Batman: Broken Promise (2022) Review
“Once I had the idea, you know I didn’t have a choice.”
I was on my Instagram explore page when I came across animator Stephen Trumble’s project, Batman: Broken Promise. Like him, I love the character, so I streamed it the only way you should, on the TV. Keep in mind this project is not affiliated with DC Comics or Warner Bros, this is a non-profit film made by a fan who has a passion for the character.
It was being worked on even on the day of its release, which only displays Trumble’s commitment to perfection. Could it be better? Possibly, any team can accomplish amazing things when they are given more time to polish and refine a project. But the short film is so well done, that the idea of it being unfinished doesn’t come to mind.
Like any Batman story, he is trying to clean up the city. A new drug has hit the streets and it is leaving dead bodies in its wake. We come to find The Ventriloquist’s Scarface is to blame for the new drug. Only, he’s trying to figure out why he was given a bad shipment. Turns out it was Harvey Two-Face pulling the strings, as he steps into his role of being judge, jury, and executioner to win the war on drugs.
The film does brilliant things, in its short 15-minute run time. By opening with a tape of Harvey Dent at a political rally, it does two things, we come to understand the state of the city via voice-over, but it also cleverly illustrates a ghost of a man who has let his shadow take over.
Visually, there is artistic flare everywhere, from the artistic style that seems to be using paintings from a stylized comic book, to the 2D animation that at times seems to be pulling from the playbook of renowned animator Genndy Tartakovsky, by using silhouettes in his film — it is breathtaking.
It is visually pleasing to see Batman breaking a katana with his gauntlets; taking a knife to the face, seemingly willingly guiding it towards his armor to shatter it on impact; seeing Two-Face illustrated with horror sensibilities by drawing him as a skull attacking from the darkness, it is all beautiful and brilliant.
The film excels in portraying Batman in action, at times the action may move a little too fast for viewers to appreciate the complexities of the fight. One prime example is a brawl between Two-Face and Batman, where they are fighting over a gun and Batman releases the bullet from the chamber only for Two-Face to catch it mid-air, cock it, and maintain the struggle over the weapon.
Batman: Broken Promise was a labor of passion, the kind of passion you don’t see Warner Bros display in their latest animated efforts. The last time Warner Bros did something unique like this was 2008s Batman: Gotham Knight. But it arguably doesn’t count because it was made by Japanese animation studios. It is one of my favorite films, and the rich artistic flare seen in Trumble’s film reminded me of the kind of quality we got in that 2008 effort. Imagine if Trumble had the resources of Warner Bros at his disposal…
Here are some of my favorite frames of the film:
