2. Aaron Eckhart
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is nothing short of a masterpiece. Although its success is largely due to the late Heath Ledger’s larger-than-life portrayal of the Joker, we can’t forget about Aaron Eckhart’s more nuanced rendition of Harvey Dent / Two-Face.
Eckhart more than captures the essence of who Two-Face is: A fallen hero. The Dark Knight begins with him being heralded as Gotham’s “White Knight” – the idealistic District Attorney who serves as a parallel to Christian Bale’s Batman as he battles injustice without wearing a mask – before a traumatic event turns him into a villain seeking revenge. Harvey wasn’t out for justice over what happened to him, but he wanted vengeance for the death of Rachel.
What made Eckhart’s interpretation surpass so many others is how – unlike the Jones’s campy iteration of the character – he gave us a more grounded, complex character as the charming Dent whose idealism quickly dims as he becomes the vengeful Two-Face. In short, Eckhart provided a nuanced look at a person who is tragically corrupted by the endless pursuit of justice in Gotham City.
The only criticism of Eckhart’s version of the character is that he is ultimately overshadowed by the presence of Ledger’s Joker and the main events of the film. In short, Eckhart’s Two-Face deserved a spot as the main villain of a film.