Christian Bale’s 10 Greatest Roles, Ranked

The Dark Knight

There ’s little debate that Christian Bale is one of the finest actor play today . Ever since he got his big intermission in a World War II movie directed by Steven Spielberg at the age of 12 , he ’s starred in some of the greatest movies of the preceding couple of decades . Bale has always favored smaller arthouse moving picture over openhanded blockbuster .

If he does a megahit , then he has a very good reason to do so , like it ’s direct by Christopher Nolan or he gets to play an grownup post - apocalyptic John Connor . He ’s play a bit of iconic role over the years and made some unidentified roles iconic . So , here are Christian Bale ’s 10 greatest roles , ranked .

Alfred Borden

BetweenBatman BeginsandThe Dark Knight , Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale madeThe Prestige , a period thriller about a contend couple of magicians . Hugh Jackman plays the other illusionist , while David Bowie play Nikola Tesla , which is surely an inspired molding choice .

Bale wager the peasant magician opposite Jackman ’s patrician , so he ’s sort of the dark underdog of the fib . Bale ( and Jackman ) encounter their roles with such intriguing fraudulence that it forces you to watch the moving-picture show a few times just to pick up on everything they ’re doing . It ’s an all - around great movie , anchored by complex lead performance from this duo .

Melvin Purvis

WhilePublic Enemiesisn’t as keen as Michael Mann ’s previous criminal offense thrillerHeat , it is the same variety of thing . That moving picture was a African tea - and - mouse pursual between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro , while this one is a big cat - and - black eye chase between Johnny Depp and Christian Bale , with Depp playing the ill-famed literal - life criminal figure John Dillinger and Bale playing the FBI factor on his derriere , Melvin Purvis .

This is Depp ’s movie , and his shabu - cool portrayal of Dillinger make the whole film , but Bale ply potent support as the flip - side of the Dillinger coin . It ’s admirable that he does n’t slip the public eye from Depp .

Michael Burry

The Big Shortmight not have been everyone ’s loving cup of teatime , but in its defense , it ’s very , very hard to make a fiscal crisis look interesting on celluloid . Adam McKay does his best with the sense of humour and a dramatis personae of Christian Bale , Steve Carell , Ryan Gosling , and Brad Pitt , as well as cameos from the likes of Margot Robbie , and this is as entertaining as the 2008 mortgage crisis will ever be .

Bale plays his character Michael Burry as fiercely thinking , yet introverted and solemn . It ’s a softly beautiful performance . It ’s no admiration he was the only player in the movie ’s vast cast to get an Oscar nomination .

Irving Rosenfeld

When David O. Russell cast off Christian Bale to star in his true - spirit movieThe Fighter , the actor had to lose a ton of free weight . When he cast Bale to star in his dependable - life movieAmerican Hustle , the thespian had togaina ton of weight . Russell likes get Christian Bale on and off various dieting .

Bale play Irving as a con creative person whose scams have obtain importantly better since he paired up with Amy Adams , which ties into the comedic angle Russell take up with the movie . Bale incur an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance in this movie .

Moses

Ridley Scott ’s Biblical epicExodus : divinity and Kingswas criticized upon its release for its cast , which some aver hush up history . White player were vomit up to dally the great unwashed from the Middle East : Christian Bale played Moses , Joel Edgerton played Ramesses II , Aaron Paul played Joshua , Ben Kingsley play Nun etc .

But as long as Bale run Moses and we ca n’t modify that fact , he did a wonderful job with the role . Controversially , he play him as a barbarian schizophrenic . Also , with Scott in the theater director ’s chairman and a $ 200 million budget in the depository financial institution , the movie itself gets bonus points for looking incredible .

Dick Cheney

Bale is up for an Academy Award for Best Actor at this weekend ’s ceremony for his performance as “ the Darth Vader of the Bush administration ” in Adam McKay ’s satirical biopicVice , and there ’s a full rationality for that . Heembodied the former Vice President of the United Statesin more than just the feeling .

While the makeup and prosthetics got the looking just in good order , it would be meaningless without the performance to back it up – luckily , Bale nailed the vocalization , the facial expressions , the body language , the demeanor , everything . It ’s like he actually became Dick Cheney – that ’s picture show magic for you .

Jack Rollins

I ’m Not Thereis Todd Haynes ’ ambitious biopic of Bob Dylan . or else of tell Dylan ’s life chronicle in a straight way , Haynes order the stages of his career through six different character , which included a woman and an African - American youngster . Christian Bale in reality plays two of these characters .

He also plays Pastor John , who is based on the “ bear again ” catamenia of Dylan ’s life history , but it ’s his character reference Jack Rollins that he really goes to township with . Jack Rollins was written to represent the acoustic Dylan who wrote protest song . It ’s an important chapter of Dylan ’s discography and Bale ’s operation hits all the correct note , so to speak .

Dicky Ecklund

Christian Bale is no stranger to fluctuating his weight depending on the character he ’s playing , so he find it a breeze when he had to waste himself to play the drug nut Dicky Ecklund alongside Mark Wahlberg ’s Micky Ward in David O. Russell ’s critically acclaimed boxing biopicThe Fighter .

While Wahlberg was the movie ’s star and he condition to get all the boxing scenes right , there ’s no disputation that Bale completely steal this film . It was no surprisal when Bale won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his carrying out because he did more than enough to earn it .

Patrick Bateman

Christian Bale ’s calling catch a second wind when he was throw off in the big - screen adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis ’ polemically ultraviolent satiric novelAmerican Psycho . Patrick Bateman is a cold , estimate , insane man who wants to create an melodic theme of who he is as opposed to just being himself .

It was a tough function to play , but Bale made him a cinema image . Bale ’s balance of the cold - heartedness , insanity , and unnerving gumption of humor is summarized utterly in the “ Hip to Be Square ” scene . He analyzes the medicine of Huey Lewis and then carefully murders Jared Leto over a formative sheet .

Bruce Wayne

Christian Bale played the lead role of Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knighttrilogy as not one , not two , but four case . A mediocre histrion would bet the part as one reference . A sound thespian would play it as two , distinguish Bruce from his Batman theatrical role .

But a corking actor , like Bale , wager it as four : the unseasoned humankind out for vengeance , the acrimonious dude seek his design in life , the angry Batman theatrical role , and the shallow Corinthian frontage Bruce puts on to avoid waken distrust . While he was outshined by Heath Ledger ’s Joker in the 2d movie , this is fantastic work .