Fans of both Christopher Nolan and superhero films in general will always have a special place in their heart for the second installment of the 'Batman' trilogy directed by Nolan himself. 'The Dark Knight' features many memorable moments including Heath Ledger's role as the Joker. One iconic moment in the film is in fact the opening scene where a bank robbery takes place committed by the Joker and his crew.
What would you think if we were to tell you that this well known opening scene wasn't actually an original idea? Well, for those who remember the 1995 film 'Heat', you will be able to see some similarities between the opening scene of Nolan's film and Michael Mann's film. Featuring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer, the heist sequence in 'Heat' involves a bank robbery followed by a gun fight in the downtown streets of Los Angeles. This famous scene inspired Christopher Nolan and he has mentioned many times that he used this to create the opening scene for 'The Dark Knight'.
A video made by Glass Distortion, which you can see below, shows both scenes from the films, and it is safe to say the similarities between both heists are definitely recognisable.
A direct nod
The visual aspects of both films are not just present, instead there is a similarity in the casting of both films too. The bank worker in 'The Dark Knight' who stands up against the robbers and tries to protect and fight back is the one and only William Fichtner. Fichtner, who has appeared in productions such as 'Black Hawk Down', 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' and 'Independence Day: Resurgence', also appeared in the other film in question, 'Heat', where he played the character Rogert van Zant.