Aaron Eckhart: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

3. Harvey Dent/Two-Face - The Dark Knight (2008)

There would be a certain amount of fanboy outrage if I didn't include this on the list. It's the role which made Eckhard internationally famous, and there's no denying that Christopher Nolan got a very good performance out of him. It's only so low on this list because there's an argument that his character was somewhat surplus to requirement, and that the third act of The Dark Knight would have been somewhat more focussed without Two-Face. There's no point recapping the plot of The Dark Knight: if you're reading this article, you've either seen it or know the basic outline. Harvey Dent is brought on board early in the film as Gotham's new District Attorney, who aims to eradicate the Mob and soon falls foul of the Joker (Heath Ledger). Horribly disfigured in an accident which also kills Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), he re-emerges with the Joker's help as the villanous Two-Face, who decides the fate of his potential victims on the toss of a coin. Previous attempts at Two-Face have tended to veer towards comedy, whether it's Tommy Lee Jones' performance in Batman Forever or his appearance in Batman: The Animated Series. But under Nolan's meticulous eye, Eckhart does a really good job at bringing out the desperation and anger of the character. While the motion-capture make-up is really eye-catching, Eckhart doesn't let it dominate his performance, providing grace and determination as Harvey Dent and then channeling ruthless energy after his accident. While Ledger always takes the limelight, it's still a job well done.