Top Ten Christian Bale Performances
21st July 2009
By Joe Boden

I don’t think many would disagree that Christian Bale is one of, if not the, finest English-speaking actor of his generation, and to commemorate this I’ve decide to put together a top ten performances list. In a year where he’s released two very disappointing films in franchise continuation “Terminator: Salvations” and Michael Mann’s style-over-substance crime film “Public Enemies”. It’s probably been his highest profile year so far, especially after the success of “the Dark Knight” last year, where he’s played two almost iconic characters, both real life and fictional, in John Dillinger and John Connor. But still, one bad year shouldn’t be what we remember his career for, so let’s have a look back at the ten best performances of his career.

10. As Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” (2005) and “the Dark Knight” (2008)
When Christian Bale was announced as the new Bruce Wayne, shock circulated amongst comic book and film fans. It seemed that Nolan had chosen an actor to play the role of Batman rather than a charismatic movie star, and it set the whole tone for these two blockbusters within one decision. These dark, down-to-earth psycho-dramas are now considered the greatest two superhero films of them all, and Bale’s performance as millionaire Wayne is one of the major reasons for that. He has a natural likeability and charisma about him that gets us on his side, and his lavish, elegant lifestyle is balanced out by a humility and almost a disdain for his god-given inheritance. His Batman snarl may have gotten a little ridiculous by the end of “the Dark Knight”, but Bale’s Bruce Wayne is what gets him on this list.

9. As Jim Davies in David Ayer’s “Harsh Times” (2005)
Bale’s performance is better than most of the films on this list, and that’s even more true for David Ayer’s directional debut “Harsh Times”. Embittered and potentially violent, Bale’s Gulf War veteran is a temperamental ticking bomb ready to go off at any second. Ayer’s film tried to question whether America was sending home more new Jim Davieses every day, but it’s Bale’s performance rather than Ayer’s typically clichéd directional style that gets this point across.

8. As Howl in Hayao Miyazaki’s “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004)
Bale voiced Howl in the English language version of “Howl’s Moving Castle”, starring alongside Emily Mortimer, Don Rickles, and legend Lauren Baccall, and excelled. The dubbed version may be a slightly dumbed down interpretation of the original Japanese anime classic, but Bale’s performance as a brooding, contorted demon is hypnotic and powerful enough to pull it through.

7. As John Rolfe in Terrence Malick’s “the New World” (2005)
If you took out a consensus amongst film fans as to what Terrence Malick’s worst film was, chances are you’d be given “the New World” as your answer, and although I by no means think it’s his best, I’d argue with that. It’s certainly better than the overrated “the Thin Red Line” (ooh, controversial!), and that’s thanks to three brilliant central performances. One of them belongs to Q’orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas, another to Colin Farrell as Captain Smith, and the third to show-stealing Christian Bale as John Rolfe, who turns up about two hours in and steals the show from both of them.

6. As Alfred Borden in Christopher Nolan’s “the Prestige” (2006)
Bale is a master of accents, and although his decision to keep the accent of his current film up during the entire production process it rewards itself in this film. Bale’s cochne Borden is sublimely measured, brilliantly voiced, and – all-in-all – almost perfect. Snarling and conceited, but contorted by a secret that we only find out within the last fifteen minutes, Borden is both introverted and extroverted, prone to both inward turmoil and outward rants. It’s a brilliant performance, and one that cemented both Bale’s and director Nolan’s status as one of the very best of their generation.

As the Dylan-esque Jack Rollins in "I'm Not There"

5. As Jack in Todd Haynes’ “I’m Not There” (2007)
Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan narrative-documentary, “I’m Not There”, can hardly be seen to be entirely successful, and there’s often points where Haynes stumbles into indulgency. However, that can hardly be said a Bale’s performance, which is subtle and brilliantly measured. It perfectly captures the subdued, philosophical Dylan of the early years, and is quite probably the best performance in the film, outdoing everyone from Cate Blanchette to Richard Gere to the late Heath Ledger.

4. As Trevor Reznik in Brad Anderson’s “the Machinist” (2004)
Like “Harsh Times”, Bale’s performance in Anderson’s “the Machinist” is ten times better than the film itself. Dropping an alarming seventy three pounds to play the role (he wanted to lose more, but the producers wouldn’t allow him) by smoking and drinking non-fat lattes, Bales’ skeletal performance as the insomniac Reznik is subtle, internalized, beautifully drawn and incredibly moving. Everything else in the film may be entirely unoriginal (it feels like “Vertigo” by way of “Mulholland Drive” at times), but Bale’s performance is just the opposite. It’s possibly the best performance of the twenty first century in an American film, and demonstrates Bale’s total immersion and commitment to a role.

3. As Dieter Dengler in Werner Herzog’s “Rescue Dawn” (2006)
The only entirely factual character on the list, Herzog returned to the subject of his previous documentary, “Little Dieter Needs to Fly” (1997), to tell the story of a German-born, American-raised soldier who crash lands his plane behind enemy lines in Vietnam. Bale again lost a frightening amount of weight to play Dengler in the prisoner of war camp scenes, and delivered an almost entirely physical performance in the scenes where he wanders the jungle, attempting escape. The film itself is a powerful tale of the human spirit, but Bale’s performance is the most inspiring and uplifting film about it.

2. As Jim Graham in Steven Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun” (1987)
Christian Bale won his place in Spielberg’s other WWII film against five thousand other children, and paid back the director tenfold with a brilliant child performance as a boy away from everything he once knew and loved. He’s removed of his cushy lifestyle and his spoiling parents, and what’s left is a triumph of the human spirit. “Schindler’s List” gets all the credit for being the ultimate World War II film, but Spielberg has done better himself, and other directors even more so. “Empire of the Sun” is a measured epic with small scale sensibilities, and Bale’s tragic yet truly inspirational performance is the very heart of it.

1. As Patrick Bateman in Mary Harron’s “American Psycho” (1999)
There could really be only one number one Bale performance, and it’s this excellent portrayal of yuppie Patrick Bateman whose blood lust spills over into the day. Based on Bret Easton Ellis’ equally brilliant book, Harron’s satire is a little more tame yet just as biting, and Bale’s performance is electric. He portrays Bateman as utterly bonkers, but charming and charismatic at the same time. Spewing out his lines like an insurance salesman or a telecommunications salesman, Bale relishes the role and plays it like it should be; a comedy. He was the first choice for the role, but was dropped in favour of Leo Di Caprio who – in turn – pulled out amongst mounting pressure from feminists. Bale’s brave decision to see his commitment through paid off, because this is the performance that made him, and anybody with half a brain cell can see that this film is not anti-women, it’s anti-consumerist, and gets its message across wonderfully.