Fan Casting Batman (1974)

WIlliam Friedkin's darker, more grounded Batman deals with Bruce Wayne struggling to protect a grim and crime-ridden Gotham City teetering on the edge of chaos. Haunted by childhood trauma, Wayne uses his fortune and intellect to craft the persona of Batman, waging a shadowy war on criminals who seem to grow more dangerous. Chief among them is Joker whose dangerously manic blend of twisted humor and cold-blooded terror sets him on a collision course with the Dark Knight. As Batman battles the Joker's escalating reign of anarchy, he also faces the rise of Harvey Dent, Gotham's once-heroic district attorney, who's recent transformation into Two-Face reveals just how fragile justice can be. Meanwhile, Ra's al Ghul, the man who trained Batman manipulates events from the shadows, aiming to purge Gotham of its corruption on his own terrifying terms. This film does for Batman what 1978's Superman did for Superman