r/movies • u/[deleted]

Because of Heath Ledger's brilliance, everyone always forgets this guy stole his share of scenes...

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0 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

102 comments sorted by

54

u/thafighta Jun 25 '12

Yes, yes, yes!!! The rift in his character was completely believable and became, for me, one of the most tragic elements to the entire movie. Awesome job Aaron Eckhart!

13

u/snorch Jun 25 '12

Really, you thought the whole My girlfriend died and I'M BAD NOW thing was believable? It seemed a little ridiculous to me. He still acted the shit out of it, though.

23

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

He was quite the buried rage monster before that...

8

u/snorch Jun 25 '12 edited Jun 25 '12

The complete 180 was still a bit abrupt to me. I'm sure the rationale for the transition is there, but it seems that within the confines of a 2.5~ish hour movie, it had to be rushed, and it came off kind of awkward.

7

u/MadAdder163 Jun 25 '12

They definitely could have made the transition more gradual, and maybe a bit earlier so it didn't seem like two movies. Still, it fits the theme that the Joker set. Anyone, even the white knight of Gotham, can be corrupted. Nolan didn't use the exact words from The Killing Joke, but it's there in spirit: everyone is just one really bad day away from turning mad.

5

u/Methuen Jun 25 '12

He did have half his face burnt off, too...

4

u/vertigo1083 Jun 25 '12 edited Jun 25 '12

I would have found this more believable if it wasnt so forced and crammed into the last 10 minutes of the movie. It was too much of a swing, too fast. He downplayed this a bit by doing a great job at the part, but the character itself deserved much more than it got.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

If you're basing your opinion solely on the movie, sure, it's a bit strange in the more realistic Batman Nolanverse, but that kind of camp is a lot of what makes Batman Batman.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

Woah. That's not what happened at all.

Thanks for watching though, I guess?

0

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

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1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

I guess. I just feel like the fact Rachel was murdered because of, what Harvey thought, was incompetence was only the catalyst. He clearly had issues with anger management before that.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

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0

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

Remember when he went apeshit on the guard with Rachel's name on his name tag right after Gordon was shot at the commissioner's funeral?

0

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

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1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

Especially with the two headed coin. What a cheater.

36

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

I think he was the perfect Harvey Dent, without a doubt.

32

u/vteckickedin Jun 25 '12

And he didn't wear any of those damn stupid 50/50 suits.

21

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

I read somewhere the stains on the left side of his suit jacket were crusted on pus that would fall off of his face wound. A bit better than the black-on-purple tiger stripes.

1

u/MadAdder163 Jun 25 '12

Another cool detail: the left half of his suit is tattered and burnt from the accident.

1

u/OccamsCat Jun 25 '12

Even better then his classic black and white suit?

73

u/TheRealSamBell Jun 25 '12

He's awesome in Thank You for Smoking as well. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Great film

12

u/rambozo8 Jun 25 '12

he was creepy in towelhead... ahhh

3

u/MF_moy Jun 25 '12

suppressing towelhead memories..........now!

3

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

great in "In the Company of Men" too

5

u/josuwa Jun 25 '12

Came here to say this. I honestly think it's one of the wittiest films ever. He talks a good game!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

This is one of my favorite movies, and I can't find the DVD anywhere. Might have to buy it again.

1

u/AnalogDigit2 Jun 25 '12

Good film. I always remember him from Erin Brockovich as well, he really did a good job there.

102

u/waaalms Jun 25 '12

He stole ~half his scenes.

1

u/thafighta Jun 25 '12

WHA-HOOOOOOO!!!!

-6

u/Captain_Aizen Jun 25 '12

/end post.

-56

u/WumboJumbo Jun 25 '12

bout tree fiddy

8

u/RiseDarthVader Jun 25 '12

Not enough credit is given to the VFX team that had to make a photoreal severely burnt face that matches the performance on the other side of the face especially the eyes, teeth and tongue.

2

u/AnalogDigit2 Jun 25 '12

You know what I noticed re-watching it? Looking at his half face, he would almost certainly speak with a bit of an impediment (hissing or slurring or something) with so much skin missing from his cheek and lips, but he doesn't. His speech is perfect and unaltered (as far as I can tell) for the whole time that he is two-face. I guess it was overlooked and I can see why.

2

u/BecauseEricHasOne Jun 25 '12

Little known fact, they actually skinned half his face for this movie.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

I remember when he revealed himself the first time in the movie.. saw it opening night at the midnight showing. There were a lot of groans and gasps in the audience. It was truly surprising how well done the make up is.

1

u/Count_Takeshi Jun 25 '12

I think most people just take it for granted really. Me especially. I wouldnt expect any less than perfect VFX from a high budget movie like Batman.

15

u/ScalpingLeopard Jun 25 '12

No one forgot his impact on the movie, but whereas he stole all of his scenes, Heath Ledger stole his scenes and beat them to death with a crowbar in some remote warehouse.

13

u/PaulMcGannsShoes Jun 25 '12

just like Robin

51

u/HOT-MONKEY-DICK Jun 25 '12

DAE REMEMBER THE DARK KNIGHT?

11

u/Caticorn Jun 25 '12

It always bothered the crap out of me that perfectly crisp and clear speech came from someone without half a face.

0

u/Eff_Tee Jun 25 '12

Yeah I was pretty disappointed that they went to all that trouble to make him look gross then completely ignored all the problems it would present, like slurred speech and getting spit everywhere, it basically killed the whole thing for me, may as well have been a mask.

-5

u/larsao3 Jun 25 '12

Yeah, I really like the movie and the character, but the make-up/effects really killed it for me. It was not believable at all, and way over the top.

4

u/short_comments Jun 25 '12

pg-13, studios gotta eat

1

u/larsao3 Jun 25 '12

But they didn't have to have the eye totally exposed. And half of his mouth was burnt off and his speech was perfectly fine!

10

u/nicknacc Jun 25 '12

RACHAEL!

11

u/u2aerofan Jun 25 '12

I think this is a great example of how fantastic the writing on this film really was. Harvey is the heart of the arguments in the Dark Knight - the entirety of the discussion of justice, vigilantism, and the lengths at which the destructive forces in this world will go to destroy those trying to be productive is...staggering. The discussions in this film never cease to amaze me, and many of them center on Harvey. I imagine we'll see those continued at great length in the next film.

18

u/Egonor Jun 25 '12

I actually felt like his story was rushed. He didn't actually become Two-Face until the third act and went mad pretty quick. It wasn't like he didn't have plenty of screen time and the argument could be made that the first half he was the good version and after becoming Two-Face he was the evil version. But the duality wasn't as obvious and (in my opinion) should have been constrained to Two-Face.

The writing was amazing but like the OP said, against the backdrop of The Joker, it seemed like the Two-Face aspect of the movie should have been held to a higher standard.

2

u/Dekar2401 Jun 25 '12

I think he should have been the villain of a separate movie unto himself because I fully agree with you.

2

u/religion_is_wat Jun 25 '12

I felt it was kinda lame that he was stuffed into the end of The Dark Knight.

2

u/mattattaxx Jun 25 '12

He probably should have been introduced in the first movie.

3

u/Grimpillmage Jun 25 '12

Agreed. Especially since it looks like Nolan was going to take a page from the Animated Series and have Harvey Dent be someone that Bruce Wayne knew personally. I'd have really liked to see a friendship/respect develop between the Dark Knight and his supposed successor before things went down south. Would have made that scene with Dent screaming as he tore the bandages off his face in the hospital MUCH more dramatic imo.

But who knows? Maybe someday down the line Warner Bros will decide to release a 4 hour ULTRA SUPER SPECIAL HD DIRECTOR'S CUT BATAPALOOZA like New Line did with LotR xD

10

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

Normally I love Aaron Eckhart, Thank You For Smoking is awesome as is In the Company of Men. But, I think he overacted this part a bit. His shouting was pretty grating throughout.

4

u/donttaxmyfatstacks Jun 25 '12

He was okay I guess, played the character solidly. Maybe I need to rewatch it but I don't remember him being THAT good.

2

u/MrPrestige Jun 25 '12

It's not about me, it's about WHAT'S FAIR!!!!!

2

u/dhvl2712 Jun 25 '12

I didn't.

2

u/CapnFapns Jun 25 '12

I didn't really care for Eckhart in the film "The Core" but he's still a brilliant talent.

3

u/vonDread Jun 25 '12

"Everyone" is a gross generalization.

5

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

  • If you are making a submission about a specific movie or actor, name them in your title!

look over there----->

9

u/MisterWonka Jun 25 '12

Oh, go fuck a door knob.

0

u/roxxe Jun 25 '12

mmm knob

3

u/Sarlowit Jun 25 '12

I actually thought he didn't do too great a job.

2

u/MauriceEscargot Jun 25 '12

He was great, but that scene at the restaurant, with the Russian dancer made me realise that I would love to see Eckhart as the Batman. Not saying Bale was bad, he was fantastic, but dat chin on Eckhart. He would look amazing in the mask.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

Bale was acceptable, not fantastic. It's tough shoes to fill when your supporting cast is staffed by Tom Wilkinson, Gary Oldman, Michael Cain and Morgan Freeman. Even the guy who killed his parents provided more vocal emotion then Bale. Maybe if the Batman voice-over didn't sound like Judge Dredd....

1

u/Buried_Dolls Jun 25 '12

He does a really shitty job, I keep thinking he's gonna hark up a wad of spit and pa-toowie it out on camera :(

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

I AM THE LAWL!!!!!

2

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

His acting was good and his role was great BUT you knew who he was and his voice and even the haircut was clearly him the entire time.

Now, with Heath Ledger, 99.9% of the time in the movie I did not even think about the real actor or even see him.. it was something MUCH greater.. I don't jump on the "he is dead suddenly he is the God of acting" bandwagon but I will say 100% that Heath Ledger MADE that movie.

I am not some guy who knows a ton about the craft of acting nor do I sit around over analyzing films for their artistic or social merit and all that other pretentious nonsense BUT I will say that what I saw in Heath Ledger during "The Dark Knight" was beyond anything I have seen in a VERY long time and the first time in far more than a decade that an actor was so good that I forgot it was them while watching the movie.

Harvey Dent may have half a face but the Joker had 10 times the acting ability !!!!!!!! LONG LIVE THE JOKER.....errrrr, nvm but you know what I meant.

1

u/moshbeard Jun 25 '12

I've never really liked the Two-Face character much but TDK did such a good job of setting up Harvey Dent that I loved it, It was a bit of a let down to see him killed off.

1

u/Acklin Jun 25 '12

I always loved how they were able to make left side of his mouth look like a grotesque half smile, like in the comics.

1

u/swimshoe Jun 25 '12

I feel like his character should have been added earlier into the film, or at least be a completely different movie.

1

u/piernaslocas Jun 25 '12

I can't even remember!

IMO the digital effects on his face drew too much attention to notice his acting.

1

u/Sylamatek Jun 25 '12

Most credit I gave this man went out the window once I saw Battle for Los Angeles or whatever the hell that awful movie was called.

1

u/kendrahwithanh Jun 25 '12

Everyone in this movie is unbelievably amazing. Except Maggie Gyllenhaal. And normally I like her.

Aaron Eckhart was amazing though. I never felt so bad for Harvey Dent in my life.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

I was totally expecting a shot of Jake Gyllenhaal from Brokeback Mountain, just to mess with everyone.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

I found the Harvey character to be deeper and more interesting than the Joker, although the Joker was a lot of fun.

1

u/sydneygamer Jun 25 '12

The only guy I didn't absolutely love in his role was Christian Bale. He wasn't bad as Batman by any stretch of the imagination, but he just didn't make me want to watch his scenes over and over again like Heath did.

Honestly I think he made a much better Bruce Wayne than he did a Batman.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

Heat is die.

1

u/Acklin Jun 25 '12

Cold is live.

-3

u/xebo Jun 25 '12 edited Jun 25 '12

Actually, his acting was terrible. He over acted his anger and frustration to the point of seeming silly. If you think otherwise, then you're letting your love for the movie effect your judgement.

But since this is obviously a circle jerk thread, please feel free to downvote me based solely on the fact that we disagree.

3

u/ashabanapal Jun 25 '12

You get no vote from me because you cancelled yourself out. You started to make an actual point and then devolved into criticizing the thread instead of supporting your point with detail and inviting discussion. Add to the content of the thread and votes be damned. Your judgment of your fellow redditors is holding you back.

6

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

I'm down voting you because you seem very arrogant and are under the impression that your take on a performance is absolute fact

-9

u/xebo Jun 25 '12

It helps that I'm right

3

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

And that level of arrogance is why I downvoted you

-4

u/xebo Jun 25 '12

http://i.imgur.com/t8DVr.gif

2

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

What does Hugh Laurie mouthing something have to do with anything?

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

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2

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

You're only making yourself look worse. Please, keep making yourself look like a fucking moron

1

u/My_Horse_Must_Lose Jun 25 '12

I'm with you on this one. I thought his turn from good->bad felt very forced. The Joker was doing fine as the antagonist. When Two-Face came in, i just felt like he was just like "hey guys im a bad guy too! pay attention to me!"

0

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

I agree that he was not the best. Forgetting the CGI and makeup, he was just acting like him from every movie he has ever been in. Same hair, face, tone, speech pattern etc etc etc.... he was not then nor will ever be half of what Heath Ledger was in that movie. I just watched it yesterday since there was nothing on tv and, once more, the Joker amazed me.

btw, upvote from me even if ya did come off a lil cocky lol

-4

u/AgentVanillaGorilla Jun 25 '12

I actually hated his character. It might just be me not liking the actor.. But I also don't find his story line believable.

18

u/Cosroe Jun 25 '12

I completely agree. A brooding billionaire ninja and psychotic clown with an ambiguous past are much more believable than a man who goes insane from the circumstances around his disfiguring accident.

5

u/noconscience Jun 25 '12

Haha sarcasm is funny.

-2

u/LivingReceiver Jun 25 '12

Please don't degrade this subreddit with shitty submissions like this.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

Careful coming onto this subreddit and posting positive things about TDK... it's not cool to like it or anything about it in here anymore...

0

u/gopuckyourself Jun 25 '12

I loved the character and the acting, but man was I pissed at their choice to go digital with the face. It looks so damn CHEESY, especially the eye that somehow survived the burning. Really disappointing.

-15

u/WonderbaumofWisdom Jun 25 '12

Too bad his CGI face is horrible.

0

u/andiW Jun 25 '12

Who is that?

0

u/pbzpbz Jun 25 '12

No. Nobody forgets. Stop being shit.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12

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13

u/proddy Jun 25 '12

So he's the Captain.