With mature themes, disturbing imagery, and uncompromising violence ripped straight from a classic slasher, Matt Reeves arguably pushed the boundaries of the PG-13 rating even more than any previous Batman movie (including The Dark Knight). Reeves also made use of his one PG-13-permitted F-bomb in The Batman. But the F-word’s use feels forced.
When Batman arrives at a crime scene swarming with cops, the corrupt commissioner (who turns out to be the Riddler’s next victim) scoffs, “This must be your favorite night of the year, huh, pal? Happy f****** Halloween!” This line feels like Reeves threw in the PG-13-friendly obscenity for the sake of having one in the movie. Throughout the script, there are plenty of opportunities for a more effective F-bomb.
If the point of an early F-bomb was to signify to the audience that this is a darker, edgier Batman movie than they’ve ever seen before, then it could’ve been used to greater effect even earlier in the movie as a setup for Robert Pattinson’s most iconic Bat-quote.
The moment that sold Pattinson’s Batman to audiences in the first teaser trailer was taken from the movie’s first major action sequence: the gang brawl at the train station. One of the thugs approaches Batman and asks, “What the hell are you supposed to be?” Without hesitation, the Bat beats the thug to a pulp and growls, “I’m vengeance.” A harsher version of the first line would’ve set the stage for the “vengeance” line beautifully.
This version of Bruce Wayne doesn’t appreciate everything that Alfred has done for him. In their first on-screen interaction, as Alfred tries to dispense fatherly wisdom, Bruce reminds him, “You’re not my father.”
But Alfred is a father figure to Bruce who raised him from the day his parents were killed. An F-bomb peppered into Bruce’s “You’re not my father” line could’ve hammered home his juvenile rebellion against Alfred’s mentorship.
Since Colin Farrell’s Penguin is characterized as a wisecracking Scorsese mafioso, it would’ve made sense to give the movie’s only F-bomb to him. He uses a lot of substitutes like “friggin’,” which evokes Joe Pesci’s performance in Home Alone more than his turn in Goodfellas.
When the Penguin spots the Batman hanging around one of his drug deals, he opens fire on Mr. Vengeance with a submachine gun and chastises him for interfering in his business. The original line is “You think you can mess with my money!?” but that doesn’t have the same impact as “f*** with my money.”
Some critics have described The Batman as humorless, but there are plenty of laughs in the movie, largely thanks to Farrell’s delightfully offbeat turn as the Penguin and Jeffrey Wright’s deadpan deliveries of Jim Gordon’s sardonic one-liners.
When Batman and Gordon find a “thumb drive” to which the Riddler has attached a severed thumb, then learn that the thumbprint unlocks it, Gordon quips, “Oh, this guy’s hilarious...” Adding an F-bomb to this line would’ve complemented the dry sarcasm of Gordon’s response.
After sending Gil Colson into the mayor’s public memorial service with a bomb around his neck, the Riddler FaceTimes in to give him a chance to save himself. He rattles off three riddles that Colson has to answer to disarm the collar bomb. Colson interrupts the Riddler to tell the cops outside, “This psycho’s gonna kill me!”
Suddenly, the Riddler snaps from game show host mode into an explosive outburst as he tells Colson, “SHUT UP! YOU DESERVE TO DIE AFTER WHAT YOU DID, YOU HEAR ME!?” An F-bomb in the middle of the line would’ve sold the Riddler’s blind rage even more.
When Alfred sees a riddle addressed directly “TO THE BATMAN,” he tells Bruce, “You’re becoming quite a celebrity. Why is he writing to you?” For Alfred, this is the last straw in what he sees as Bruce’s silly vigilante crusade.
He’s astounded that Bruce is receiving personal correspondence from the masked serial killer terrorizing Gotham and doesn’t seem fazed by it. Adding a frustrated F-bomb to this line would’ve been a great way to introduce right out of the gate that this Alfred doesn’t endorse the Bat’s vigilantism at all and thinks Bruce has lost his mind.
If the F-bomb didn’t fit when the Penguin was shooting at Batman before the car chase, then he could’ve dropped that bomb in the middle of the car chase itself. This rain-soaked night-time chase sequence must’ve been a nightmare to shoot, but it was worth it for the most thrilling action set-piece in the movie.
The Penguin provides a fun commentary throughout the chase as he keeps one eye on his wing mirror, watching the Batmobile’s ominous approach. Some of his lines from this sequence – “This guy’s crazy,” “I got you,” “Take that, you friggin’ psycho,” etc. – could’ve been spruced up with an F-bomb.
After being hidden behind a mask for most of the movie, Paul Dano gets to deliver a long monologue when Batman visits his Riddler at Arkham Asylum. The Riddler mistakenly thought they were partners and assumed the Dark Knight had been willingly acting as his accessory the whole time.
During this monologue, he tells the Bat, “We got the rest of them, didn’t we? All those slick, slimy, phony pricks.” Alliteration of the “F” sound (“phony f******”) would have complemented the alliteration of the “S” sound (“slick, slimy”).
Throughout the second act of The Batman, after the Bat teams up with Catwoman to take down Carmine Falcone, he keeps pressing her to reveal the reason she’s so desperate to kill Falcone. Finally, she snaps and tells him, “Because he’s my father!” This paternal plot turn is an homage to a much more harrowing twist in Chinatown.
A well-placed curse word could’ve added more anger and hostility to this twist reveal, combining Selina’s frustration with the Bat’s incessant line of questioning and her hatred for Falcone.
Batman’s signature rage surfaces when he visits the Riddler at Arkham Asylum. When it becomes apparent that the Riddler’s master plan is still far from over, Batman starts punching the glass and yelling, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?”
Since this moment serves to show Batman at his angriest – especially as he comes to terms with the realization that he actually has a lot in common with the Riddler – an F-bomb could’ve sold the aggression even more.
