More than a decade after its conclusion, the three movies inChristopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight Trilogyare still widely regarded as some of the best superhero movies in cinema history. Nolan’s approach to Batman was to take the superhero seriously while grounding him in a dark and realistic story about grief, vengeance, and ultimately hope. With an impressive cast includingChristian Bale,Michael Caine,Morgan Freeman,Maggie Gyllenhaal,Cillian Murphy, andJoseph Gordon Levittamong many others,The Dark Knight Trilogyboasts powerful performances alongside emotional storytelling and technically inventive action sequences. Therefore, there are many memorable moments and scenes throughout the franchise. Of course, you can’t talk about performances in the trilogy without recognizing the lateHeath Ledgerand his award-winning portrayal of the Joker inThe Dark Knight. But there are also other moments in the trilogy that aren’t so well regarded, particularly inThe Dark Knight Rises.
Beyond the “I’m not wearing hockey pads” memes and themuffled and convoluted voice ofTom Hardy’s Bane, one of the most underwhelming scenes has to be the death ofMarion Cotillard’s Miranda Tate aka Talia al Ghul inThe Dark Knight Rises. Whether it was the pressure of topping Ledger’s Joker or living up to the legacy ofLiam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul, Cotillard’s character and performance had a lot working against them and were ultimately a low point in the franchise, and her death scene is the perfect example of why.
In ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ Talia al Ghul Dies with a Whimper
After a final showdown with Bane inThe Dark Knight Rises, Batman finds out that the real villain pulling the strings is none other than Miranda Tate, the woman with whom he had supposedly fallen in love. She reveals her true name as “Talia,” the child of Ra’s al Ghul. Inquite a lengthy monologue— something to do with a “slow knife [that] cuts the deepest” — Talia leaves to drive the truck carrying a nuclear bomb. After Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) kills Bane, she and Batman go after Talia and the truck. A high-stakes car chase throughout Gotham City ultimately ends when Talia’s truck crashes into the ground. The heiress to the League of Shadows is left on the brink of death in the driver’s seat. Her final words are meant to be sinister, a culmination of Batman’s failures: “There is no way to stop this bomb….My father’s work is done.”
But whether it’s Talia’s awkward posture — one arm on the wheel, her head hung low, and the rest of her body contorted on the seat — or Marion Cotillard’s lackluster delivery, the fact that the climax of Nolan’s final Batman movie involves a subpar villain speech and performance is more than disappointing. Admittedly, it is difficult to follow up on Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker inThe Dark Knight, who has plenty to say to Batman and the citizens of Gotham.
However, even with an Academy Award which she won for her role as Édith Piaf inLa Vie en Rose, Marion Cotillard couldn’t give Talia the gravitas she deserved. In this scene, the character of Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul is reduced to a (figuratively) mustache-twirling villain who is all talk but without the maniacal charisma of the Joker nor the menacing presence of Bane. When she takes her final exasperated breath, Talia’s immediate and abrupt death isn’t a triumph for Batman nor a tragedy for a great villain. If anything, it’s a sigh of relief for the audience who can now concentrate on Batman and how he’ll save Gotham from the nuclear bomb.
On the other hand, when her father Ra’s al Ghul realizes that he has been beaten inBatman Begins, he doesn’t break out into a monologue about revenge or how Bruce will regret ever going against him. He doesn’t scream or shout in frustration. Instead, Ra’s accepts his fate in silence, closing his eyes as he and the train crash into the ground. Liam Neeson’s stoic performance directly contrasts Cotillard’s melodramatic portrayal of Talia’s death. The latter feels out of place in the rest of Christopher Nolan’s realistic interpretation of the Dark Knight. But that’s just one key example where Talia falls short as a villain.
Talia al Ghul’s Father Would be Disappointed
Part of the appeal ofThe Dark Knight Riseswas that it would bring the trilogy full circle, takingBruce Wayne’s journey as Batman back to where it all started inBatman Begins. Marion Cotillard’s Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul plays a significant part in that story. But despite her efforts to finish her father’s plan to destroy Gotham City and Bruce Wayne along with it, Talia’s master plan is deeply flawed and, admittedly, clumsy. Her lackluster death scene is just one way she is overshadowed by the other villains of the franchise.
For example, her father Ra’s al Ghul had a similar plan in store for Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. He was also duplicitous, using the alias of Henri Ducard to befriend and train Bruce before revealing his true identity as the leader of the League of Assasins. Ra’s also wanted to use Bruce’s own technology to destroy Gotham, repurposing a “microwave emitter” to disperse a dangerous fear toxin throughout the city. Talia’s plan isn’t so different. She uses the guise of Miranda Tate to seduce Bruce, only to reveal that it was her plan to repurpose a fusion reactor, which is meant to create sustainable energy, into a nuclear bomb. But if her father’s plan didn’t work the first time, why would she recreate the same plan over? Furthermore, because her intention and motivation are so closely tied to her father, Talia falls flat as a villain on her own.
Despite their common goals and methods, Ra’s is a far more threatening villain to Batman than Talia. Yes, Ra’s is a cunning and clever criminal mastermind, but he is also a formidable fighter and physical threat. He is able to go toe-to-toe with Bruce, whereas Talia is too afraid to get her hands dirty. Instead, Talia enlists the help of Bane, who is a more terrifying adversary for Batman. As the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, one would expect her to be just as proficient in martial arts and eager to get involved in a fight. After all, we saw her make the climb to escape the Lazarus Pit even as a child. But the only action we get to see her in is in that final chase in the film, in a truck that ultimately runs into the ground where she dies insignificantly.
Although she was concerned with finishing her father’s legacy, Marion Cotillard’s Talia al Ghul never really lived up to it, not even close.The Dark Knight Risesusually comes in last when ranking Nolan’s trilogy, and with scenes like Talia’s death scene that don’t quite work, it’s no surprise as to why.
