5 Christian Bale movies you should never miss

“It’s not who I am underneath but what I do defines me”

Remember this one?

It is a famous dialogue from the rebooted edition of Batman series. Christopher Nolan with his own unique writing style has transformed the whole batman series and this dialogue is one such example. Although the mastermind behind every powerful yet witty one-liner is Nolan, it is the actor who is responsible for bringing in that emotional edge in each frame; Christian Bale it is!

Actors have a huge task to carry and exhibit the emotion and Christian Bale does it at ease; not only with Nolan but with every other film-maker. He goes to any height to fit into the character and it is very well seen in his movies. His passion for movies is unconditional.

Now let’s see the five best movies of Christian Bale.

American Psycho

Christian Bale as a serial killer Patrick Bateman was neat and terrific in this movie. This movie was initially started with Bale but later went into the hands of DiCaprio, who eventually dropped it to star in the movie The Beach and yet again came back to where it started. Bale was dazzling hot in the movie and also a hardhearted assassin. His role was widely praised by the critics even when the movie was not received well. Roger Ebert, a famous American film critic, thrashed the movie and labeled it under pornography yet lauded Bale’s performance. He said, “Christian Bale is heroic in the way he allows the character to leap joyfully into despicability; there is no instinct for self-preservation here, and that is one mark of a good actor”.

The Machinist

Trevor Reznik, who gets involved in an accident, goes to the state of deep-seated insomnia. The guilt of running over a boy doesn’t allow him to sleep for almost a year. This is one of the master-piece of Christian Bale. He has been critically acclaimed for his role in this movie. It is said that he lost around 28 kg to fit into the characterization of Trevor.

The Dark Knight Trilogy

Batman series made him a commercially successful actor as all the editions grossed over billion dollars worldwide. Christian Bale, in a span of six months, gained 45 kg for his role as Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins. It is to be noted here that the Batman Begins released in 2005, just a year after The Machinist (2004). Watch both the movies and see the difference. After The Dark Knight, he was back into the weight-losing crusade as he lost around 30 kg for his role as Dicky Eklund in The Fighter. The final edition Dark Knight Raises was one of the top ten highest grossing films of all time.

The Prestige

Two rival stage magicians’ aspiration to create a best on-stage illusion becomes an obsession and ends in a tragedy. It is a mystery-thriller adapted from a novel written by Christopher Priest. Nolan penned down the screenplay along with his brother Jonathan Nolan and also directed the movie. Christian Bale as Alfred Borden was just brilliant. He fittingly portrays the passion of an artist (here it’s magic) and their agonizing sacrifices.

The Fighter

Based on a true story, this movie revolves around lives of professional boxer Micky Ward and his older half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). His portrayal as a drug addict Eklund was universally acclaimed and also fetched him various rewards and recognition. Academy and Golden Globes for supporting roles are one such.

Although, he acted in many movies these are the ones I liked the most, especially for his versatility and dedication.

Now tell me your favourite Christian Bale movie, if its not in this list. Enlighten me by sharing it in the comments.

Photo Credit - IMDb