This weekend, Christian Bale returns to the big screen in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s gothic romance The Bride!, which sees Bale being a chameleon of a performer again, portraying Frankenstein’s monster. Bale’s ability to slip into different roles effortlessly has made him one of the best actors of his generation and has served to set him apart from his contemporaries. He disappears into his roles to a point where Bale the actor no longer exists. It’s a level of commitment that has allowed him to give some of the best performances moviegoers have seen, and a level of commitment that’s going to make this list pretty hard to make. That being said, this is our mission, and we choose to accept it, and that mission is to break down the five best Christian Bale performances ever.

Honorable Mention: Alfred Borden in The Prestige (2006)

Bale’s performance in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige gets better with every re-watch. It’s wonderfully nuanced and, much like the film’s sleight of hand plot, plays like its own trick thanks to Bale portraying the dual role of twin brothers. Co-written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan, The Prestige is based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Christopher Priest and stars Bale and Jackman as rival stage magicians Alfred Borden and Robert Angier.

Set in Victorian London, their rivalry becomes so intense once they both battle to create a teleportation illusion, which leads to both magicians diving into a world of deception and obsession. Jackman arguably gets the more showy of the roles, but Bale’s ability to step into different roles with ease benefits him here as the audience learns not only that he is portraying Alfred but also his twin brother, Fallon. He manages to make this subtly distinct once all is revealed, and yet identical enough not to give away the film’s deception regarding the two characters. It’s not until subsequent viewings that those differences sink in, and it only does its job to make the film’s twist work that much better.

In addition to this, Bale immerses himself in the obsession of the role, showcasing his commitment to illusion while crafting a character that walks a fine moral line as it becomes more clear that he’s calculating and pulling more of the strings than it seems. The Prestige is a masterclass in creating its own narrative illusions, and Bale is more than capable of leaning into the secrets of its plot.

5. Michael Burry in The Big Short (2015)

In a classic example of Bale being able to disappear into his roles, The Big Short allows him to turn what could have been a lesser portrayal from another actor who may have portrayed Michael Burry with overly nerdy cliches and infuses him with the appropriate awkwardness, but confidence, that proves he may be the smartest guy in the room. Directed by Adam McKay from a screenplay he co-wrote with Charles Randolph, The Big Short is based on the 2010 book of the same name by Michael Lewis and details how the 2008 financial crisis was directly correlated to the United States housing bubble.

Bale portrays Michael Burry, one of the first people to predict the 2008 housing crash. As an actor, Bale has always been one of the kings of attention to detail, and he made sure to research Burry thoroughly so he would pick up on all his quirks and complex eccentricities. He learned that Burry often worked barefoot and did his best to avoid direct eye contact, which Bale uses in his performance throughout the film, alongside Burry’s other unique characteristics. The performance is intensely focused, and he’s able to avoid some of the cliches of the genre by fully diving into Burry as a character, making him someone who is less sleek and polished compared to his counterparts but still someone whose intelligence shouldn’t be underestimated.

Christian Bale won the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actor in a Comedy and nominations at the Golden Globes for Best Actor-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, and the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. All of which were richly deserved for one of his most memorable performances.

4. Trevor Reznik in The Machinist (2004)

If you want to see being 100 percent committed to a performance, look no further than Bale’s work in The Machinist, which might feature his biggest physical transformation for a film (and that’s saying a lot since Bale is known for altering not only his mindset but his physical being for a role). Directed by Brad Anderson from a screenplay by Scott Kosar, The Machinist follows Bale’s Trevor Reznik, who is a machinist dealing with extreme paranoia after not being able to sleep for a year.

The Machinist earned a fair share of attention because Bale lost 62 pounds to prepare for the role and then had to quickly bulk back up for Batman Begins. While Bale’s commitment to appear emaciated for the sake of authenticity is admirable, it wouldn’t work if his performance wasn’t equally as lived in from a mental standpoint. Bale doesn’t just act out the paranoia and delusions that Trevor is experiencing; it feels as if he’s tapped into a part of his psyche that clearly separates Bale the actor from the character.

What could’ve been a role that was shocking because of his physical appearance is made all the more believable because Bale was also committed to expressing Trevor’s traumas that have led him to this point. There is a genuine suffering in Bale’s work here that is sometimes unsettling to watch, but is far too captivating to look away from.

3. Dicky Eklund in The Fighter (2010)

While The Fighter is the story of boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), it’s Christian Bale who steals the show and all of his scenes as his half-brother, the ex-boxer and crack-addicted Dicky Eklund. Directed by David O. Russell from a screenplay by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson, The Fighter is a biographical sports drama depicting the lives of boxer Micky Ward and his older half-brother and ex-boxer Dicky Eklund (Bale).

The film is based on the 1995 documentary High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell, which featured the Eklund-Ward family. While Bale didn’t lose as much weight for this role compared to The Machinist (just thirty pounds here compared to that film’s 62), it’s still another example of his commitment to lose himself in a role as he embodies Dicky Eklund thoroughly, from his Boston accent to the noticeable tell-tell signs of someone battling drug addiction. Much like he did with The Big Short’s Michael Burry, Bale spent a considerable amount of time with Dicky to pick up on all of his personal nuances, which allowed him to immerse himself even more fully in the role. When portraying a real-life figure, it can be easy to simply mimic them, but Bale found his own rhythm in portraying Dicky that went beyond mimicry to make this a character, for those who were unfamiliar with him, someone deeply flawed but also deeply human.

There is a vulnerability in Bale’s portrayal as a man who has already reached his peak but who is also desperate for his own comeback as he trains his younger brother, while fighting his addiction to crack cocaine. The performance earned Bale a much-deserved Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, where his commitment to the craft was finally acknowledged by his peers for one of his best acting roles to date.

2. Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight (2008)

Bale was able to portray a successful character arc for Bruce Wayne/Batman across The Dark Knight Trilogy, but he’s at his very best in 2008’s The Dark Knight, although he might be frequently overshadowed by Heath Ledger’s legendary performance as The Joker. Directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan, the film is a sequel to Batman Begins and follows the trio of the titular character, police lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) as they try to dismantle the escalating organized crime in Gotham City.

Getting in their way is The Joker (Ledger), whose brand of anarchy will test Batman’s limits when it comes to how far he will go to protect his city. In The Dark Knight, Bale settles into his portrayals of Bruce Wayne and The Caped Crusader. As Wayne, he wears a public mask of playboyish charm while using that persona to hide in plain sight to learn what he can about the necessary players in Gotham City. There is also a humanity to his portrayal of Bruce, whether it’s through his complicated relationship with Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) or his familial one with Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine). There is a broodiness to his Bruce Wayne in private that plays a pivotal role in his intense portrayal of Batman, which makes his moral fortitude come into question as The Joker causes increasing chaos throughout Gotham City.

What might not make this performance noticeable to the naked eye is the fact that Ledger is so big throughout the film, but there is skill in playing the “straight man” in a story like this because it provides the perfect counterbalance between the roles. In this case, it’s between a vigilante hero and a villain, with the former going through an evolution as he feels the increasing responsibility of the job he has put upon himself. It’s an extremely grounded performance that deserves more credit than it gets and one he successfully portrayed across three films, but was at his best in this second installment.

1. Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (2000)

To find Bale at his most meticulous and detailed, one has to look at his darkly funny, yet darkly frightening, portrayal of Patrick Bateman in Mary Harron’s American Psycho. Directed by Harron from a screenplay she co-wrote with Guinevere Turner, American Psycho is based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis and follows Patrick Bateman, a New York City investment banker by day and someone who moonlights as a serial killer by night. In the wrong hands, this is a role that could’ve been a deeply ineffective caricature, but Bale is able to find the right lane to portray Bateman with the right amount of dark humor and a maniacal sense of menace that has made this one of his signature roles.

He’s able to portray the yuppie persona of the time while also crafting a character that feels like a sort of an antihero battling against the corporate greed and toxic masculinity of the era. Bale’s attention to detail is noticeable very early here as he transformed himself for the role to capture Bateman’s vanity. He worked out vigorously to achieve the character’s ripped physique and even had his teeth capped so he could have a more artificial smile that would coincide with the fakeness of the world he was living in. In addition to this, he kept an American accent throughout production, on and off camera, to the point that his co-stars were shocked when they heard his natural English accent.

The performance is a masterclass in duality as Bale expertly portrays the character’s more superficial side while easily slipping into his more murderous impulses without missing a beat. It’s an intense performance that balances humor with dark psychology, and it’s Bale’s work throughout that makes the audience question what’s real and what isn’t. American Psycho is reportedly being adapted again, but Luca Guadagnino and all that can be said is good luck to whoever takes on Patrick Bateman once again, because it’s a role that Bale has solidified and certainly made his own.

The Bride! opens in theaters nationwide this Friday.

For more on Movies, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.

Keep Reading:

How ‘Scream 7’ Defied Expectations & Drama To Achieve a Record Breaking Opening Weekend