WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Batman, in theaters now.
John Turturro, who plays Gotham City mob boss Carmine Falcone in The Batman, offered an intriguing theory on the crime boss' attempts to manipulate Bruce Wayne's understanding of his parents in the film.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Turturro addressed a key moment from film. During the scene in question, Bruce visits Falcone after learning that his father, Thomas Wayne, requested the gangster's assistance during his ill-fated Gotham City mayoral campaign. Thomas wanted Falcone's help shaking down a journalist who threatened to expose his wife Martha's struggles with mental illness. Falcone tells Bruce that he had the reporter killed despite Thomas' original instructions that the man merely be frightened, and the Waynes were murdered at the behest of rival mob boss Salvatore Maroni shortly afterward.
When Bruce speaks with Alfred -- who acted as Thomas Wayne's bodyguard in director Matt Reeves' vision of the Batman mythos -- the older man tells him that Falcone is lying. According to Alfred, Thomas wanted to do the right thing and threatened to expose Falcone's killing of the journalist. The Waynes were murdered that very same night. Bruce and Alfred come to the natural conclusion that Falcone killed Thomas and Martha, though Alfred also acknowledges the possibility of it being a random crime.
There is no solid proof to determine whose version of the story is accurate, and the truth behind the murder of the Waynes remains shrouded in mystery throughout The Batman. However, Turturro said he believed that Falcone was responsible -- with an added caveat. "I think there are people who tell you, 'I didn't do something,' even if they did do it," the actor said. "And then after time, they believe the alternative version that they created. I thought he is a dangerous guy, and I think not seeing [their murder] was kind of great.”
Aside from Falcone's dubious memories, Turturro said the crime lord was also a man who kept his emotions close to his chest, and the dark glasses that the character wears in the movie were a personal choice made to represent this. "I thought, 'I need a mask,'" he explained. "And then I went to the lady where I buy all my vintage glasses and I found these glasses [worn in the film], and Matt loved them. Because a lot of those guys did wear dark glasses when they testified."
Turturro's portrayal of Carmine Falcone follows the blueprint created by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli in their seminal 1987 story "Year One," which redefined Batman's origin with gritty noir flavor. Falcone later re-appeared in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's limited series Batman: The Long Halloween, and a reimagined version of the character was present in DC's New 52 Batman Eternal series. Tom Wilkinson previously portrayed Falcone in 2005's Batman Begins, while John Doman played the character in the television series Gotham.
The Batman is now playing in theaters.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter