6. Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones’s portrayal of Harvey Dent/Two-Face in Joel Schumacher’s campy 1995 film Batman Forever is likely the most flamboyant and theatrical we’ve ever seen, especially when compared to other iterations of Gotham’s White Knight gone bad.
The origins of Dent’s disfigurement in the film are close to the source material (which we see play out via news footage in the movie), but where it departs from the iconic nature of the villain is Jones’s depiction of Two-Face as a colorful villain versus a fallen hero. Harvey Dent’s tragic backstory, that makes him such a compelling villain, felt lost in this interpretation of the character.
However, this wasn’t necessarily because Jones’s acting, but rather the material that he had to contend with – Schumacher’s vision and characterization of the film, which was more campy and colorful than dark.
What was perhaps most compelling about this rendition of Two-Face is how he is ultimately defeated. In the film’s climax, he throws his signature coin in the air, only to have Batman add several more coins in the mix. This confuses Two-Face, causing him to lose his balance and fall to his death. In this interpretation, Two-Face’s most prized possession was ultimately his undoing.