The man's outer and inner worlds conflate indistinguishably, as they did when he was a boy.

WSJ: Cronenberg's 'Spider' Is Dark, Powerful

What's crucially missing from "Batman Begins" is a Batman -- I mean bat man -- with an outer life to go with the inner one that's played very well by Christian Bale, an inward actor if ever there was one.

WSJ: Holy Melancholy, 'Batman'!