by Katie Lee

Created on: November 17, 2008   Last Updated: January 04, 2009

The character of Rachel Dawes was the epitome of the "supporting female love interest" in the rejuvenated Christopher Nolan Batman movies. She wasn't really a secondary character, or a true supporting character. Those characters were played by men like Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. Their characters were essential to the movies (and Batman/Bruce Wayne) and had motivations of their own. Rachel Dawes, on the other hand, was there to be a plot point or to get threatened and become the classic "damsel in distress" for Batman to rescue.

So ,determining who played the character "better" has certain limitations. It was a small role, without much substance so it's hard to judge whether a bad performance really made much of a difference, or whether a strong actor could have elevated the role beyond that of "hero's girlfriend."

Having said that, Maggie Gyllenhaal gets the nod in this case. Her Rachel was easier to swallow as a hardened, determined, tough-as-nails prosecutor. Ms. Gyllenhaal, for one, has the right look. She didn't look fresh out of college like Katie Holmes did in Batman Begins, and could actually pass as a veteran prosecutor. On the flip side, Ms. Gyllenhaal's unconventional attractiveness did raise the question about why her character was so desirous to the men around her. Because the role lacked substance, it wasn't easy to say that men gravitated towards her personality.

Ms. Gyllenhaal also had a good chemistry with her male leads, particularly Aaron Eckhart, who played Harvey Dent/Two-face. In Batman Begins, one of the glaring problems was Katie Holmes' lack of chemistry with Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman). At times it looked like she was a schoolgirl harboring a crush on an older man, since Ms. Holmes couldn't quite match the level of intensity and gravitas that Mr. Bale brought to his role. It was lopsided acting at its best (or worst?). There was no such problem with Ms. Gyllenhaal, who even in her very small role, could hold her own against heavyweights like Bale, Oldman and Eckhart. It felt like she belonged with them, as opposed to Ms. Holmes, who often looked like she had stumbled into the movie from an acting class.

In the end, Ms. Gyllenhaal did the best she could with what little the role offered her. She didn't quite elevate the role, but the role didn't have much going for it, and even the most gifted actors can only work with what they're given. Perhaps the best compliment for Ms. Gyllenhaal is this - she managed to blend seamlessly into the movie and do with the role what the role called for. Unlike Ms. Holmes, who often stood out because she seemed out of her depth in Batman Begins, Ms. Gyllenhaal managed to make her inconsequential role as memorbable as it should have been. Which is to say, not at all.

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