It’s been 16 years since Christopher Nolan released The Dark Knight. Still considered the best Batman film ever release my many fans, the most notable performance that sticks out is Heath Ledger’s Joker. For good reasons too, as the Oscar winner gave a fantastic and dynamic performance as the “Clown Prince of Darkness”. It helps that Joker was masterfully written from beginning to end, Joker’s electric performance shut down the detractors who were against him playing the iconic DC villain at first.
There’s so many great things about the sequel; whether it’s amazing cinematography or action sequences, it’s hard to name the flaws of The Dark Knight. However, what often goes unnoticed is Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent/Two-Face. The 56-year-old was the central protagonist of the film and it’s rarely discussed how brilliant the Harvey Dent/Two-Face arc is due to most the praise going to Joker.
Harvey Dent Was The True Protagonist Of The Dark Knight
Everyone knows that Bruce Wayne/Batman is the face of this series. He’s the hero that we follow from beginning to end hoping that he would take down whatever bad guy that he’s facing at that point. The thing is, Bruce Wayne/Batman doesn’t change much in The Dark Knight. He even loses the love of his life, Rachel, and there’s no emotional scene that really drives home just how much damage her loss did to him. That wasn’t the cast for Harvey Dent.
Dent is the NEW face of Gotham. He sincerely wants to bring change to Gotham, but unfortunately, Dent couldn’t handle the pressure that came with such a corrupt city. Before his dramatic change to Two-Face, Eckhart is simply perfect as Harvey Dent; he’s charismatic, charming, and a believable face that you can easily root for. There’s never a point where it feels like phoning in his performance. That’s ultimately what his story so tragic in the end.
Harvey Dent goes through the most change in The Dark Knight. He’s the tragic hero like William Wallace (Braveheart), Tony Stark (Avengers: Endgame), and Captain Miller (Saving Private Ryan). His sacrifice was Rachel Dawes. His reaction when he realizes that she’s dead is simply incredible. That moment killed all the good in Harvey Dent, though it didn’t stop him from trying to do the right thing.
His Transition To Anti-Hero Was Flawless
Dent was nothing more than a pawn in Joker’s game. And it worked as Joker was was able to turn Gotham’s bright night. When Dent finds out that there was corruption behind his future wife’s murder, he takes it to get revenge on the people that aided in the murder. This is a fantastic contrast to Batman himself. Batman’s no-kill rule is challenged in some ways. Dent is getting rid of the corruption that has poisoned Gotham for far too long. The issue is that his judgement has been clouded by the death of Rachel Dawes.
He simply wants revenge. He’s not trying to change Gotham anymore. Christopher Nolan did an amazing job on why Bruce Wayne/Batman is the only guy that can truly clean up the streets of Gotham. The second half of Dent’s journey nicely parallel into a scorned man who no longer see good in the world. Eckhart doesn’t play up the cartoonish aspects of the character. Ever scene from the moment he leaves the hospital is nail-biting. You understand his mindset, but you don’t realize how far he’ll go until he starts killing off everyone involved.
His final moments with Jim Gordon is the example of the prime example of a fallen hero. He’s willing to kill Gordon’s son just to get so the Police Officer can feel the pain that he’s going through. If there’s one mistake that Nolan made in The Dark Knight was killing off Two-Face. He would’ve been the perfect foil for Batman in The Dark Knight Rises.
Harvey Dent’s Story Was Just As Compelling As Joker’s
Though Dent was nothing more than just a pawn in Joker’s game, that doesn’t make his story any less memorable. One of the most prominent figures in Gotham’s life was destroyed by a mad man with a twist sense of morality. Dent’s story is a cautionary tale that wonderfully brings the comic book villain to life.
He isn’t just your typical superhero villain. Nolan managed to focus on the humanity of Dent; he isn’t some criminal who wants to take over the world. This is what makes villains so great. They aren’t just born evil. Something vile and sinister happened to get them to become some corrupt and jaded. Harvey Dent/Two-Face’s arc in The Dark Knight was just as strong as Joker and Batman’s.
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