You know what ... now that I think about it, and having just re-watched TDK Rises.
Given Bale delivers SUCH a nuanced performance in TDK. A man at his breaking point, totally strung out when he was really feeling himself at the start of the film at his actual peak / prime as Batman ...
He does more with less dialogue, and more with his eyes and mannerisms in TDK than in either BEGINS or RISES. I'm voting that as best performance.
That scene w/ Dent and Rachel at dinner ... all conveyed with eyes. On the superficial level he acts intrigued, yet oddly condescending towards Dent (you might wanna find out where your jurisdiction ends *rolls eyes*)
To the look he gives Rachel, and the subtle acknowledgement of Dent driving into the mind of a man he's never met ... knowing the Batman wants to find a legit state sponsored replacement to take up his "mantle"
The look on his face at the press conference when Dent takes the wrap for Batman. Him switching into beast mode as Bruce Wayne at the fundraiser, even busting out the Batman voice with Rachel while not in costume ... the steely gaze on his face as he knocks out a thug and miilitary strips a shotgun.
Plus, in terms of the character of Batman I prefer this one the most. In BEGINS he's hopeful at the start of his career. In RISES he's aged, more subdued ... cooler per se. In TDK he's at his wits end. He's angry, seething and very demonic.
Such an amazing performance, that so frequently gets overlooked because of the more dynamic Joker who just chews up interest and on screen precense. Or Gordon's emotional backbone of the film. Now that I think about it ... I think the three truly ELITE performances from the series were all in The Dark Knight.
Oh, and when I say convincing, I don't mean they were bad or even average. They were good, but they just didn't have as much overall importance to the plot in the overall scheme of things.
ELITE:
1) Heath Ledger - The Joker (The Dark Knight)
2) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (The Dark Knight)
3) Gary Oldman - Jim Gordon (The Dark Knight)
GREAT:
4) Tom Hardy - Bane (RISES)
5) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (BEGINS)
6) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (RISES)
GOOD:
7) Aaron Eckhart - Harvey Dent (The Dark Knight)
8) Anne Hathaway - Selina Kyle (RISES)
9) Michael Caine - Alfred (The Dark Knight)
10) Joseph Gordon Levitt - John Blake (RISES)
Re-tooled the list a little ... just look at all those amazing performances from The Dark Knight.
I found that film having the most defining performances from characters that panned all three films as well. Which makes sense because it's basically supposed to be the height of the Batman's career. Caine as Alfred, Oldman as Gordon, and Bale as Bruce Wayne. Not to mention being fleshed out by new comers like Eckhart and Ledger's iconic perfomance.