…these are small, marginal moments that detonate an unforgettable little frisson in the viewer. The important thing to remember is that these are not moments carefully designed to exert great dramatic effect—not that there’s anything wrong with those—but instead they are fleeting “privileged” moments writ small that we find ourselves strongly attracted to, perhaps even disproportionately so given their scale and possible (lack of) intention.
— Christian Keathley
Gus Lewis as Bruce Wayne
Every time I watch Batman Begins there is a little moment in the first act that makes my smile brighter. Young Bruce Wayne and his parents are riding the monorail through Gotham for an infamous night of theater. Thomas Wayne is describing his company’s work with the city on the monorail and other utilities, Bruce eagerly listening. Wayne Tower is seen through the windows and Bruce asks if that’s where his father works. Thomas modestly says he keeps himself at the hospital and lets “better men” run his central headquarters, prompting Bruce to question his diction. Thomas, with a little bashful glance to his wife, clarifies that they’re “more interested men,” to which both smile. Cut to Bruce, not quite understanding the differentiation, but eagerly beaming, with a pride for his parents and a deep desire to be in on their shared joke.
Gus Lewis portrays the eight year old Wayne, and it’s this final look from him that delights me with each viewing. He so perfectly displays the mixed emotions of joy from being let into their adult world for a minute yet naivety from not quite following the complete insinuations, and all while avoiding any self-consciousness in that portrayal. It’s an innocent moment of a son connecting with his father over something beyond his years. The scene may primarily serve as exposition to set up part of the movie’s climactic action (revolving around the water lines) but it’s the emotion we see within Bruce in relation to his father that sticks.
