've called this press conference for two reasons: firstly, to assure the citizens of Gotham that everything that can be over the Joker killings is being done…

[The audience mumble and shake their heads skeptically]

Harvey Dent: …and secondly, because the Batman has offered to turn himself in. But first, let's consider the situation. Should we give in to this terrorist's demands? Do we really think that…

Audience member #1: [interrupting] You'd rather protect an outlaw vigilante than the lives of citizens?

[The audience clamors in agreement]

Harvey Dent: The Batman is an outlaw. But that's not why we're demanding he turn himself in. We're doing it because we're scared. We've been happy to let the Batman clean up our streets until now.

Audience member #2: Things are worse than ever!

[The audience clamors in agreement again]

Harvey Dent: Yes they are. But the night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming. One day, the Batman will have to answer for the laws he's broken. But to us, not to this madman. [For a moment, it almost seems he's broken through to them]

Policeman in audience: No more dead cops!

[The audience cheers in approval to this comment]

Audience member #3: He should turn himself in!

Audience member #4: Give us the Batman!

Harvey Dent: [sighs] So be it. Take the Batman into custody.

[Bruce prepares to reveal himself]

Harvey Dent: I am the Batman.

[The audience reacts with shock and surprise. Bruce is about to protest, then hesitates and decides to stand by as Harvey is led away by the police.]

[Rachel visits Alfred after watching Harvey's press conference]

Rachel: Alfred. Why is he letting Harvey do this?

Alfred: He went down to the press conference.

Rachel: I know. And he just stood by.

Alfred: Perhaps both Bruce and Mr. Dent believe that Batman stands for something more important than the whims of a terrorist, Ms. Dawes. Even if everyone hates him for it. That's the sacrifice he's making: he's not being a hero. He's being something more.

Rachel: Yeah, you're absolutely right. Letting Harvey take the fall for this is not heroic at all. You know him better than anyone.

Alfred: I do.

Rachel: [hands Alfred a letter] Will you give this to him for me when the time is right?

Alfred: I'd be honored. How will I know?

Rachel: It's not sealed. [hugs Alfred] Bye, Alfred.

Alfred: Bye, Rachel.

[Rachel visits Harvey in jail]

Harvey Dent: Sorry, I didn't have time to talk this through with you.

Rachel: What are you doing?

Harvey Dent: They're transferring me to central holding. This is the Joker's chance and when he attacks, the Batman will take him down.

Rachel: Listen to me, this is too dangerous. He's using you as bait. He doesn't even know if he can get the Joker. He's failed so far.

Harvey Dent: How do you know what he's thinking?

Rachel: I just… [trying to make something up] I do. Anyway, Harvey, this isn't just about you. What about all the people who are depending on you to clean the city up and to do it honorably and…

[Harvey kisses her]

Rachel: Harvey, tell everyone the truth.

Harvey Dent: Heads, I go through with it.

[He flips his coin to Rachel]

Rachel: This is your life. You can't leave something like that to chance.

Harvey Dent: [gets in the police van] I'm not.

[Rachel inspects the coin, realizing that both sides of it are "heads."]

Rachel: You make your own luck.

[After the armored car chase, the Joker is about to unmask Batman–until a cop presses a shotgun to his head]

The Joker: Arrrgh! Could you please just give me a minute?

[The cop pushes the Joker to the ground and removes his helmet, revealing himself to be Gordon]

Gordon: We got you, you son of a bitch!

Reporter: Mr. Dent, Mr. Dent! How does it feel to be the biggest hero in Gotham?

Harvey Dent: No, I'm no hero. Gotham's Finest, they're the heroes.

Reporter: But you and your office been working with the Batman all along?

Harvey Dent: No, but I trusted him to do the right thing.

Reporter: Which was?

Harvey Dent: Saving my ass.

Ramirez: [leads Harvey away from the flock of reporters] All right people, that's enough. Let him be, let him be.

Harvey Dent: Thank you, detective. [getting into a police car driven by Wuertz] I've got a date with a pretty upset girlfriend.

[The car drives off as Ramirez looks on with slight sadness in her eyes.]

Gordon: Stand away, all of you! I don't want anything for his Mob lawyer to use, you understand?!

Mayor Garcia: Back from the dead?

Gordon: I... couldn't risk the safety of my family.

Mayor Garcia: [regarding The Joker] What do we got?

Gordon: Nothing. No matches on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing is custom, no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. No name. No other alias.

Mayor Garcia: Go home, Gordon. The clown'll keep 'til morning. Go get some rest. You're gonna need it. Tomorrow you take the big job. You don't have any say in the matter, Commissioner Gordon.

[The mayor and present police officers begin to applaud and cheer, only silenced when the Joker mockingly begins to clap with them]

Gordon's son: Did Batman save you, daddy?

Gordon: Actually, this time I saved him.

[Gordon walks into the darkened interrogation room where the Joker calmly sits at a table]

Joker: Evening, Commissioner.

Gordon: [sits down] Harvey Dent never made it home.

Joker: Of course not.

Gordon: What have you done with him?

Joker: Me? I was right here! [shows off his handcuffed wrists] Who did you leave him with, hm? Your people? Assuming, of course, that they are still your people…and not Maroni's. Does it depress you, Commissioner, to know... just how alone you really are? Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current predicament?

Gordon: Where is he?

Joker: What's the time?

Gordon: What difference does that make?

Joker: Well, depending on the time, he could be in one spot, or several.

Gordon: [uncuffs the Joker and gets up to leave] If we're gonna play games, I'm gonna need a cup of coffee.

Joker: Ah, the "good cop, bad cop" routine?

Gordon: Not exactly. [leaves the room]

[The lights turn on, revealing Batman standing behind the Joker, who gets his head smashed into the table]

Joker: Ah! Never start with the head, the victim gets all... fuzzy. He can't feel the next...

[Batman cuts him off by smashing the Joker's hand with his fist]

Joker: [waiting surprisingly to register the pain] See?

Batman: You wanted me. Here I am.

Joker: I wanted to see what you'd do. And you didn't disappoint. You let five people die. Then you let Dent take your place. Even to a guy like me, that's cold.

Batman: Where's Dent?

Joker: Those mob fools want you gone so they can get back to the way things were. But I know the truth. There's no going back. You've changed things… forever.

Batman: Then why'd you want to kill me?

Joker: [laughs hysterically] I don't wanna kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off Mob dealers? No, no… no! No, you…you… Complete… Me.

Batman: You're garbage who kills for money.

Joker: Don't talk like one of them, you're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak – like me! Sure, they need you right now, but when they don't… they'll cast you out. Like a leper! See, their morals, their code: it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these, uh… these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster; I'm just ahead of the curve.

[Batman suddenly grabs the Joker across the table]

Batman: Where's Dent?

Joker: You have all these rules, and you think they'll save you.

[Batman slams the Joker against the wall]

Commissioner Gordon: [Looking through the glass at Batman and the Joker] He's in control.

Batman: I have one rule.

Joker: Ooh, then that's the rule you'll have to break to know the truth.

Batman: Which is?

Joker: The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules. And tonight, you're gonna break your one rule!

Batman: I'm considering it.

Joker: Now there's only minutes left, so you're gonna have to play my little game if you want to save one of them.

Batman: ... "Them"?

Joker: You know, for a while there, I thought you really were Dent. The way you threw yourself after her… [laughs]

[This comment throws Batman into a fit of rage; he flips the Joker onto the table and wedges the chair against the door handle so no one else can get in]

Joker: [laughs] Look at you go!! Does Harvey know about you and his little bunny?

[Batman smashes The Joker's head against the glass window]

Batman: WHERE ARE THEY?!

Joker: Killing is making a choice...

[Batman punches The Joker in the face]

Batman: WHERE ARE THEY?!

Joker: Choose between one life or the other: your friend, the District Attorney… or his blushing bride-to-be!

[Batman punches The Joker in the face again; The Joker laughs hysterically through all of it]

Joker: You have nothing – nothing to threaten me with! Nothing to do, with all your strength!

[Batman picks The Joker up by his shirt]

Joker: But don't worry, I'm gonna tell you where they are. Both of 'em, and that's the point: you'll have to choose. He's at 250 52nd Street. And she's a-on… Avenue X. At Cicero.

[Batman storms out]

Gordon: Which one of them are you going after?

Batman: RACHEL!

Gordon: We're getting Dent! [to the other police] 250 52nd Street!

[Harvey awakens tied to a chair in a room full of gasoline barrels. A phone bomb counts down from 4:54]

Rachel: [Over phone] Hello? Can anybody hear me? [Shouts] Hello?!

Harvey Dent: Rachel?

[The camera reveals Rachel in the same situation]

Rachel: Harvey! Oh, thank god! Are you okay?

Harvey Dent: I'm all right. I'm in a…warehouse. They got me wired to these…oil drums.

Rachel: I am, too. Harvey...

Joker: I want…my phone call. I want it–I want it. [firmly] I want my phone call.

Detective Stephens: That's nice.

Joker: How many of your friends have I killed?

Detective Stephens: [chuckles] I'm a twenty-year man. I can tell the difference between punks who need a little lesson in manners…and the freaks like you who would just enjoy it.

[pause]

Detective Stephens: And you've killed six of my friends.

Joker: [looks up with surprise and mouths] Six?

[In the holding tank at the police station, one of the Joker's henchmen is complaining of stomach pains]

Henchman: Please, my insides hurt.

Cop #1: I don't really care. Back away.

Henchman: The boss said he'd make the voices go away. He said he'd go inside and replace 'em with bright lights…like Christmas!

Cop #1: You're outta your mind, pal. Back off.

[The henchman collapses onto the ground and starts having convulsions]

Cop #1: We need a medic in the holding tank. Come on, get the door open. [enters the holding tank and yells at the other inmates] You guys back off!

[The medic examines the henchman's belly, which has what appears to be a rectangle-shaped bruise with a wire attached]

Cop #2: What's that? Jeez.

Medic: He's got some kind of a…contusion.

Rachel: Listen, we don't have a lot of time. They told me that... only one of us was going to make it. And that they were going to let our friends choose.

Harvey Dent: Okay, Rachel. It's gonna be fine. It's gonna be all right. They're coming for you.

Rachel: Okay, listen to me. I'll help you. Just talk me through what's going on. Can you find something? Anything sharp?

Harvey Dent: [Pushes the chair back] I'm trying.

Rachel: What's…? [Hears Harvey grunting over the phone] Harvey?

[Harvey backs into a gasoline drum, then falls and knocks it over]

Rachel: Harvey, what's happening?

[The gasoline spills out onto the floor and begins to cover the left side of Harvey's face]

Joker: [to Detective Stephens] Do you want to know why I use a knife? [pause] Guns are too quick. You can't savor all of the... little emotions. You see, in their…last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way…I knew your friends better than you ever did. [pops his neck] Would you like to know which of them were cowards?

Detective Stephens: [sighs and begins rolling up his sleeves as he stalks towards the Joker] I know you're going to enjoy this.

[The Joker simply and cracks his neck]

Detective Stephens: So I'm just going to have to try to enjoy it…even more.

[The Joker has overpowered Detective Stephens and holds him hostage with a big shard of broken glass to his neck. The other police aim their guns at him.

Cop #3: Drop the weapon now!

Detective Stephens: It's my own damn fault! Just shoot him!

Cop #3: Let him go now! Drop the weapon!

Joker: What? Sorry?

Cop #3: What do you want?!

Joker: [calmly] I just want my phone call.

Cop #3: [confused by the Joker's demand] All right. [throws him a cell phone]

Detective Stephens: Ow, ow!

Joker: Sh, shh, sh! [The Joker dials a number on the phone. Suddenly, in the holding tank, the "contusion" on the henchman's body lights up and begins ringing]

Cop #1: Is that a…phone?

[The phone-triggered bomb in the henchman's stomach explodes, killing or knocking out most of the police in the room.]

Joker: [walks to Lau's cell with keys tauntingly] Hello there.

[Batman has arrived at Rachel's location]

Rachel: Harvey, just in case…I want to tell you something, okay?

Harvey Dent: Don't think like that, Rachel. They're coming for you.

Rachel: I know they are, but I don't want them to.

[Batman enters the building. Gordon's unit arrives at Harvey's location]

Rachel: I don't want to live without you and I do have an answer for you. And my answer is yes.

[Batman enters a room. Instead of finding Rachel, he discovers Harvey, realizing that the Joker switched their locations]

Harvey Dent: No! No! No, not me! Why are you coming for me?! NO! [Batman grabs him] Rachel! Rachel! No!

Rachel: Harvey, okay.

Harvey Dent: [As Batman pulls out of the room] Rachel!

Rachel: [dissapointed for a moment] Harvey, it's okay. It's all right. Listen. Somewh-

[The bomb explodes. Gordon is restrained by the rest of his unit, trying to get in. Batman rushes Dent out of the other building]

Harvey: Rachel! No!

[The building explodes, igniting the gasoline Harvey is covered with]

[Alfred reading Rachel's letter to Bruce, Rachel's voice reading it]

Rachel: Dear Bruce; I need to be honest and clear. I'm going to marry Harvey Dent. I love him, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. When I told you that if Gotham no longer needed Batman we could be together, I meant it. But now I'm sure the day won't come when you no longer need Batman. I hope it does. And if it does, then I will be there, but as your friend. I'm sorry to let you down. If you lose your faith in me, please, keep your faith in people. Love now, and always, Rachel.

[The morning after Rachel's death, Alfred reads her letter to Bruce and decides to slip it in his breakfast tray. He brings it over to Bruce, who is sitting silently in a chair.] (almost reminiscent of the childhood scene where young Bruce was mourning his parents in Batman Begins)

Alfred: I prepared a little breakfast.

[Bruce does not respond.]

Alfred: [sighs] Very well, then. [begins to walk away]

Bruce Wayne: Alfred…

Alfred: Yes, Master Wayne?

Bruce Wayne: Did I bring this on her? I was meant to inspire good. Not…madness. Not…death.

Alfred: You have inspired good. But you spat in the faces of Gotham's criminals; didn't you think there might be some casualties? Things were always gonna get worse before they got better.

Bruce Wayne: But Rachel, Alfred…

Alfred: Rachel believed in what you stood for. What we stand for. Gotham needs you.

Bruce Wayne: [referring to Dent] No, Gotham needs its true hero…and I let that murdering psychopath blow him half to hell.

Alfred: Which is why, for now, they're gonna have to make do with you.

Bruce Wayne: [Bruce looks up, showing the tear stains on his face] She was gonna wait for me, Alfred. Dent doesn't know. He can never know.

[Hearing this, Alfred decides to retract the letter and takes it with him.]

Bruce Wayne: What's that?

Alfred: [brushing it off] It can wait.

Bruce Wayne: That bandit in the forest in Burma…did you catch him?

Alfred: Yes.

Bruce Wayne: How?

Alfred: [grimly] We burned the forest down.

Gordon: I'm sorry about Rachel. The doctors told me that you're in agonizing pain, but that you're refusing medication…that you refused to accept skin grafts.

Harvey Dent: Remember that name…you all had for me, when I was in Internal Affairs…what was it Gordon?

Gordon: Harvey…

Harvey Dent: Say it. [pause] SAY IT!

Gordon: [reluctantly, realizing he cannot lie to Dent now] "Two-Face". Harvey "Two-Face".

Harvey Dent: Why should I hide who I am? [reveals the burnt side of his face to an uncomfortable and guilty looking Gordon]

Gordon: I know you tried to warn me, I'm sorry. Wuertz picked you up, was he working for them? Do you know who picked up Rachel?

[Harvey merely ignores him]

Gordon: Harvey, I need to know which of my men I can trust.

Harvey Dent: Why would you listen to me now?

Gordon: I'm sorry, Harvey.

[The camera reveals the burnt, accusing side of Harvey's face for the first time]

Harvey Dent: No…no, you're not. Not yet.

[The Chechen is called by the Joker to an old tanker ship at the docks; inside he sees the Joker acting psychotic and antagonizing a tied-up Lau on top of the Joker's massive stacks of his half of the mob's cash]

The Chechen: Not so crazy as you look!

Joker: I told you I'm a man of my word! [jumps down the mountain of money] Where's the Italian?

The Chechen: [while the Joker throws money at Lau] Joker man, what do you do with all your money?

Joker: See, I'm a guy of simple taste. [pulls out his gun] I enjoy dynamite, and gunpowder, and gasoline! [Joker's men douse the money with gasoline and Joker points the gun at the Chechen as he moves to stop them.] And you know what they all have in common? They're cheap.

The Chechen: You said you were a man of your word...

Joker: Oh, I am. [takes the Chechen's cigar and blows on it] I'm only burning my half. [throws the cigar onto the money, which bursts into flames] All you care about is money. This city deserves a better class of criminal, and I'm gonna give it to 'em. Tell your men they work for me now. This is my city.

The Chechen: They won't work for a freak.

Joker: [exaggerating the mob boss's accent] Frrreeaakk. [pulling out a small knife and throws it to the ground] Why don't we cut you up into little pieces and feed you to your pooches, hmm? [Joker's thugs pull away the mob boss] And then we'll see how loyal a hungry dog really is! It's not about money... [digs in his pockets and pulls out a cell phone, beginning to dial it] It's about... sending a message. Everything burns!

[Interrupting the news cast in which Coleman Reese is trying to announce Batman's identity]

TV Host: Who is this?

Joker: I had a vision of a world without Batman. The mob ground out their little profit, and the police tried to shut them down one block at a time. And it was so…boring. I've had a change of heart. I don't want Mr. Reese spoiling everything, but why should I have all the fun? Let's give someone else a chance. If Coleman Reese isn't dead in sixty minutes, then I blow up a hospital. [hangs up the phone]

Alfred: Will you be wanting the Batpod, sir?

Bruce Wayne: In the middle of the day, Alfred? Not very subtle.

Alfred: The Lamborghini, then. [with deadpan sarcasm] Much more subtle.

[The Joker, dressed in a nurse uniform and wig, visits Harvey "Two-Face" in the hospital. He shoots a police officer before walking over to Harvey's bedside]

Joker: [raising the upper-half of the bed up, mutters a tune while doing so] De-dk-de-dk, ya-da-ya umph! [slips off his surgical mask]

[Harvey immediately becomes enraged and struggles to get out of the bed he's tied to]

Joker: [sits down by the bed, sighs and with a sympathetic tone and forced smile] Hiii. [takes off his wig as Harvey stops struggling, shaking his hair back into its messy state with his hands] You know, I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us, Harvey. When you and, uhh, Ra…

Two-Face: RACHEL!

Joker: [motions his hands before him as he talks] …Rachel were being abducted, I was sitting in Gordon's cage. Now, uh, I–I didn't rig those charges.

Two-Face: Your men, your plan.

Joker: [serious, smirks slowly] Do I really look like a guy with a plan? [smirks breifly] You know what I am? [Two-Face tries to raise his arms] I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it! You know…I just do things. The mob has plans. The cops have plans. Gordon's got plans. You know…they're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. So when I say… [grabs Harvey's hand, Harvey struggles a little] ah, come here. When I say that you and your girlfriend [slowly slaps Harvey's hand a couple of times] was nothing personal, you'll know that I'm telling the truth. [starts unstrapping Harvey's wrists from one side] It's the schemers… [goes to the other side] that put you where you are. You were a schemer, and you had plans. And, uh... [starts unstrapping Harvey's other wrist] look where that got ya.

[Once Harvey's other wrist is free, he attempts to grab The Joker, the two struggling with each other until The Joker grabs a hold of Harvey's hands, moving them from side to side]

Joker: I just did what I do best. I took your little plan and [sing-song tone] I turned it on itself! [Harvey stops struggling, The Joker looking down at him] Look at what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets. Hm? You know–you know what I noticed? Nobody panics when things go [does the quote-fingers] "according to plan"… even if the plan is horrifying. If tomorrow I told the press that, like, a gang-banger will get shot, or a truck load of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all part of the plan. But when I say that one little old mayor will die…[voice rises hysterically]…well, then everyone loses their minds! [lets go of Harvey's hands and pulls out a gun, the handle facing Harvey] Introduce a little anarchy. [puts the gun into Harvey's hand, cocking the gun] Upset the established order, then everything becomes…chaos. [guides the gun to his own forehead, smacking his lips] I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair.

Two-Face: [looks down, pulls out his lucky coin with his free hand and shows the "heads" side to The Joker] You live.

Joker: Mmm-hm. [smacks lips together]

Two-Face: [turns coin around, showing the burnt, "tails" side] You die!

Joker: Hmmm, now we're talking.

[Harvey flips the coin, assuming it landed, The Joker then looks at him]

[At an intersection, a man driving a truck attempts to kill Coleman Reese by crashing into the police van containing him and Commissioner Gordon. Seeing this about to occur, Bruce Wayne speeds up in his Lamborghini to protect the van and manages to intervene in between the two vehicles; the truck hits his Lamborghini instead]

Gordon: It's Mr. Wayne, isn't it? [inspecting the slightly injured Wayne] That's a very brave thing you did.

Bruce Wayne: [feigning ignorance] Trying to catch the light?

Gordon: Wha–you weren't protecting the van?

Bruce Wayne: Why? Who's in it?

[At this moment, Coleman Reese is being led away from the accident scene. Bruce gives him a knowing look. Realizing that the man who he had tried to sell out just saved his life, Reese hangs his head in shame and walks away]

Bruce Wayne: [to Gordon] Hey, do you think I should go to the hospital?

Gordon: You don't watch a whole lot of news, do you, Mr. Wayne?

TV Reporter: Gotham PD has shut down the bridges and tunnels across the area.

Bartender: Sweet Jesus. [to Detective Wuertz, who is sitting on the barstool] Shouldn't you be out there? You know, doin' somethin'?

Detective Wuertz: It's my day off.

Bartender: I gotta take a leak. Keep an eye out for me, will ya? [leaves]

[Pause…someone enters the bar]

Detective Wuertz: Now what? Need someone to shake it for you?

Two-Face: Hello.

Detective Wuertz: [shocked] Dent. Jesus, I-I thought you was dead…

Two-Face: Half.

[He drinks Wuertz's shot of whiskey, with some of it flowing out the side of his face]

Two-Face: Who picked up Rachel, Wuertz?

Detective Wuertz: It must've been Maroni's men.

Two-Face: SHUT UP! Are you telling me that you're gonna protect the other traitor in Gordon's unit?

Detective Wuertz: I don't know, he never told me! Listen, Dent, I-I swear to God, I didn't know what they were gonna do to you.

Two-Face: Hm, that's funny…[spins his coin on the table]…because I don't know what's gonna happen to you either. [it lands on "tails"]

[Two-Face shoots him]

[Lucius Fox enters Wayne Enterprises R&D and discovers Batman's cell phone sonar mapping terminal]

Batman: Beautiful, isn't it?

Lucius: [awed and disturbed] Beautiful. Unethical. Dangerous. You've turned every cell phone in the city into a microphone.

Batman: And a high-frequency generator/receiver.

Lucius: You took my sonar concept and applied it to every phone in the city. With half the city feeding you sonar you can image all of Gotham! [turns to Batman] This is wrong.

Batman: I've got to find this man, Lucius.

Lucius: At what cost?

Batman: The database is null key encrypted. It can only be accessed by one person.

Lucius: This is too much power for one person.

Batman: That's why I gave it to you. Only you can use it.

[Fox stares at Batman]

Lucius: Spying on thirty million people isn't part of my job description.

Batman: [holds up a USB thumb drive] This is an audio signal. [plugs it into the terminal's console; it plays back part of the Joker's phone call to the earlier newscast] If he talks within range of any phone in the city, you can triangulate his position.

Lucius: I'll help you this one time. But consider this my resignation. As long as this machine is at Wayne Enterprises…I won't be.

[Batman nods understandingly]

Batman: When you're finished, type in your name.

Gordon: All my offices are going over every inch of the tunnels and bridges, but with the Joker's threat, they're not an option.

Mayor: And land routes east?

Gordon: Backed up for hours. That leaves the ferries with 30,000 ready to board. Plus, I want to use the ferries to get those prisoners off the island.

Mayor: The men you and Dent put away? Those aren't people I'm worried about.

Gordon: You should be. Whatever the Joker's planning, it's a good bet Harvey's prisoners might be involved. I want to get them out of there.

Mayor: [Pauses] So where is Harvey?

Gordon: We haven't found him.

Mayor: Jesus. How long can you keep this quiet?

[Gordon just looks sollemly at the Mayor, considering the question]

[Maroni gets into his car as he heads out of Gotham]

Sal Maroni: [to the driver] Don't stop for lights, cops, nothin'. [notices that Two-Face is sitting beside him in the car]

Two-Face: Going to join your wife? You love her?

Sal Maroni: [gulps] Yes.

Two-Face: You ever imagine what it would be like to listen to her die?

Sal Maroni: Take it up with the Joker. He killed your woman. He made you… [uses his fingers to outline Two-Face's scars] like this.

Two-Face: The Joker's just a mad dog. I want whoever let him off the leash. I took care of Wuertz. Who was your other man inside Gordon's unit who picked up Rachel? It must've been someone she trusted.

Sal Maroni: Look, if I tell you, will you let me go?

Two-Face: It can't hurt your chances.

Sal Maroni: It was Ramirez.

[Two-Face cocks his gun at Maroni]

Sal Maroni: But you said…

Two-Face: I said it couldn't hurt your chances. [flips his coin: it's "heads"] You're a lucky man.

[Maroni smiles slightly]

Two-Face: [flips it again: "tails"] But he's not.

Sal Maroni: Who?

Two-Face: [buckles seatbelt] Your driver. [shoots the driver; the car crashes]

Crewmember: Captain, we got a hundred barrels down there rigged to blow. And this. [Hands the captain a box. They open the box revealing a handmade detonator.]

Captain: Oh my God.

Crewmember: Looks like some kind of detonator.

Captain: Why would they give us the detonator to our own bomb?

[The Joker, on cell phone, starts talking through an intercom on both ferries]

Joker: Tonight, you're all going to be a part of a "social experiment." Through the magic of diesel fuel and ammonium nitrate, I'm ready right now to blow you all sky high. Anyone attempts to get off their boat, you all die. Each of you has a remote... to blow up the other boat. At midnight, I blow you all up. If, however, one of you presses the button, I'll let that boat live. So, who's it going to be: Harvey Dent's most wanted scumbag collection, or the sweet an innocent civilians? You choose. Oh, and you might want to decide quickly because the people on the other boat might not be so "noble."

[A civilian stands to get the detonator]

Guard: Stay back.

Businessman: Well, now, who are you to decide? We ought talk this over, at least.

Woman: We don't all have to die! Those men had their chance.

Guard: We are not going to talk about this.

Businessman: Why aren't we talkin' about it?!

Civilian #1: They're talking over the same exact thing on the other boat!

Civilian #2: Let's put it to a vote!

[The crowd shouts in agreement]

[Gordon's wife answers the phone.]

Barbara: Hello?

Ramirez: [on the phone] Barbara, it's Anna Ramirez. Jim needs you to pack up and put the kids in the car right away.

Barbara: But the units outside…

Ramirez: Those cops can't be trusted. Jim needs you away from them as soon as possible. I'll call them off for ten minutes and you'll have to move fast.

Barbara: But…where am I supposed to take them?

Ramirez: 250 52nd Street. Leave as soon as the patrol car pulls out.

Barbara: Okay.

[Ramirez hangs up the phone, as the camera pans out, revealing that she had been making the call while being held at gunpoint by Two-Face]

Two-Face: Did she believe you?

Ramirez: Yes.

Two-Face: It's because she trusts you. Just like Rachel did.

Ramirez: I didn't know what-

Two-Face: You didn't know what they were gonna do? You're the second cop to say that to me. What exactly did you think that they were going to do?

Ramirez: They got me early on My mother's hospital bills…

Two-Face: DON'T! [flips his coin]

Ramirez: [in tears] I'm sorry.

Two-Face: [the coin lands on "heads"] You live to fight another day, officer.

[He punches her out]

[At the building next to the Joker's location]

SWAT Leader: We found the missing hospital bus.

Gordon: Then we have a hostage situation. [Looks through a pair of binoculars at three clown guards standing in front of a window] It's a shooting gallery. Why would he choose a spot with such big windows?

SWAT Leader: We have clear shots on five clowns. Snipers take 'em out, smash the windows, a team rappels in. Team moves in by the stairwells. Two, three casualties, max.

Gordon: Let's do it.

Batman: [Shows up] It's not that simple. With the Joker, it never is.

Gordon: What's simple is that every second we don't take him, those people on the ferries get closer to blowing each other up. [His patience worn out with the Batman]

Batman: That won't happen.

Gordon: Then he'll blow both of them up!

Batman: I need five minutes alone.

Gordon: No! There's no time!

[Batman approaches the edge of the building. Gordon aims his gun at him]

Gordon: We have clear shots! Dent is in there with them! We have to save Dent! I... [Batman leaps off and sails toward the building] ... have to save Dent! [To SWAT Leader] Get ready! Two minutes, then we breach.

[Gordon has received a phone call from his wife]

Gordon: Hello.

Barbara: Jim, we're in trouble!

Gordon: Barbara, calm down.

Barbara: He has the kids!

Two-Face: [taking the phone] Hello, Jim.

Gordon: Harvey? Where's my family?

Two-Face: Where my family died. [hangs up]

[On the prisoner ferry, an large inmate goes up to the officer holding the detonator]

Inmate: You don't want to die, but you don't know how to take a life. Give it to me; these men would kill you, and take it anyway.

[On the civilian ferry, the businessman approaches the captian]

Businessman: No one wants to get their hands dirty. Fine. I'll do it. Those men on that boat. They made their choices. They chose to murder and steal. Doesn't make any sense for us to have to die, too. [Nods and takes the detonator]

[At the building, Batman has reached the Joker, but his attacks has caused the 'sonar-vision' to malfunction and the Joker forces Batman onto an edge overlooking the ferries and subdues him.]

Inmate: Give it to me. You can tell 'em I took it by force. Give it to me, and I'll do what you shoulda did ten minutes ago.

[The officer reluctantly hands over the detonator, and after a brief moment, the inmate throws the detonator out the window into the ocean and sits back down without saying a word]

Joker: [struggling to keep Batman down] We really should stop this fighting. Otherwise, we'll miss the fireworks!

Batman: There won't be any fireworks.

Joker: And here we… go!

[After a long moment of hesitation, the businessman sets the detonator down. The Joker looks at his clock, which says midnight]

Batman: What are you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone's as ugly as you?! You're alone!

Joker: [mildly annoyed] You can't rely on anyone these days. You got to do everything yourself. [to Batman] Don't we? That's okay. I came prepared. [takes out a detonator, presumably the one that will blow up both ships] It's a funny world that we live in…speaking of which, know how I got these scars? [motioning towards the scars on his mouth]

Batman: No... but I know how you got these!

[Batman fires his steel spike protrusions from his gauntlet, hitting the Joker in the face and releasing his grip on the detonator and Batman; Batman grabs him and throws him over the edge of the skyscraper. Falling and laughing hysterically, the Joker is caught by Batman's grappling wire and is hoisted up to where Batman is. The Joker moans in disappointment as he is raised]

Joker: Uuh…ugh…you. You just couldn't let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You…truly are…incorruptible, aren't you, huh? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because…you're just too much fun! [chuckles] I think you and I are destined to do this forever.

Batman: [snarling] You'll be in a padded cell forever!

Joker: Maybe we could share one. You know, they'll be doubling up, the rate this city's inhabitants are losing their minds.

Batman: [tired, but with intensity and emphasis] This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good.

Joker: Until their spirits break completely! Until they get a good look at the real Harvey Dent, and all the heroic things he's done. [looks at Batman's confused face] You didn't think I'd risk losing the battle for Gotham's soul in a fist fight with you? No! You need an ace in the hole. Mine's Harvey.

Batman: What did you do?

Joker: I took Gotham's "White Knight", and I…brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. You see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little…push!

[The Joker begins to laugh hysterically as Batman storms off. A SWAT team arrives and presumably takes the Joker, still laughing in triumph, into custody]

[Two-Face has kidnapped Gordon's family, and Gordon has followed them to the place where Rachel died]

Gordon: [walks into the building] Dent!

Two-Face: [knocks Gordon to the ground from behind] This is where they brought her, Gordon. After your men handed her over. This is where she died.

Gordon: I know. I was here, trying to save her.

Two-Face: But you didn't.

Gordon: I couldn't.

Two-Face: Yes, you could have. If you had listened to me…if you stood up against corruption…instead of doing your deal with the devil.

Gordon: I was trying to fight the mob!

Two-Face: You wouldn't dare try to justify yourself if you knew what I'd lost! Have you ever had to talk to the person you love most? Tell them it's going to be all right, when you know that it's not? Well, you're about to know what it feels like, Gordon. Then you can look me in the eye and tell me you're sorry!

Gordon: [scared] You're not going to hurt my family.

Two-Face: No, just the person you love most. [points the gun at his Gordon's wife] Is it your wife?

Gordon: Put the gun down Dent. [whispers] please.

[Two-Face moves the gun to his daughter]

Gordon: [reaches towards them] Please.

[Two-Face puts the gun to Gordon's son]

Gordon: Goddamn it, will you stop pointing the gun at my family?!

Two-Face: We have a winner. [Grabs Gordon's Son]

Barbara: No, Jim, stop him!

Gordon: Harvey? Harvey! I'm sorry! For everything! Please, don't hurt my son.

Two-Face: [hears police dogs] You brought your cops?!

Gordon: All they know is this is a situation. They don't know who or what, they're just creating a perimeter.

Two-Face: You think I want to escape from this?! [indicates his burned side] There is no escape from this!

Batman: [appearing from the shadows] You don't want to hurt the boy, Harvey.

Two-Face: It's not about what I want, it's about what's FAIR! You thought we could be decent men, in an indecent time! But you were wrong. The world is cruel. And the only morality in a cruel world... [pulls out his coin] ... is chance. Unbiased... unprejudiced... fair. His son's got the same chance she had: 50/50.

Batman: What happened to Rachel wasn't chance. We decided to act. We three.

Two-Face: Then why was it me who was the only one who lost everything?!

Batman: [pauses, realizing that he himself nearly lost everything in his fight with the Joker] It wasn't.

Two-Face: The Joker chose me!

Batman: Because you were the best of us! He wanted to prove that even someone as good as you could fall.

Two-Face: [looks horrified for a moment] And he was right.

Batman: You're the one pointing the gun, Harvey. So point it at the people responsible.

Two-Face: Fair enough. You first. [Flips his coin. It lands "Tails," he shoots Batman in the stomach] My turn.

[Puts the gun to his own head, flips the coin: "Heads". Points the gun at Gordon's son's head]

Gordon: Harvey, you're right. Rachel's death was my fault. Pl-Please, don't punish the boy. Please punish me.

Two-Face: I'm about to. Tell your boy it's going to be all right. Lie…like I lied.

Gordon: ... It's going to be all right, son.

[Two-Face flips the coin, but Batman suddenly tackles him off the building. As all three of them tumble out of sight, and Barbara screams, the coin lands on the floor, good side up.]

[Gordon's son follows Gordon down to where Batman lies unmoving next to Dent]

Gordon's Son: Dad! Dad, is he okay?

Gordon: [relieved as Batman slowly pulls himself up to his knees] Thank you.

Batman: You don't have to thank me.

Gordon: Yes, I do. [both look at Harvey's body on the ground] The Joker won. Harvey's prosecution, everything he fought for, undone. Any chance you gave us at fixing our city dies with Harvey's reputation. We bet it all on him. The Joker took the best of us and tore it down. People will lose hope.

Batman: They won't. They must never know what he did.

Gordon: Five dead, two of them cops. You can't sweep that up!

Batman: No. But the Joker cannot win. [kneels down next to Harvey, whose burnt left side is facing up] Gotham needs its true hero. [turns Harvey's head so that his unmarred side faces up]

Gordon: [immediately understanding, whispers] No.

Batman: [quoting Harvey Dent] "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." I can do those things because I'm not a hero, unlike Dent. I killed those people. That's what I can be.

Gordon: No, no! You can't, you're not--

Batman: I am whatever Gotham needs me to be. [hands Gordon his radio] Call it in.

Gordon: They'll hunt you.

Batman: You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me, set the dogs on me.[In the voiceover, Gordon destroys the bat signal though the "Bat" doesn't break, Alfred burns Rachel's letter, and Fox destroys the sonar device] Because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes...the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.

[Batman runs]

Gordon's Son: Batman? Batman! Why is he running, Dad?

Gordon: Because we have to chase him.

Gordon's Son: He didn't do anything wrong.

Gordon: Because he's the hero that Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So, we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight.

ESL @ Movie Quotes

Saturday, April 18, 2009

The Dark Knight (2008)

Bruce Wayne/Batman

The Joker

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

Commissioner Gordon

Alfred Pennyworth

Rachel Dawes

Dialogue

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ESL @ Movie Quotes

Saturday, April 18, 2009

The Dark Knight (2008)

Bruce Wayne/Batman

The Joker

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

Commissioner Gordon

Alfred Pennyworth

Rachel Dawes

Dialogue

2 comments:

Lists Linked to Pages

Labels

Blog Archive

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