THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Synopsis Raises Some Legal Questions

The official synopsis for The Dark Knight Rises is upon us, and it has me scratching my head:

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

 

It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act.

But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.

First: this indicates there were not eight years of untold Batman stories. He just quit after The Dark Knight. Huh.

Second: What's in the Dent Act that crushed criminal activity that wasn't in place before? Usually this isn't the sort of thing I care about, but I find myself wondering what the Dent Act could possibly contain that cleaned up a city as bad off as Gotham. I was always under the impression that Gotham's problems stemmed from endemic corruption and out of control petty crime (at least in the Nolan films. There are fewer costumed gangs in the Nolan Batverse). Is it some kind of law impacting GCPD? 

We'll find out soon enough.