TMC
07-13-2024, 07:35 PM
https://whatculture.com/film/batman-every-live-action-commissioner-gordon-ranked-worst-to-best
How does Jeffrey Wright's Jim Gordon rank among the rest?
BY JACK POOLEY
UPDATED: JUNE 22ND, 2024
In the history of Batman lore across comics, TV, film, and video games, there are few characters more iconic than Commissioner Jim Gordon - Batman's reliable right-hand man and link to the more traditional arm of law enforcement.
Batman's dynamic with Gordon, as two sides of the same detective coin, has been explored with considerable depth in more recent Batman films in particular, but looking back over more than a half-century of live-action Jim Gordons, how do they all shake out?
With Jeffrey Wright recently delivering his own stamp on the iconic Gotham PD cop in Matt Reeves' The Batman, what better time to pore back over the character's history on both film and TV and separate the strongest portrayals from the weakest.
We as Batman fans are at least lucky enough that no single live-action version of Jim Gordon is truly bad, and at worst simply a case of a talented actor being wasted on material that just doesn't work.
On the opposite end, we've got unforgettable portrayals, including a #1 pick that's effectively become the definitive iteration of the character throughout all Batman media...
3. Neil Hamilton - Batman (1966) (https://whatculture.com/film/batman-every-live-action-commissioner-gordon-ranked-worst-to-best?page=5)
https://d2thvodm3xyo6j.cloudfront.net/media/2022/03/7ddba9f05152b205-600x338.jpg
Neil Hamilton's portrayal of Gordon from the 1960s TV series and film pulls off the miraculous feat of routinely winking at the audience - quite literally breaking the fourth wall on occasion - yet still maintaining a steely quality that puts him in the same ballpark as the more iconic recent iterations.
The Adam West-starring Batman series was of course self-consciously campy in every fiber of its being, and so it's fitting that this is the silliest live-action portrayal of Jim Gordon to date.
Yet again, Hamilton employs enough restraint to not turn Gordon into a pure farcical caricature. He's far more of a bureaucrat in this version than most, but his chemistry with both Batman (West) and Robin (Burt Ward) is an absolute joy to behold.
For anyone who grew up watching Hamilton's version of the character, he's sure to hold a special place in their heart.
How does Jeffrey Wright's Jim Gordon rank among the rest?
BY JACK POOLEY
UPDATED: JUNE 22ND, 2024
In the history of Batman lore across comics, TV, film, and video games, there are few characters more iconic than Commissioner Jim Gordon - Batman's reliable right-hand man and link to the more traditional arm of law enforcement.
Batman's dynamic with Gordon, as two sides of the same detective coin, has been explored with considerable depth in more recent Batman films in particular, but looking back over more than a half-century of live-action Jim Gordons, how do they all shake out?
With Jeffrey Wright recently delivering his own stamp on the iconic Gotham PD cop in Matt Reeves' The Batman, what better time to pore back over the character's history on both film and TV and separate the strongest portrayals from the weakest.
We as Batman fans are at least lucky enough that no single live-action version of Jim Gordon is truly bad, and at worst simply a case of a talented actor being wasted on material that just doesn't work.
On the opposite end, we've got unforgettable portrayals, including a #1 pick that's effectively become the definitive iteration of the character throughout all Batman media...
3. Neil Hamilton - Batman (1966) (https://whatculture.com/film/batman-every-live-action-commissioner-gordon-ranked-worst-to-best?page=5)
https://d2thvodm3xyo6j.cloudfront.net/media/2022/03/7ddba9f05152b205-600x338.jpg
Neil Hamilton's portrayal of Gordon from the 1960s TV series and film pulls off the miraculous feat of routinely winking at the audience - quite literally breaking the fourth wall on occasion - yet still maintaining a steely quality that puts him in the same ballpark as the more iconic recent iterations.
The Adam West-starring Batman series was of course self-consciously campy in every fiber of its being, and so it's fitting that this is the silliest live-action portrayal of Jim Gordon to date.
Yet again, Hamilton employs enough restraint to not turn Gordon into a pure farcical caricature. He's far more of a bureaucrat in this version than most, but his chemistry with both Batman (West) and Robin (Burt Ward) is an absolute joy to behold.
For anyone who grew up watching Hamilton's version of the character, he's sure to hold a special place in their heart.