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about_facesSo I've been toying with the idea of writing a proper analysis of Two-Face in Batman Forever, weighing the pros and cons of that depiction and Tommy Lee Jones' performance, all in the name of trying to find something interesting and even positive to say.
Y'know what? Fuck it.
I tried, I really did. But I can't do it. Objectively, I know I'd find TLJ's performance to be a blast, since I love over-the-top villains, and he genuinely seemed to be having a great time. But I can't forget that he's supposed to be Harvey. I just can't.
That said, the movie novelization is--almost literally--a different story. For one thing, the author, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, crafts an entire three-part prologue that looks into the backstory of all the main characters, with a special focus on Harvey.
Aside from the forced puns (both the author and the character have a history of silly puns), that's actually a vast improvement.
Ignore the physical description, and you can easily imagine the animated Harvey, or even Aaron Eckhart in those pages. Hell, it actually brings to mind what might have been if Tommy Lee Jones had a better script and less campy direction. There's absolutely no resemblance between this character and the one we saw in the film. And sadly, the rest of the novelization can only improve so much when it has to follow that script.
But we're not at that part yet. Some of you may be aware of the film's original opening, cut because it was considered too dark and producers wanted to distance themselves from that tone after the complaints about Batman Returns. If you haven't seen the opening, the best video I can find is this fan-edit, layered with Batman Returns soundtrack to neat effect. Keep watching, and you'll even see an improved Two-Face introduction scene.
The novelization expands upon this original opening, and the result is more chilling and genuinely Two-Face than anything seen in the actual film.
Again, ugh with the puns ("Palm re(a)d"? Really?), but this is still a far preferable take on the character. It's a better introduction to Harvey's twisted philosophy than the scene with the security guard (IT'S BOILING ACID!!!) and Harvey's overwrought monologue. Then again, maybe that speech--and much of the subsequent script--could have been sold by less hammy acting.
The novelization adds one more layer of depth before we even get to the film's introduction, with Bruce reflecting on the origin of Two-Face:
Nice! The motivation works a bit better, and it ties together elements from the TAS episode Pretty Poison. And I like the description of Harvey versus Maroni in the courtroom. Maroni seemed to have the acid purely as Plan B, and was clearly confident that he'd get off. The scene gives Harvey a chance to show off his legal expertise, which more stories of him (pre and post Two-Face alike) should do more often.
From this point, it goes pretty much right to the story and dialogue from the film. I have zero interest in analyzing that any more than is strictly necessary, but if you'd like a Greatest Hits look at Harvey in Batman Forever, hey, knock yourself out.
Actually, if you don't remember what happens to Harvey at the end, steel yourself and cue this video to 7:40.
God, I hate that ending. After an entire film of Batman urging Dick not to take revenge and kill Two-Face, Batman kills the villain himself. Make no mistake, there was no other way that could have played out. Bruce killed Harvey. Man, this was already a thing even before The Dark Knight!
I can't help but feel that this scene was entirely created by the author, who wanted to improve upon the script. Nowhere have I seen anything to indicate that this was in the original story, and the "He fell. Two yards" line indicates to me a sense of "yeah, I'm going from here and making this better" on the writer's part.
The version that plays out here is a bit more wordy, a bit more melodramatic, but it's a far more satisfying character payoff for both Dick and Harvey than the film got. Both characters achieve a sense of resolution rather than, respectively, revenge and death. On top of that, the death is more ambiguously handled, with nothing to indicate that he actually went splat on the rocks.
If this were the actual Two-Face we got in the film, it still wouldn't have been perfect (playing second fiddle to the Riddler? Killing the Flying Graysons? The brain-drain stuff? Meh!) but it would have been greatly improved. Honestly, I'm tempted to say that this Two-Face would have been superior to the Two-Face in The Dark Knight (which, in turn, had the superior Harvey Dent).
Combine the two, and hey, you get... well, you pretty much get the Harvey/Two-Face from Batman: The Animated Series. Yeah, still the gold standard for the character.
Y'know what? Fuck it.
I tried, I really did. But I can't do it. Objectively, I know I'd find TLJ's performance to be a blast, since I love over-the-top villains, and he genuinely seemed to be having a great time. But I can't forget that he's supposed to be Harvey. I just can't.
That said, the movie novelization is--almost literally--a different story. For one thing, the author, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, crafts an entire three-part prologue that looks into the backstory of all the main characters, with a special focus on Harvey.
Aside from the forced puns (both the author and the character have a history of silly puns), that's actually a vast improvement.
Ignore the physical description, and you can easily imagine the animated Harvey, or even Aaron Eckhart in those pages. Hell, it actually brings to mind what might have been if Tommy Lee Jones had a better script and less campy direction. There's absolutely no resemblance between this character and the one we saw in the film. And sadly, the rest of the novelization can only improve so much when it has to follow that script.
But we're not at that part yet. Some of you may be aware of the film's original opening, cut because it was considered too dark and producers wanted to distance themselves from that tone after the complaints about Batman Returns. If you haven't seen the opening, the best video I can find is this fan-edit, layered with Batman Returns soundtrack to neat effect. Keep watching, and you'll even see an improved Two-Face introduction scene.
The novelization expands upon this original opening, and the result is more chilling and genuinely Two-Face than anything seen in the actual film.
Again, ugh with the puns ("Palm re(a)d"? Really?), but this is still a far preferable take on the character. It's a better introduction to Harvey's twisted philosophy than the scene with the security guard (IT'S BOILING ACID!!!) and Harvey's overwrought monologue. Then again, maybe that speech--and much of the subsequent script--could have been sold by less hammy acting.
The novelization adds one more layer of depth before we even get to the film's introduction, with Bruce reflecting on the origin of Two-Face:
Nice! The motivation works a bit better, and it ties together elements from the TAS episode Pretty Poison. And I like the description of Harvey versus Maroni in the courtroom. Maroni seemed to have the acid purely as Plan B, and was clearly confident that he'd get off. The scene gives Harvey a chance to show off his legal expertise, which more stories of him (pre and post Two-Face alike) should do more often.
From this point, it goes pretty much right to the story and dialogue from the film. I have zero interest in analyzing that any more than is strictly necessary, but if you'd like a Greatest Hits look at Harvey in Batman Forever, hey, knock yourself out.
Actually, if you don't remember what happens to Harvey at the end, steel yourself and cue this video to 7:40.
God, I hate that ending. After an entire film of Batman urging Dick not to take revenge and kill Two-Face, Batman kills the villain himself. Make no mistake, there was no other way that could have played out. Bruce killed Harvey. Man, this was already a thing even before The Dark Knight!
I can't help but feel that this scene was entirely created by the author, who wanted to improve upon the script. Nowhere have I seen anything to indicate that this was in the original story, and the "He fell. Two yards" line indicates to me a sense of "yeah, I'm going from here and making this better" on the writer's part.
The version that plays out here is a bit more wordy, a bit more melodramatic, but it's a far more satisfying character payoff for both Dick and Harvey than the film got. Both characters achieve a sense of resolution rather than, respectively, revenge and death. On top of that, the death is more ambiguously handled, with nothing to indicate that he actually went splat on the rocks.
If this were the actual Two-Face we got in the film, it still wouldn't have been perfect (playing second fiddle to the Riddler? Killing the Flying Graysons? The brain-drain stuff? Meh!) but it would have been greatly improved. Honestly, I'm tempted to say that this Two-Face would have been superior to the Two-Face in The Dark Knight (which, in turn, had the superior Harvey Dent).
Combine the two, and hey, you get... well, you pretty much get the Harvey/Two-Face from Batman: The Animated Series. Yeah, still the gold standard for the character.
