Bale was just as good in TDK as he was in BB, he was phenomenal in the interrogation scene, and was the best Batman onscreen yet, in *all* of his scenes in costume.
He was also very good as Bruce Wayne, he has a good sly way about him when he is being sarcastic as part of his act, with the little digs at Harvey in the restaurant, and when he makes his grand entrance at the Wayne Penthouse fundraiser. He plays the smartass playboy scenes he was given very well indeed.
I've always particularly enjoyed watching him in the retaurant scene as he gradually switches off the sarcastic act, and looks at Harvey with a grateful, hopeful, sincerity in his eyes, just as Harvey starts giving his 'speech' supporting Batman.
It's like you can see the emotion welling up in him to the point where it would give someone else a noticible choke, or tear to the eye, but of course, he controls this, in order to protect his identity, and all that emotion comes flooding out in the controlled, firm and serious manner in which he promises Dent to get him the financial support he needs for the rest of his life.
Because when Dent is saying 'the Batman doesn't want to do this for the rest of his life', that is the moment that really gets to Bruce, he sees someone sympathising with how difficult the life is, rather than just going on about how badass it is or whatever.
*That* was a *great* Bruce Wayne performance, to say otherwise is absolutely mind boggling to me.
I really don't know what you guys feel was 'off' or missing from those scenes, it's not like he is mumbling into his clothes, or looks lost in any of the scenes, he's totally got control of the scenes and plays them consumantly. I am completely baffled as to how you could like his BW/BM in BB, and dislike it so much in TDK, c'mon, even the difference in Bat-voice can't put you off that much, I mean, that is the only difference in performance I can see.
Unless, it's just the TDK script you have a problem with in regards to BW/BM, as opposed to what Nolan and Goyer had him do in BB.