Christian Bale’s top five performances –

One of the best-known British actors of our time, his career began with the filming of Astrid Lindgren’s children’s book Mio, My Son and the Empire of the Sun in the late 1980s. Best known for his dramatic physical transformations and incredible dedication, Christian Bale has made it something of a trademark to dive deep into the psyche of his characters and deliver nuanced, dramatic performances for the camera. His big break, of course, came in the role of Bruce Wayne in the 2000s and his career since then has been marked by great acting, which has also made him one of the greatest in the industry, and now we rank his top five acting achievements in our opinion.

5. The Prestige (2006)

It’s hard not to be mesmerized and enchanted by Bale’s nuanced performance as the enigmatic but sympathetic Alfred Borden. A man whose dedication to his profession mirrors Bale’s in many ways and who is driven by equal parts passion and pain. The interplay with Hugh Jackman as lifelong rival Angier is of course impossible not to mention and lends even more credibility to Bale’s incredible acting, which skillfully balances Borgen’s icy exterior with his emotional, passionate interior. A performance as gripping as it is mesmerizing, and one of Bale’s best.

4. The Machinist (2004)

Perhaps the most impressive and dramatic physical transformation Bale has undergone in his career is also one of his most memorable. As the emaciated, sleepless factory worker Trevor Reznik, whose life is plagued by paranoia and guilt, Bale gave us one of the most uncomfortable and claustrophobic performances in film history. It’s a deep dive into mental illness, laced with raw intensity that, along with Bale’s total dedication, also makes it one of his most memorable.

3. The great short film (2015)

With Adam McKay’s masterful drama about the collapse of the U.S. housing market in the mid-2000s, Bale proved once again what an incredibly versatile actor he is. For who could have guessed that the role of eccentric hedge fund manager Dr. Michael Burry would also be one of Bale’s most impressive performances, with the actor’s ability to convey both the character’s genius and social failings making Burry both relatable and utterly human. The similarities to the character’s real-life counterpart were uncanny, and the role is one of Bale’s most outstanding character portraits of his career.

2. The Hunter (2010)

Leading up to David O. Russell’s masterpiece, in which Bale gave us by far one of the most complete character portraits in modern cinema, the actor spent countless hours studying old voice recordings of Dicky Eklund. Not only to capture his distinctive Boston accent, but also to accurately portray the eccentric character and his unique quirks. It was just another testament to Bale’s incredible dedication, which was also reflected in his Oscar-winning acting. Something that perfectly captured Dicky’s charismatic and tragic nature with a stripped-down naked intensity that alternated between pain and hope. Pure magic and Bale’s second-best role (so far) in his storied career.

1. American Psycho (2000)

There is no other role in Bale’s long career that can be seriously compared to the time he donned Patrick Bateman’s clothes. A character that in many ways epitomizes many of the actor’s characters, and one in which he balanced normality with madness with terrifying skill. Bale conveys Bateman’s superficial charm and style with downright uncanny precision, while also seamlessly transitioning into his dark and violent tendencies. Intense, captivating and unforgettable. It is a terrifying portrait that Bale portrays with such conviction that it is downright impossible to separate the actor from the character. Wonderful, eerie brilliance.