Film Review: Colin Farrell is unrecognisable as The  Penguin in The Batman movie

Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin in The Batman. Picture: Jamie Hawkesworth/DC Comics/Warner Bros

★★★★★

“You think I hide in the shadows,” says Batman (Robert Pattinson) early on in The Batman (15A), “but I am the shadows".

 That kind of self-aggrandising is to be expected of Gotham’s caped crusader, but here it’s a statement of intent: The Batman is one of the murkiest superhero flicks ever made, both visually and in terms of its hero’s morality.

The Batman starring Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell and John Turturro. Picture: Jonathan Olley

The latest reboot/prequel/origins tale about Bruce Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego revolves around Batman’s attempts to track down a serial killer who baits him with coded messages — The Riddler, of course — but Batman’s position is by no means as straightforward as it might seem: The Riddler is considered a hero for targeting the corrupt leaders of Gotham City, who have consistently lied to their people and turned the city into a dystopian hellhole (hence the strapline ‘No more lies’).

Jeffrey Wright as Lt James Gordon and Robert Pattinson as Batman

Set against the backdrop of an impending election being fought between liberal idealists and far-right conservatives, the story, and Batman himself, is a stripped-down, back-to-basics affair: Batman’s body armour is crude compared to the sleek designs of his predecessors, and there’s a notable absence of gadgetry (even the Batmobile is little more than a souped-up muscle-car).

Irish acting sensation Barry Keoghan attends the world premiere of "The Batman" at Lincoln Center Josie Robertson Plaza on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in New York. Picture: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

And then there’s Robert Pattinson, putting the goth into Gotham with his brooding presence, tousled hair, stubborn defiance and pragmatic understanding of his limitations — all of which, it has to be said, renders Pattinson’s version one of the most plausible of all the Batmans to date.

Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin in The Batman. Picture: Warner Bros

Director Matt Reeves maintains a mood of downbeat realism throughout, building considerable tension that is occasionally punctured by some pretty brutal scenes of violence, and making the most of a fine supporting cast that includes Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle / Catwoman and a virtually unrecognisable Colin Farrell as The Penguin, alongside Paul Dano, John Turturro and Barry Keoghan.

(cinema release)