Made In Hollywood

Duke could discuss roles with actors and directly tell them the results he wanted, but when it came to how they adjusted their performances, he was an outsider. However, in subsequent filming, Christian Bale's condition noticeably improved. His action scenes maintained a high physical standard, and his performance in dramatic scenes also improved rapidly. The character he played even sparked a mentor-and-father-like dynamic with Liam Neeson's Henry Ducard.

This was precisely the effect Duke wanted. As Bruce Wayne's guide, despite their fundamentally opposing ideologies, the role of Ra's al Ghul undoubtedly played a significant part in Batman's genesis.

After a brief adjustment period and continued communication with Duke, Liam Neeson also began to master his role, particularly with his appearance and demeanor lending great help in shaping the character.

From his appearance, Henry Ducard exudes righteousness. Psychologically, this ninja master also believes that his cause is absolutely just.

To a certain extent, Henry Ducard and Bruce Wayne share a hatred of evil—both fueled by the tragedy of losing loved ones, their hearts filled with anger.

Yet, the two chose different paths. Ra's al Ghul channels his anger into revenge against those connected to his wife's death, forming his principle: annihilate and punish all he considers evil or unredeemable.

Thus, the League of Shadows, under his leadership, adheres to the principle of "destroying evil and rebuilding anew."

The concept of destruction and rebuilding is not inherently wrong, as history has always been a process of continual renewal.

However, the uncertainty in Ra's al Ghul's stance lies in the fact that the criteria for determining what deserves destruction and punishment rest solely in the hands of the League of Shadows. In other words, the League holds the power of life and death over all things.

Therefore, Bruce Wayne refers to them as "executioners" and "vigilantes."

It can be said that the League's only driving force for continued existence is destruction and reconstruction, with standards defined solely by themselves.

"For everything they deem beyond redemption or evil beyond salvation, it must be punished and eradicated, then rebuilt upon suitable objects."

Huddled behind a glacier for shelter from the wind, Liam Neeson held a cup of hot coffee in his hands as he shared his understanding of the League of Shadows with Duke. "This principle is the necessary driving force for the League's existence. Strictly speaking, they themselves are not the creators of evil, but in destroying everything, the concept of fairness and justice ceases to exist."

"In fact…" Duke sipped his coffee, shrugged, and said, "Fairness and justice have always been relative."

"The difference between Batman and the League of Shadows is clear."

Christian Bale chimed in, "The difference is that Batman does not kill. He hands crime over to the system for judgment, whereas the League destroys all evil—evil as they define it."

He looked at Duke and added, "This touches on another theme of the movie and script: how to confront crime, or rather, what methods to use to fight it."

It was a long break during filming. The shooting schedule was entirely in Duke's hands. The Batman trilogy was by no means a traditional popcorn superhero movie. To make this series more exceptional, such discussions with the lead actors were invaluable.

Christian Bale's portrayal of Bruce Wayne was especially critical. After their conversation a couple of days ago, Bale seemed to find his rhythm. While still reserved in daily interactions, he had many insights when discussing the film and his character.

In commercial blockbusters, Duke's demands for acting were generally not strict. Batman could be considered the film with the highest performance requirements among all his typical blockbusters. After more than a week of shooting, he admitted that working with an actor like Bale—talented, perceptive, and leaning toward darker roles—saved him considerable effort.

Bale's ability to analyze and adjust himself appropriately assured Duke of his choice. If Ben Affleck had been in Bale's place, his stiff expressions and overconfident acting style would have likely caused endless headaches.

Hollywood might not have indispensable individuals, but actors whose styles align with a director's vision can reduce many challenges for a production team.

Christian Bale was undoubtedly such an actor.

Hearing Bale's analysis, Duke became intrigued and directly asked, "Can you elaborate on your perspective?"

The saying "A hundred people will have a hundred Hamlets in their hearts" was not merely rhetoric. Even within the same crew, interpretations of a script and characters often varied. Discussions and exchanges between actors and directors were always beneficial to the film.

Duke was never the kind of director who couldn't listen to others.

After pondering for a few seconds, with Duke and Liam Neeson looking on with interest, Christian Bale said, "In contrast to Frank Miller's comics, Duke's script presents four approaches to combating crime."

Nodding approvingly, Duke gestured for him to continue.

Christian Bale said, "The first approach is like Bruce Wayne's father, who does not address the root causes of crime but instead adopts a relatively gentle, patch-up-the-pieces method—addressing the immediate needs of the poor. This is undoubtedly the least effective method in the short term."

He sighed, "In the script, not only does he fail to solve problems in the long run, but he is also killed by the very people he tries to help."

"The second approach is like Rachel Dawes, combating crime through lawful and legitimate means. This approach can achieve long-term results as it is the most reasonable and socially aligned method."

This is indeed the most reasonable and legal way to combat crime in real society. However, it is clearly unsuitable for the movie; otherwise, why would Batman be necessary? Bale added, "In Gotham, where even law enforcers have been corrupted by evil, relying solely on legal means to fight crime is incredibly difficult. This is why before Batman's emergence, the law was powerless against people like Falcone."

"The third approach is like Ra's al Ghul's League of Shadows, combating crime through destruction and reconstruction. This method is the most effective but also problematic. First, it carries significant uncertainty, as the criteria for destruction depend entirely on the enforcer's interests, lacking universal acceptance. Second, determining how to rebuild and the process itself demands a colossal cost, making it potentially counterproductive compared to reforming before destruction."

At this point, Liam Neeson interjected, "From my understanding of the script, although Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows internally believe they are just, their actions are ultimately driven by the need to sustain their existence rather than truly considering feasible ways to fight crime."

"The fourth and final approach is Bruce Wayne's Batman."

After Neeson finished, Bale continued, "Using a freer, more powerful form of vigilantism, operating above the law, to combat crime."

"No errors in that analysis."

Bale's analysis closely aligned with the themes of Batman Begins. Rather than calling it a superhero film, it was more aptly a crime movie. Duke glanced at his watch and added, "I'd like to supplement this: All four approaches involve personal factors and are not truly transcendent methods of maintaining order."

A truly transcendent approach to maintaining order, in fact, does not exist.

Humans have thoughts and emotions; they are not mere machines executing commands. These attributes inevitably lead to personal biases. Methods that overlook human subjectivity can only exist in utopias.

Batman is no exception.

"All right, let's end the discussion here," Duke said to his two leading actors. "Let's resume filming."

The break lasted half an hour. Liam Neeson and Christian Bale went for makeup touch-ups while Duke called Anna Prince to review the progress of various departments on set.

The next scene to be filmed featured Bruce Wayne undergoing ninja training. Duke moved the setting out of the monastery to the vast, magnificent ice plains. Under Henry Ducard's guidance, Bruce Wayne learned to use the night, props, and his surroundings to hide his presence.

Ninjutsu can be considered crucial to Batman's transformation into the Dark Knight. Especially for a realistic Batman, the trilogy would not feature scenes of him taking on hundreds of enemies directly. Utilizing advantageous conditions to launch ambushes in the dark was undoubtedly a key tactic for Bruce Wayne in fighting crime.

However, as Iceland had already entered winter, night shoots posed too many uncertainties. Duke opted to use a green screen and shoot the scene during the day.

To minimize certain unpredictable elements, the setting for Bruce Wayne and Henry Ducard was established as the Himalayan region of Bhutan.

In short, all sources of evil would be kept unconnected to the opposing side.

Duke had never been the type to refuse change, nor was he like Christopher Nolan, insistent on maintaining politically correct anti-China sentiments.

In the biting cold wind, Christian Bale and Liam Neeson weaved between two groups of ninjas. The shoot was fragmented into countless pieces, with Duke frequently calling "cut" to bring in action director Jimmy Carter and the two leads for discussions about the fight choreography before resuming.

The Iceland shoot lasted half a month. Before the harsh winter fully set in, Duke led the crew back to North America.