"Batman: Under the Red Hood" - The best DCAU film?

 

That’s right…the photo above shows my personal copy of this film. That won’t be the case for every animated property I look at, but I wanted to include it here regardless. The cover alone is a talking point, honestly: Batman standing alone, determined, defiant. Meanwhile, a looming presence engulfs the city, a being shrouded in a red mask, his piercing gaze fixated on Bruce Wayne and his place in Gotham. That describes the DVD artwork of 2010’s “Batman: Under the Red Hood”, which in my opinion, stands as possibly the DC animated universe’s finest hour.

The film begins with a particularly brutal rescue mission. Robin AKA Jason Todd is at the mercy of the Joker…and by mercy, I mean a crowbar and Joker’s lack thereof. He receives a vicious beating, including several broken bones and a collapsed lung. Batman is racing to save his young partner, and 95% of the time, the caped crusader is successful in rescuing those in need. Unfortunately for young Jason, this is the other 5%. The joker leaves the battered Robin on the ground, but not before starting the timer on some nearby explosives. Jason, having crawled to the door and failed to open it, collapses to the ground, looks at the timer and resigns himself. The building blows up, with Bruce arriving to witness the detonation. He combs through the rubble only to find Jason’s lifeless body. Our protagonist can only hold the young man in his arms, and quietly mourn his loss. 

That’s the film’s backstory of Jason Todd, who I’ve always found to be a compelling character. He represents one of Bruce’s biggest failures, but more than that, serves as a contradiction to his well known rule - no killing. Following his resurrection, Jason’s already aggressive tendencies became magnified, and with much of Batman’s gear and training, he posed a very serious threat to Gotham’s criminal underworld. This danger is captured in Jensen Ackles’ vocal performance, which is arguably the selling point of the entire film. Ackles, who in 2010 was well into his tenure on “Supernatural”, delivers some similar notes here. While his voice can be unexpectedly soft (listen to his cover of Lynyrd Skynard’s “Simple Man”), it still possesses an emotional, angsty quality. That served him well as Dean Winchester, and it serves him well as Jason Todd. When Red Hood is on the edge of a psychotic break, it’s reflected in Ackles’ intense delivery. On the flip side, Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood is an equally strong choice for Batman. A reliable and seasoned performer, his voice can also be moulded into something unexpected - a surprisingly harsh timbre. That suits the role of Bruce Wayne incredibly well, who in this story is constantly in an agitated state. Greenwood finds those beats in his work - straightforwardness, exhaustion, and perhaps even annoyance. At the same time, he never loses Bruce’s humanity, or his deep seeded remorse at the loss of his protege. 

Beyond the title roles, the rest of the film’s cast fills their roles capably. Of those supporting performances, perhaps the most important to discuss is John DiMaggio’s Joker. Like many people, the Joker voice I recite in my head belongs to Mark Hamill, who has become almost inseparable with the part. DiMaggio’s take doesn’t carry the same humour…in fact, I’d say his comedic timing is a bit off, comparatively. If Hamill’s numerous portrayals showcased the “clown” of the dark prince, though, DiMaggio’s performance emphasises the crime. This joker honestly comes across as a thug, with a good dose of smug satisfaction. He’s someone who laughs at his own jokes, rather than actively making others laugh. But I guess if DiMaggio’s Joker lacks flamboyance, it’s compensated for by Black Mask, portrayed by “Prison Break” actor Wade Williams. Admittedly, the over the top performance by Williams feels a bit at odds with the film’s tone, which is remarkably grounded overall. At the same time, with a villain like Roman Sionis, I expect some level of cartoon mobster antics. That is to say I was amused by Black Mask’s tantrums, in spite of (or maybe because of) how dialled up they were. 

Another key part of this film revolves around the centuries old assassin Ra’s al Ghul, and his part in bringing Robin back from the dead. Although Jason has been revived a few ways canonically, Ra’s and the Lazarus Pit are involved within some storylines. Ra’s is played here by Jason Isaacs, who’s a fine choice for the part, and his voice carries the needed intelligence and cold empathy. The flashback sequence depicting Jason’s rebirth is one of the film’s best, and Isaac’s narration contributes to its impact. If there’s one member of the voice cast that feels underutilised, however, it’s Neil Patrick Harris as Dick Grayson. Harris is the right type for Nightwing. He has the needed energy and charm in his performance, but at a certain point, the first Robin is simply put out of commission. I can’t help but wonder what else we could’ve gotten from his portrayal, even if Nightwing’s absence is by design. 

Visually, “Batman: Under the Red Hood” has a nicely balanced animation style. The colour palate is toned down, but not overly so. The outlines are soft, yet still sharp enough to provide definition. The lighting is well employed, which is crucial for any animation that depicts a night time environment…and Gotham is perpetually dark in many interpretations. Even the designs of our main characters are believably muscular, not the steroid infused GI Joe figures that many superheroes seem to be. The action scenes, which make up a large portion of the run time, are smoothly rendered and intense. Every punch and parry has a purpose, and every explosion is large enough to threaten the characters. The most extreme violence is typically off screen, but the implication of an exploding head or burning flesh is effective enough.

The film also benefits from excellent pacing and a strong sense of narrative escalation. Those 70 minutes honestly fly by, to the degree where I want more, even with the story already being so lean and condensed. As the stakes rise, so does the scale of the action scenes. That’s not a revelatory idea, of course, but it’s impeccably executed. That’s really the source of most of this film’s success: It knows the formula and thrives within it, while also telling one of the most personal stories in Batman’s long history. The climactic confrontation between Bruce and Jason delivers on all fronts. Firstly, the fight between them is appropriately close. They both know each other's tricks, and have the right skill and counters for them. Even their physicality is largely even, with Bruce only getting the upper hand at the very end (in a bathroom with no doors, apparently). Greater still is the battle of ideologies following this fight. Jason stands at the precipice of an emotional breakdown, angry not at Bruce’s inability to save him, but his unwillingness to seek revenge. Bruce, meanwhile, confesses his true instability, and how easily he could become the criminals he fights. The scene excels because it articulates the temptation of Batman’s revenge, and the justification of Red Hood’s outlook. The writing is on point here, as are the performances of Ackles and Greenwood.

The film’s final scene is a similar stroke of brilliance…not even for the content, per say, but for its framing in the story. The flashback shows Jason going out on his first mission, playfully teasing Bruce and parading in his costume. He jumps onto the Batmobile exclaiming “This is the best day of my life”, and the viewer unfortunately knows how his story plays out. That optimism of a young teen, so full of promise and spunk, is eventually replaced by trauma and bloodlust. The positioning of this sequence encapsulates the failed potential of Jason’s arc, which cannot be said for the film, thankfully. I’m hard pressed to think of a moment that falls flat, or an avenue that would’ve added more to the film. Even the critiques I have regarding the voice cast are quite minor, as they pertain to performances that still serve their respective characters. More than anything, this movie succeeds in its central premise, and brings the second Robin’s tragedy to the screen. When many people today think of the character, I’d bet money they're imagining Ackles' performance and this movie. The DC animated universe has given us a number of enjoyable entries, but if you ask me, few have the staying power of “Batman: Under the Red Hood”. It’s a strong depiction of the Dark Knight, an excellent introduction to the second Robin, and a terrific film.