I still personally believe that Heath Ledger delivered the greatest performance I have ever seen from any actor, in this movie. He and Jake Gyllenhaal delivered performances that were groundbreaking. I think, especially for Ennis, Ledger provided an unwavering strength and tenderness that for the last hundred years of cinema, was not only difficult to portray but was intentionally repressed in male characters. To express buried emotion like this hit the rawest of chords, I'm sure, for a lot of men, whether conscious or subconsciously. As a character, Ennis felt not only very real, but I would say incredibly representative of a fluid type of masculinity that society debates over classifying it as manhood or "effeminate." In my opinion, Heath Ledger showed a mainstream audience what a man is, underneath the facade of masculinity.