A dark and gritty superhero noir, The Batman excels as an engaging crime thriller that stars an excellent Robert Pattinson as a brooding, vengeful Dark Knight who dives into the corrupt heart of Gotham City and emerges as a symbol of justice.

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. It is a phrase that constantly comes to mind while watching The Batman, the latest reboot of the popular superhero franchise that, under the guidance of director Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) is presented as a neo-noir psychological thriller. It is an approach that works very well, with Reeves’ interpretation of the Batman universe one in which its sacred institutions have been corrupted by a crime element that has become more daring and dangerous, causing a trickledown effect from the echelons of power to Gotham’s rain-soaked streets.

It is there that we find “vengeance” in the form of the Batman (Robert Pattinson), the menacing, costumed alter-ego of billionaire Bruce Wayne, whose mourning heart over the death of his parents fuels his crusade against Gotham’s crime element. When psychotic serial killer The Riddler (Paul Dano) takes out Gotham City’s elite figures, Batman is drawn into a case that has personal ramifications.

Reeves very much embraces the detective story element of the Batman character to create a crime mystery in which the smarts and wits of Batman is as important as his brawn. Drawing upon the grimy serial killer exploits of David Fincher movies Seven and Zodiac, while continuing the grit and grim 1970s aesthetic of Todd Phillips’ The Joker, the 175 minute The Batman is (so far) the darkest interpretation of the character and his universe.

Pattinson embodies Batman as a sombre creature of the night, whose anger and violence is fuelled by a grief that has transformed his world to black. A year into his quest for justice, Pattinson’s Batman is one who is “learning on the job”, utilising trepidation and stealth when other brutish tactics don’t work. It is a portrayal of the Batman that, although at times a little too dreary, is nevertheless compelling in action and psyche.

Zoe Kravitz provides a seriously seductive portrayal of Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, a morally and sexually ambiguous thief and vigilante who draws out different emotions from an at first ideologically rigid Batman; Paul Dano delivers a chilling, maniacal interpretation of The Riddler, a portrayal of the character that takes clear inspiration from the Zodiac killer both in look and the use of codes and cyphers; and Colin Farrell is a hoot (or should that be a quack?) in an unrecognisable turn as The Penguin.

The perfect counter to the usual superhero movie fare, The Batman is as dark and brooding as its title character, a crime thriller of rich storytelling and symbolism that is told with grit and edge by Reeves whose terrific use of world building, high stakes thrills, and pulsating action sequences results in one of the best Batman movies yet.