BaconIsMyBFF

29th Dec 2008

The Dark Knight (2008)

Question: If Bruce Wayne's penthouse was so safe, how did the Joker manage to bust into it during the fund-raising party? Also, if the penthouse was safe, why in the world did Alfred let the girlfriend just leave?

Answer: Wertz is shown at the door holding up his badge as the Joker bursts in. The implication (to the party guests and the audience at the time) is that Wertz was forced to use his police credentials to get past building security. We find out later that Wertz is dirty and probably was ordered by Maroni to help the Joker. Alfred lets Rachel leave because she insists that she is safe, since she was never the Joker's intended target.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: The Joker got in there during the chaos of a party; people are coming and going, guests, caterers, waiters - security is inevitably going to be compromised under such circumstances. Later on, when only Bruce and Alfred should be present, the place is much more secure. As for Alfred letting Rachel leave, what choice does he have? He can hardly keep her there against her will. Short of resorting to physical restraint, he can't stop her leaving and trying to do so, when she's already angry at Bruce for letting Harvey pretend to be Batman, would only annoy her further.

Tailkinker

19th Jan 2009

The Dark Knight (2008)

Question: When the Joker is giving his speech to the people on the ferries, there is a shot of him in the Pruitt building. The camera is behind him and in the reflection on the glass you can see him reading his speech from a piece of paper. Why is he doing this? Is it to make sure he remembers his own plan? Or is there something else going on?

Answer: He's got a big speech to make - seems reasonable that he might have made some notes so that he didn't forget anything. Most people do that under such circumstances. There certainly aren't any indications in the film that it was anything else - while it might be a mistake, it fits the scene well enough that there's no way to tell either way.

Tailkinker

His voice also definitely sounds like he is reading, in this scene and also when he calls into the talk show to threaten Coleman Reese. It does not sound like "off the cuff" dialogue. Apparently the Joker writes speeches like this down and reads directly from his notes.

BaconIsMyBFF

20th Mar 2018

The Dark Knight (2008)

Question: How did Joker rig the hospital and the ferries with explosives? And how did no one notice them in either situation?

Kwjduff

Answer: We aren't shown exactly how the Joker pulls off any of his stunts, it's part of the mystery of his character. In order to pull off the two that you mentioned, the Joker would need meticulous planning and impeccable timing. It seems impossible to pull off either crime without anyone noticing but that's kind of the point. The Joker is apparently prepared for any contingency.

BaconIsMyBFF

20th Dec 2017

The Dark Knight (2008)

Question: I have a few questions: 1. Did Bruce propose his joint venture just to see if Lau was dirty and have him arrested? 2. Why did Fox come to Hong Kong in person instead of simply calling? 3. Did Fox plan to have his cell phone go off while talking to Lau (and if so, for what reason)?

Answer: 1) Yes, Bruce wanted his people to get a look at Lau's books to see if he was in fact dirty. 2) Fox comes to Hong Kong simply as a ruse to place the EMP device (the fake cell phone). 3) Fox would have no reason to have his real cell phone go off during the meeting. It just happened. This was done to show the audience that the phone he turned in to security was indeed a fake.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: The venture was a ruse to get Fox to meet with Lau. Fox came to Hong Kong in order to plant the phone. The phone he planted allowed Batman to locate Lau in the building so he could kidnap him.

3rd Apr 2017

The Dark Knight (2008)

Question: I can understand why Batman would take the blame for the murders Harvey committed but why would he also take the blame for the ones the Joker is responsible for?

Answer: He doesn't, he only takes the blame for Harvey's murders. He personally blames himself for the Joker because of escalation but he most certainly does not accept any public blame for the Joker's crimes.

BaconIsMyBFF

28th Dec 2016

The Dark Knight (2008)

Question: Who does the Joker get on the bus with after blowing up the hospital? Weren't those the people who just evacuated? If so, they definitely would not have waited there for him or let him on.

Answer: He does indeed get on a bus with several people who were evacuated. The bus also contains his henchmen and is driven by one. He makes his escape by hiding in plain sight (as one of several buses that evacuated civilians from the hospital). The passengers of the bus then become the hostages in the high rise scene.

BaconIsMyBFF

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.