The Dark Knight Rises Top 10 acting performances in The Dark Knight Trilogy

1. Ledger- Joker hands down the best of all 3 films.

2. Bale- Wayne/Batman perfect choice.

3. Freeman-Fox films wouldn't have been the same without him

4.Liam Neeson- Ra's Al Ghul he can do little wrong.

4. Tom Hardy-Bane great eye acting.

5. Michael Cane- Pennyworth class.

6.Cillan Murphy-Crane/Scarecrow solid all the around.

7.Joseph Gordon-Levitt-Robin added a new deminsion to the films.

8.Maggie Gyllenhaal- should have been Rachel in BB as well.

9. Wilkinson-Falcone- underrated performance.

10.Gary Oldman-Gordon- wanted him up higher but save the best for last TDKR was his best of the 3.
 
I listed the actor, and the specific performance ... each performer had different level of quality in different movies in some cases. Then I organized them in tiers.

ELITE:
1) Heath Ledger - The Joker (The Dark Knight)
2) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (Batman Begins)
3) Gary Oldman - Jim Gordon (The Dark Knight)

GOOD:
4) Tom Hardy - Bane (RISES)
5) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (RISES)
6) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (The Dark Knight) VERY underrated

CONVINCING:
7) Anne Hathaway - Selina Kyle (RISES)
8) Aaron Eckhart - Harvey Dent (The Dark Knight)
9) Joseph Gordon Levitt - John Blake (RISES)
10) Michael Caine - Alfred (The Dark Knight)
 
I listed the actor, and the specific performance ... each performer had different level of quality in different movies in some cases. Then I organized them in tiers.

ELITE:
1) Heath Ledger - The Joker (The Dark Knight)
2) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (Batman Begins)
3) Gary Oldman - Jim Gordon (The Dark Knight)

GOOD:
4) Tom Hardy - Bane (RISES)
5) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (RISES)
6) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (The Dark Knight) VERY underrated

CONVINCING:
7) Anne Hathaway - Selina Kyle (RISES)
8) Aaron Eckhart - Harvey Dent (The Dark Knight)
9) Joseph Gordon Levitt - John Blake (RISES)
10) Michael Caine - Alfred (The Dark Knight)

Lex+Luthor+Wrong.jpg


:woot::woot::woot::woot:
 
I listed the actor, and the specific performance ... each performer had different level of quality in different movies in some cases. Then I organized them in tiers.

ELITE:
1) Heath Ledger - The Joker (The Dark Knight)
2) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (Batman Begins)
3) Gary Oldman - Jim Gordon (The Dark Knight)

GOOD:
4) Tom Hardy - Bane (RISES)
5) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (RISES)
6) Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne (The Dark Knight) VERY underrated

CONVINCING:
7) Anne Hathaway - Selina Kyle (RISES)
8) Aaron Eckhart - Harvey Dent (The Dark Knight)
9) Joseph Gordon Levitt - John Blake (RISES)
10) Michael Caine - Alfred (The Dark Knight)

Excellent choices. Though I'd put Aaron Eckhart in with the good. He was amazing.
 
1. Heath Ledger
2. Aaron Eckhart
3. Christian Bale (BB and TDK)
4. Gary Oldman (TDK)
5. Anne Hathaway
6. Michael Caine (BB and TDK)
7. Morgan Freeman (BB and TDK)
8. Liam Neeson
9. Maggie Gyllenhaal
10. Eric Roberts
 
1. Christian Bale
2. Heath Ledger
3. Gary Oldman
4. Liam Neeson
5. Tom Hardy
6. Aaron Ekhart
7. Anne Hathaway
8. Joseph Gordon Levitt
9. Michael Caine
10.Morgan Freeman
 
The winner of the whole thing is Michael Caine. He truly was amazing. He was funny, serious, and emotional.
 
1. Christian Bale - The Dark Knight Trilogy
2. Tom Hardy - The Dark Knight Rises
3. Anne Hathaway - The Dark Knight Rises
4. Sir. Michael Caine - The Dark Knight Trilogy
5. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
6. Liam Neeson - Batman Begins & The Dark Knight Rises
7. Gary Oldman - The Dark Knight Trilogy
8. Joseph Gordon-Levitt - The Dark Knight Rises
9. Morgan Freeman - The Dark Knight Trilogy
10. Cillian Murphy - Batman Begins & The Dark Knight Rises

My top 10 is a bit unpopular I see... :D
 
1. Michael Caine
2. Heath Ledger
3. Christian Bale
4. Gary Oldman
5. Aaron Eckhart
6. Joseph Gordon Levitt
7. Liam Neeson
8. Tom Hardy
9. Anne Hathaway
10. Morgan Freeman

It was incredibly tough to rank them. I mean jeez, I have Anne Hathway 9th. That just shows the amount of incredible actors Nolan got for these movies.
 
10) Cillian Murphy - Perfectly creepy villain in BB however I really wish he was given a decent send off in TDKR. It is nice to have the same villain in every film though.
9) Liam Neeson - Played a great father figure in BB and played the reveal brilliantly. Shame he just seemed to disappear and that his TDKR cameo was pretty pointless.
8) Michael Caine - Was wonderful in BB and TDK but again its a shame he seemed to just disappear for a large part of TDKR.
7) Joseph Gordon-Levitt - I personally liked Blake's character and even though the way he figured out Bruce wasn't the best he delivered it wonderfully. He seemed to just be good through and through and to me a worthy successor to Bruce. I'd happily sit through a Blake-centric film.
6) Anne Hathaway - Blew me away. Hathaway's Selina oozed confidence and sexiness and the way she seemed to just let her mask slip every so often was wondefully played. A shame we likely won't see her again and that she wasn't a bigger part of TDKR.
5) Aaron Eckhart - He transistioned so well in probably the best side-character arc of the trilogy. Was not expecting such a great performance from him. Very underrated.
4) Heath Ledger - Not much else to say except he stole every single scene he was in. His Joker was everything a villain should be truly evil but you can't look away. At no point did it look like Ledger it was pure Joker.
3) Tom Hardy - Probably a bit risky but I really felt Hardy done a better job. He was physical threat, a monster of man with a mask covered his face with a frankly stupid/weird sounding voice. But Hardy made it all work. I can't help but feel it is a role many actors would have said no to. He was intimadating but also quite amusing. He made a great villain and although he wasn't given a great send off I enjoyed and was worried every minute he was on screen. The first fight is something I will remember for a long long time and his dialogue is very quotable.
2) Gary Oldman - A true acting masterclass from Oldman. In BB he was great in TDK he elevated it but its a shame his character dipped a little in TDKR though the material he got he used greatly. His character was given a proper arc throughout the series from lonely good cop to wise war hero cop. His relationship with Batman made this trilogy for me and delivered some of its greatest moments and its such a shame they only had 1 proper scene together in TDKR.
1) Christian Bale - This trilogy is never going to work without a Bruce Wayne you don't feel for. Bale became Bruce Wayne is this trilogy and created a Wayne so tied to Batman that you could barely tell the difference when he was out of the mask. His performance may have been a little too dry in TDK but he was still very believable and was remarkable in some scenes (Rachel grieving scene). You felt every emotion and situation he was in. I can not imagine anyone else in the role now Bale owned it and made this trilogy work.
 
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Excellent choices. Though I'd put Aaron Eckhart in with the good. He was amazing.
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.

:wow:

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.
 
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.

:wow:

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.

'Nuff said :up:
 
1. Christian Bale
2. Heath Ledger
3. Gary Oldman
4. Tom Hardy
5. Michael Cain
6. Liam Neeson
7. Joseph Gordon Levitt
8. Morgan Freeman
9. Aaron Eckhart
10. Anna Hathaway
11. Cillian Murphy
 
Christian Bale/Heath Ledger
Gary Oldman
Michael Caine
Aaron Eckhart
Liam Neeson
Tom Hardy
Anne Hathaway
Tom Wilkinson
Joseph Gordon Levitt

Others I really liked too: Morgan Freeman and Linus Roache
 
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theLegend, I am a bit puzzled why Caine in TDK makes the list but not Rises.

Also, it seems Bale's stock has risen (hah) after the beating he got for his performance in TDK. I am shocked to see him making the very top of many a people's lists.
 
10) Cillian Murphy - Perfectly creepy villain in BB however I really wish he was given a decent send off in TDKR. It is nice to have the same villain in every film though.
9) Liam Neeson - Played a great father figure in BB and played the reveal brilliantly. Shame he just seemed to disappear and that his TDKR cameo was pretty pointless.
8) Michael Caine - Was wonderful in BB and TDK but again its a shame he seemed to just disappear for a large part of TDKR.
7) Joseph Gordon-Levitt - I personally liked Blake's character and even though the way he figured out Bruce wasn't the best he delivered it wonderfully. He seemed to just be good through and through and to me a worthy successor to Bruce. I'd happily sit through a Blake-centric film.
6) Anne Hathaway - Blew me away. Hathaway's Selina oozed confidence and sexiness and the way she seemed to just let her mask slip every so often was wondefully played. A shame we likely won't see her again and that she wasn't a bigger part of TDKR.
5) Aaron Eckhart - He transistioned so well in probably the best side-character arc of the trilogy. Was not expecting such a great performance from him. Very underrated.
4) Heath Ledger - Not much else to say except he stole every single scene he was in. His Joker was everything a villain should be truly evil but you can't look away. At no point did it look like Ledger it was pure Joker.
3) Tom Hardy - Probably a bit risky but I really felt Hardy done a better job. He was physical threat, a monster of man with a mask covered his face with a frankly stupid/weird sounding voice. But Hardy made it all work. I can't help but feel it is a role many actors would have said no to. He was intimadating but also quite amusing. He made a great villain and although he wasn't given a great send off I enjoyed and was worried every minute he was on screen. The first fight is something I will remember for a long long time and his dialogue is very quotable.
2) Gary Oldman - A true acting masterclass from Oldman. In BB he was great in TDK he elevated it but its a shame his character dipped a little in TDKR though the material he got he used greatly. His character was given a proper arc throughout the series from lonely good cop to wise war hero cop. His relationship with Batman made this trilogy for me and delivered some of its greatest moments and its such a shame they only had 1 proper scene together in TDKR.
1) Christian Bale - This trilogy is never going to work without a Bruce Wayne you don't feel for. Bale became Bruce Wayne is this trilogy and created a Wayne so tied to Batman that you could barely tell the difference when he was out of the mask. His performance may have been a little too dry in TDK but he was still very believable and was remarkable in some scenes (Rachel grieving scene). You felt every emotion and situation he was in. I can not imagine anyone else in the role now Bale owned it and made this trilogy work.

I agree. With everything. Great explanations!
 
1.) Heath Ledger as The Joker - "The Dark Knight"
2.) Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon - "The Dark Knight"
3.) Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth - "The Dark Knight Rises"
4.) Liam Neeson as Henry Ducard/Ra's Al Ghul - "Batman Begins"
5.) Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman - "The Dark Knight Rises"
6.) Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robin John Blake - "The Dark Knight Rises"
7.) Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face
8.) Tom Hardy as Bane - "The Dark Knight Rises"
9.) Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox - "Batman Begins"
10.) Gus Lewis as Young Bruce Wayne - "Batman Begins"
 
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theLegend, I am a bit puzzled why Caine in TDK makes the list but not Rises.

Also, it seems Bale's stock has risen (hah) after the beating he got for his performance in TDK. I am shocked to see him making the very top of many a people's lists.

I am shocked not too see him make the very top of many a people's lists. I really believe he is the core of the trilogy. He does so many subtle things of his own in order to fit better into the character and I think some people really overlook them.
Before I went to see TDKR, I rewatched Batman 1989, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin (always hard to watch) and there was not a single good Bruce Wayne/Batman. Even Keaton was so out of character for the most parts that it really felt like a parody. Smiling here and there, killing people. He was bearable though, even good for his time I guess. He was great at portraying the weird aspects of Bruce Wayne, but he completely failed as Batman. I wonder why so many people praise his Batman... even daring to compare him to Bale's.
So if you rewatch them as I did and then see the trilogy, you will be just mind-blown with the number of things you are now taking for granted.
Bale potrays 3 roles actually. Batman, real Bruce Wayne and Bruce Wayne, the playboy millionaire, and he just nails them all perfectly. Doesn't he deserve to be the very top for that?
Hardy and Ledger were amazing indeed, but they had to do it for one movie only and both were wearing a sort of enhancement on their faces. Plus they were portraying only the evil side of their characters. I'm not surprised to see Heath Ledger being top for most of the fans, although I believe this is a bit unfair, but I'm wondering why are you surprised to see people who actually appreciate Bale's professionalism and dedication for his role. Only someone who truly loves and respects Batman could've pulled such performances.
 
1) Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman - His journey is the center of the entire trilogy..he portrayed all aspects of the Wayne character from college student, to reclusive millionaire and everything in between

2) Gus Lewis as Young Bruce Wayne - What he does in the little screen time is great, his scene with Alfred always affects me in some way... his scenes sell the idea that the loss of his parents affect Bruce Wayne enough to undertake his journey..

3) Heath Ledger as The Joker - The entirety of the character, mannerisms etc... such a complete creation.

4) Gary Oldman - Portraying virue can be very difficult without coming off as being one note, Gordon goes through his own interesting journey through the trilogy..and though the character doesnt come out squeaky clean at the end..the core virtue of the character is not compromised

5) Tom Hardy as Bane - having to sell a character just with mannerisms and body language.. taking a little known or misrepresented character and establishing it as a legitimate threat..

all in all its fair to say that everyone involved put in some great work..

Anne Hathaway was pure gold as Selina unfortunately she didnt get much characterization once the movie really kicked in because Nolan felt Blakes' arc was more important to the story.
 
1. Joker (TDK)
2. Bruce (BB)
3. Harvey (TDK)
4. Bruce (TDKR)
5. Bane (TDKR)
6. Raz (BB)


---
7. Bruce (TDK)
8. Gordon (BB)
9. Gordon (TDK)
10. Gordon (TDKR)

The stars of this trilogy are Ledger, Bale, Hardy, Neeson, and Eckhart.
 
10.) Morgan Freeman
9.) Joseph Gordon-Levitt
8.) Liam Neeson
7.) Michael Caine
6.) Tom Hardy
5.) Anne Hatahaway
4.) Christian Bale
3.) Aaron Eckhart
2.) Gary Oldman
1.) Heath Ledger

-R
 
theLegend, I am a bit puzzled why Caine in TDK makes the list but not Rises.
Because there was some very FORCED Alfred emotional scenes in RISES. At times it was borderline funny ... he would show up, cry and get teary eyed and then disappear.

He was gone for virtually the entire movie, then shows up at the end and it cuts to him in full on tears.

In TDK I felt he was very natural. Was a surrogate father, while also maintaining wit and humor. His speech on men who want to watch the world burn was great stuff.

Excelsior said:
Also, it seems Bale's stock has risen (hah) after the beating he got for his performance in TDK. I am shocked to see him making the very top of many a people's lists.
You would have to be very un initiated in what quality, albeit subtle acting is not to realize Bale's performance is tremendously nuanced and layered in The Dark Knight, while having significantly less dialogue than his character has in either BEGINS or RISES.

His intensity, emotions ... almost exclusively potrayed through his eyes and mannerisms. THAT'S quality acting.
 
I'm very surprized that Anne is not get more praise here.
 
Christian was perfect in TDK. Don't care what anyone says.

And I can perfectly see why Alfred's emotional scenes felt forced. Still loved them though.
 
Yeah it did seemed like Alfred showed up, had a big speech, cried, walked away.
 

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