Christian Bale is one of the most acclaimed actors working in Hollywood. The Welsh actor burst onto the scene as a teenager in Steven Spielberg's 1987 war drama Empire of the Sun and hasn't looked back since.
Known for his immersive method acting, Bale won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor following his role in The Fighter. He has been nominated for three more Oscars since, including for his roles in American Hustle, The Big Short, and, most recently, Vice. As Bale continues his tour de force of talent, fans can look back at his best roles yet.
Updated on September 14th, 2022 by Jordan Iacobucci: Christian Bale continues to be one of the most formative talents working in Hollywood today. Fresh off the Disney+ release of his latest film, Thor: Love and Thunder, the actor is already gearing up for the release of Amsterdam, the next entry in his legendary filmography. While he continues to score terrifically among critics, fans of the actor can look back at his fifteen most acclaimed films.
Equilibrium (2002) - 7.3
Available On HBO Max
Released in 2002, Equilibrium is a science-fiction dystopian film taking place post-World War III that combines futuristic technology with martial arts for a film reminiscent of The Matrix. In this often-forgotten box office flop, Bale portrays protagonist John Preston, a Cleric who ranks highly in the totalitarian society of 2072.
Though Equilibrium never quite connected with general audiences or critics in the way its filmmakers had hoped, the film nevertheless remained somewhat of a cult classic, receiving surprisingly high reviews on IMDb. For fans of Christian Bale, it is a chance to see the actor in the kind of role that he rarely accepts in his present career.
Henry V (1989) - 7.5
Available On Amazon Prime Video
Kenneth Branagh's 1989 rendition of Shakespeare's classic play Henry V is considered by many to be one of the best cinematic adaptations of one of the Bard's works. The film was one of Bale's earliest acting roles, in which he appeared as Robin, a luggage boy who is caught up in the conflict between England and France.
Only fifteen at the time of the film's release, Christian Bale showed his acting talent early, faithfully delivering his Shakespearean lines better than most actors his age ever could. Though he would not appear in many further adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, Bale certainly has the special quality that can bring such works to life on the big screen.
The Flowers Of War (2011) - 7.5
Available On Amazon Prime Video
Inspired by Geling Yan's novella based on the diary of an American missionary to China, The Flowers of War adapts the horrors of the 1937 Nanking Massacre. In the sobering film, Bale portrays John Miller, an American mortician who is caught up in the ensuing carnage.
Though the film did not appeal to general audiences at the time of its release, critics were quick to praise its adaptation of the horrific historic events that inspired it, earning the film several accolades following its theatrical run.
American Psycho (2000) - 7.6
Available On HBO Max
American Psycho is often considered to be one of Christian Bale's best movies of all time. Based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel, the film follows Bale as Patrick Bateman, a banker who hides his double life as a ruthless serial killer.
American Psycho seems to have only grown in popularity with age, gaining a cult following in the decades since its release. Many of Bale's fans have therefore labeled the film as the actor's finest performance to date, with his character becoming one of the best-regarded depictions of a serial killer ever put to film.
Empire Of The Sun (1987) - 7.7
Available To Rent On Apple TV
In just his second feature film, the 12-year-old Bale earned the leading role in Steven Spielberg's WWII tale Empire of the Sun, a true story following a young British boy who finds himself taken prisoner by Japanese soldiers.
The film is told through the eyes of Jim, a young English boy in Shanghai who deals with the daily rigors of living under Japanese rule during WWII. Adapted from the autobiographical J.G. Ballard novel, Jim contends with illness, food rations, and supply shortages at a Chinese prison camp. Desperate to reunite with his parents, Jim finds the inner strength and spirit to foster hope.
3:10 To Yuma (2007) - 7.7
Available On HBO Max
In his first official western, Bale squares off and draws guns with the equally formidable Russel Crowe in the 2007 remake of 3:10 To Yuma. Directed by successful director James Mangold, the man behind Logan and Indiana Jones 5, the film was generally well-received by critics and audiences alike.
Bale plays Dan Evans in the film, a mild-mannered rancher who accepts the unenviable task of guarding apprehended criminal Ben Wade (Crowe) until the titular train arrives to transport him away. As they wait for the 3:10 to arrive, Evans and his son William (Logan Lerman) must fend off a slew of encroaching gunners. Meanwhile, Wade does all he can to outwit Evans and make an escape.
The Machinist (2004) - 7.7
Available On Amazon Prime Video
Fans and critics alike were left with mouths agape by the startling physical transformation Bale underwent for his character in The Machinist. Almost unrecognizable as the lead character in the film, Bale's look has become startlingly iconic in the years since its release.
Bale lost an unprecedented 63 pounds to play the guilt-ridden insomniac Trevor Reznik, slimming down from 173 to 110 pounds. Bale reportedly wanted to decrease his weight down to 100 pounds, but producers feared for his life and disallowed him to do so. Still, the story of an industrial machinist unable to sleep for a year due to the remorse felt over a fatal accident is among Bale's finest work.
The Fighter (2010) - 7.8
Available On Amazon Prime Video
In a physical transformation that rivals his work in The Machinist, Bale won his first and only Oscar for his role as Dicky Eklund in The Fighter. To this day, the film is considered to be one of Bale's finest works, if not the very best acting he has ever committed to screen.
The title of the film not only refers to the boxing career of Dicky's brother, Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg), but it also pertains to Dicky's battle with crack addiction. Bale lost 30 pounds to play the role of Dicky, who turns out to be the heart and soul of the film by the time the credits roll. Bale spent hours with the real Eklund to study his rhythms and mannerisms.
The Big Short (2015) - 7.8
Available To Rent On Apple TV
Bale earned his third Oscar nomination for his role in The Big Short, a comedic examination of the U.S. housing bubble that led to the economic crash in 2008. It's the third time he's played a real-life character that resulted in an Academy Award nomination.
In the film, Bale plays Michael Burry, an offbeat and unorthodox hedge fund manager whose brilliant foresight of the housing bubble allows him to capitalize on the market trends. Burry is underestimated due to his slacker appearance and disregard for professional norms, but he uses his intel to game the system.
Ford V. Ferrari (2019) - 8.1
Available To Rent On Apple TV
Ford v. Ferrari is a sports drama depicting the real-life rivalry between Carrol Shelby and Ken Miles, seminal race car drivers in the 1960s. Teaming up once more with director James Mangold, Bale portrays Miles in the film, earning him praise from audiences and critics alike.
This 2019 film astounded critics and audiences with its high-quality storytelling and unparalleled visuals, earning it several Academy Award nominations. It remains one of Bale's finest performances to this day.
Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - 8.2
Available On HBO Max
Christian Bale is such an intense and serious actor that it's almost impossible to think he'd lend his voice to a PG-rated animated film, yet viewers were surprised to find the British actor providing a voice in the classic 2004 film, Howl's Moving Castle.
Bale voices the titular hero in this wildly imaginative film, which follows Sophie, a teenage girl who is cursed by a witch that turns her body into an old lady. When Sophie meets a magician named Howl at his mysteriously floating castle, she is given a grave choice that will determine her fate.
Batman Begins (2005) - 8.2
Available On Hulu
Christopher Nolan revamped the comic-book tableau of Batman away from the camp-and-kitsch and toward the gritty crime genre in Batman Begins. And according to IMDB voters, he found the perfect leading man in Bale to do so.
In stark opposition to Tim Burton's Batman films, Nolan reimagined Bruce Wayne as a tougher and more laconic character. In Batman Begins, a backstory is provided as Wayne travels abroad to train with his mentor, Ra's Al Ghul (Liam Neeson). As he learns how to be Batman and fight crime, Wayne must defeat the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) and his evil henchmen.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - 8.4
Available On HBO Max
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In Bale's final turn as Batman, Christopher Nolan pulled out all the stops for the eye-popping super-spectacle The Dark Knight Rises, a film that withstands the test of time even ten years after its initial release.
Pitting Batman against the ruthless Bane (Tom Hardy), the film picks up eight years after Joker ran roughshod through Gotham City. Batman enlists the help of Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) to restore order and keep the city safe from a barbarous terrorist plotting to annihilate the city. As Batman battles Bane, Bruce Wayne works to repair his sullied reputation after taking the rap for Harvey Dent.
The Prestige (2006) - 8.5
Available To Rent On Apple TV
Produced in between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan somehow managed to squeeze in arguably his finest film in The Prestige, starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as the main two magicians.
The story of rivaling magicians at the turn of the 20th century gave Bale the chance to play two different characters who appear as one. The sleight-of-hand Nolan shows in allowing Bale to secretly play twins, Alfred and Freddy Borden, is trickier than anything the characters perform on stage.
The Dark Knight (2008) - 9.0
Available On Hulu
Currently rated as the one of IMDB's Top 250 movies ever made, The Dark Knight is by far the best Christian Bale movie to date, marking the second and penultimate time he would play the iconic superhero on the big screen.
Of course, much of the movie's popularity is due to the towering performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker, who won a posthumous Supporting Actor Oscar for his work in the film. Bale keeps the ship steady as Wayne, the prickly business magnate by day and Batman, the Caped Crusader by night. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, also winning for Best Sound Editing.