Highest Rated Christian Bale Movies That Are Mind Blowing

From American Psycho to Batman, Christian Bale movies are favorite of cinephile across the world. Bale, the chameleon of Hollywood, is like the Swiss Army Knife of acting; able to transform himself into any role with ease. From bulking up to superhero proportions as Batman to shedding pounds faster than a snake shedding its skin for roles like in “The Machinist”, Bale’s commitment to his craft is as intense as his characters. Though he isn’t a trained actor but over the years he has formed his own technique which has made him one of the best actors of Hollywood.

Apart from acting Christian Bale has a keen interest in riding motorcycles and he has revealed that he loves watching MotoGP. Christian Bale who is married to Sibi Blazic is a proud father of two kids. Emmeline Bale, born in 2005 and Joseph Bale born in 2014. Bale has lived in California since the 90’s and he wants to build foster homes for the children living in LA county.

Ranking Top 10 Christian Bale Movies

10. EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987)

Jamie “Jim” Graham is a young boy who comes from a wealthy British family. He lives an elite life in Shanghai International settlement and lives in a mansion with his family on the outskirts of the city. The year is 1941 and most of the countries are at war. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japan intensifies their attack on settlement and starts capturing the area.

Due to Japan’s invasion Graham family and the other members of the settlement are forced to evacuate the city. In this pandemonium Jim gets separated from his family and gets left behind the enemy lines. The film further focuses on Jim’s survival and his struggle in a war torn country. For the next five years Jim leads a life of loneliness where everyday he witnesses the act of war unfold in front of his eyes.

This is an epic war drama shown from the point of view of a young boy who gets psychologically and physically impacted during world war 2. Directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg, Empire of the sun, is a classic drama which has phenomenal cinematography, great acting performance, and a heart-wrenching story. This movie was Christian Bale’s first blockbuster and made him the most popular child actor in Hollywood.

9. EQUILIBRIUM (2002)

In a futuristic city Libria, a regime has risen to power and it believes that human emotions are the main cause of all conflict. Any object, art, literature or music is strictly prohibited in this totalitarian society and any violators are termed as Sense offenders. Now this seems like a boring place to live. And in this dull city people inject themselves with a drug called Prozium to suppress their emotions.

John Preston (Christian Bale) is the high ranking officer who is responsible for executing the offenders and in charge of maintaining the equilibrium. Trained in special form of firearm martial art called “Gun Kata” he is a total badass and can give John Wick a run for his money any day. On one of his mission Preston finds about an underground group leader Jurgen (William Fichtner) who plans to topple the regime and wants to stop the mass production of Prozium. Oh Yeah! Post this encounter Preston inadvertently fails to inject himself with the drug and his emotions start to kick in. Grappled with loyalty towards his leader and his conscience, Preston is forced to make the right decision.

Starring Christian Bale, Taye Diggs, Sean Bean and Emily Watson this is a great action flick which is fun to watch. The story line and action sequence are kick ass and at no point it feels dull. I remember this movie got compared with Matrix at the launch but I didn’t find any major similarity. As a standalone Equilibrium is an underrated futuristic movie which showcases the acting range of Christian Bale as a performer.

8. RESCUE DAWN (2006)

Dieter Dangler (Christian Bale) is a U.S. Navy pilot who is assigned for his first mission into Laos in 1966. On this mission his plane gets shot down by the enemies but he survives the crash. Behind enemy lines he gets caught by Pathet Lao (communist army) and there begins his interrogation. After continuous argument the province governor asks Dangler to sign a document which condemns America’s act of war. Off course Dangler refuses to sign this document and after this he is thrown away into a prison camp.

Hopeful that U.S. will recue him he plans on returning home immediately. But after few days of torture in the camp he meets other fellow prisoners; American pilots Gene (Jeremy Davies) and Duane (Steve Zahn) who’ve been captive for years. Similarly there are other prisoners in the camp who’ve been waiting for a rescue for years. Suffering from malnutrition, unhygienic conditions and constant torture by the guards, lives of these prisoners becomes a living hell.

During his captivity Dangler tries to escape the camp but he is unsuccessful in his attempts. After months of imprisonment, Dangler convinces the prisoners for a final strike as he gets to know that the guards are planning to kill them. Based on true story of Dieter Dangler, Director Werner Herzog, captures the dramatic tale of prisoners of war. Bale goes to extreme physical transformation for his role as as prisoner who is suffering from malnutrition and he looks absolutely menacing. Rescue Dawn is a must watch for all Bale fans.

7. HARSH TIMES (2005)

Staring Christian Bale as ( Jim Davis), Freddy Rodriguez as (Mike Alonzo) and Eva Longoria as (Sylvia), this in intense film about two friends who are struggling with their past trauma and trying to make a living. Jim is a former U.S. Army ranger, a war veteran and he is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He has a Mexican girlfriend whom he wants to marry and get settled in United States. On the other hand Mike is living with his girlfriend Syliva and he is more interested in making easy money than applying for a job.

After a long hiatus Jim meets Mike in Los Angeles and they instantly fall back in to their old routine of debauchery. Things turn ugly when Jim is denied a position in LAPD after failing a psychological test. This rejection doesn’t go well with Jim and he loses control on a stranger who is passing in a car. The same day Jim & Mike get drunk and find themselves embroiled in assault, theft and possession of drugs. All in one day, yes!

Harsh Times is a drama which is not made for everyone. There are scenes which are way too disturbing, especially the one when Jim goes to meet his girlfriend Marta in Mexico. Furthermore, I was completely shocked by the final act of this movie and it made me think about the mental trauma and the after effects of war on soldiers.

6. THE FLOWERS OF WAR (2011)

One more time Christian Bale gets cast for a war drama based on Sino- Japanese war. However, this time he is burdened with a big task of saving the young girls from the horrific acts of war. The year is 1937 and the Imperial Japanese Army has thwarted China’s capital city, Nanjing. They have killed thousands of people and raped Chinese women on their way. Fearing their lives a group of desperate Chinese schoolgirls find a refuge at a church nearby.

John Miller (Christian Bale) is a mortician at a western run Catholic Church in Nanjing, he is about to bury the head priest when he meets the young schoolgirls. But hey they aren’t the only one looking for shelter. Soon, a group of glamorous prostitutes enter the church and take shelter. From here on John pretends to be a priest and tries to protect the young girls and the women from the Japanese army.

Directed by Zahng Yimou, this film is beautifully shot and it feels like a poetry. The movie also stars famous Chinese actor Ni Ni, who plays one of the prostitutes. She is phenomenal throughout the movie and her character arc is one of best in the film.

5. THE MACHINIST (2004)

How far can an actor go to portray the truth of a character ? Every time when I think about this, few names instantly pop in my mind. Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight and off course Christian Bale as Trevor Reznik in The Machinist. It’s not just the physical transformation that counts but also the psychological aspect that an actor brings on screen.

I remember the first time when I saw The Machinist I couldn’t believe that Bale lost more than sixty two pounds for this role. This is a suspense thriller about a guy named Trevor Reznik, who is suffering from insomnia. He weighs hundred pounds and he is haunted by an event that occurred when he was driving his car. He works as a machinist and leads an isolated life.

The movie has many twists and turns and it would be crime to give any spoilers if you haven’t seen this film yet. Overall I’d say it’s a great thriller directed by Brad Anderson and Bale knocks it out of the park with this performance.

4. THE PRESTIGE (2006)

Directed by Christopher Nolan this movie has one of the best star cast. Just take a look; Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlet Johansson, Michael Caine, Rebeca Hall, Andy Serkis, Piper Perabo and the stylish David Bowie. Isn’t that something? Set in 1800, London, this story is a tale about two friends who are an aspiring magicians.

Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) is a magician who knows how to sell the trick to an audience and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) is the one who is great with tricks but lacks the showmanship. In one of the performance the trick goes wrong and Robert’s girlfriend Julia gets killed. Alfred who is part of the act isn’t sure if this was an accident or his own fault. This incident leads to a rivalry between the two magicians and they go to extreme lengths to sabotage each others career.

The prestige is one of those rare movie which kept me engaged at every second. Visually its stunning and Nolan does a fabulous job of capturing the essence of the story. Plus it has a splendid soundtrack by composer David Julyan which is beautifully haunting. With a great performance by every cast member this is a must watch for everyone who loves suspense.

3. AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000)

Directed by Marry Harron, this film is based on a novel written by Bret Easton. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a young and wealthy investment banker in New York City. He is an narcissistic individual who spends time bragging about his lifestyle, his business card, and his special hate for one of his co worker Paul Allen. Bateman has a fiancé Evelyn Williams (Reese Witherspoon) but he doesn’t like her at all. He is more interested in booking a reservation at famous restaurant called Dorsia and fooling around with prostitutes.

This is a psychological satire which is funny and dark at the same time. Though this movie has now become a meme favorite but it’s a classic tale of horror and dark comedy. Bale has given a performance that’s is truly phenomenal and even after two decades this film is still popular amongst cinephile.

2.THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

In the second instalment of Batman series Christopher Nolan brings the Joker to wreak havoc in Gotham. Batman (Christian Bale) is fighting the organized crime in Gotham wearing a mask and his super gadgets. On the other hand Harvey Dent (Arron Eckhart) the district attorney is hailed as the “white knight” for successfully nailing the criminals. The mafias are tormented by Batman’s antics and to address this issue they hold a meeting.

Joker gatecrashes this meeting and offers to kill Batman for a huge amount. Well if you’re good at something never do it for free. Right! Though at the time he receives an uproar and an insult but he scares the shit out of them with is theatrics. In a psychological warfare style Joker starts creating chaos in Gotham and kills innocent people to instigate Batman. However his madness doesn’t stop, he kills the police commissioner and the judge by threatening them openly. Now that’s a mighty Villain!

Things go haywire when Joker kidnaps Dent and Rachel, which leads to further downfall. In the final act when Batman and Joker fight each other, Joker says ” You won’t kill me out of some misplaced sense of self righteousness and I won’t kill you because you’re too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever” The Dark Knight is a masterpiece in storytelling and my best Christopher Nolan film till date.

1. THE FIGHTER (2010)

Directed by David O. Russel this film is based on a true story of boxers Dicky Eklund and his younger brother Micky Ward. Staring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo, this is a spectacular sport drama with great performances.

Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) is a former boxer, who lives in Lowell, Massachusetts, with his large family. Once a famous boxer who sparred with Sugar Ray Leonard, Dicky has now hit rock bottom. He is addicted to drugs, gets involved in petty crimes and is famous for being arrested regularly. Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), is the younger brother of Dicky, he is an aspiring boxer who is trying to escape the shadow of his popular brother.

The story narrates the dysfunctional family of Dicky, how he overcomes his addiction and passes the torch to his brother. Bale again transforms himself into a character which looks identical to the real life person. He completely imbibes the mannerism, body language, speech, physicality and the soul of the character. Mark Wahlberg effortlessly plays the younger brother, who is stuck between the love for his family and his career. Amy Adams who plays Micky’s girlfriend is amazing in her performance and she is one who brings rationality in Micky’s dwindling life.