Harvey Dent’s Flirtation With His Ugly Side
While Heath Ledger’s Joker stole the show, it’s important to remember how vital Aaron Eckhart’s transformation from Gotham’s White Knight to Two-Face was, as it really lit up the story. Harvey Dent was a hero – to Batman, Commissioner Gordon and Gotham – as he refused to let the criminals take over the city, fighting them wherever and whenever he could.
The Joker pushed his buttons, though, with one moment showing how he was slowly unravelling before our eyes. After presuming that Gordon was dead, Dent kidnapped Thomas Schiff – a mental patient whom the Joker had manipulated – and took him into a dark alley to play a game of Russian Roulette.
Batman put a stop to it, though, reminding Dent about how this could damage all the good that Gotham’s District Attorney had done. Regardless of this warning from the Dark Knight, it served as an omen of what lay ahead for Dent.
As Eckhart described to The Los Angeles Times:
“The difference between Batman and Two-Face is how far they are willing to go and how they make their point. Otherwise, we’re talking about vigilante crime-fighting. That’s what Batman is all about. He has a strong sense of justice. And Harvey Dent has an extremely strong sense of justice.”