What is the best Christian Bale performance of all time?

By YPB Team

The actor who became a byword for physical transformation — from skeletal to muscular, obscure to iconic — his most celebrated roles are studies in obsession and reinvention. Cast your vote!

The Dark Knight (2008)

Bale plays Bruce Wayne / Batman in Christopher Nolan's definitive superhero film, grounding the caped crusader with psychological complexity.

American Psycho (2000)

Bale plays Patrick Bateman, a Wall Street banker and hidden serial killer, in a darkly satirical portrait of 1980s yuppie culture.

The Machinist (2004)

Bale lost 63 pounds for this role as an emaciated, guilt-ridden factory worker who has not slept in a year and questions his own sanity.

The Fighter (2010)

Bale won the Oscar playing crack-addicted former boxer Dicky Eklund, who trains his half-brother for a world title shot.

The Big Short (2015)

Bale plays eccentric hedge fund manager Michael Burry, who predicted the 2008 financial crash and bet against the housing market.

Vice (2018)

Bale gained 40 pounds to play Dick Cheney, transforming himself physically and politically in this audacious biopic of the shadowy vice president.

Batman Begins (2005)

Bale plays the origins of Bruce Wayne's transformation into Batman in Christopher Nolan's grounded and psychologically rich reboot.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Bale plays the fearless British racing driver Ken Miles, who pushes a custom Ford GT40 to its limits at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Empire of the Sun (1987)

A child Bale delivers a stunning debut as a British boy separated from his parents during WWII Japan and forced to survive a POW camp.

American Hustle (2013)

Bale plays the pot-bellied, combover-sporting conman Irving Rosenfeld, caught between loyalty and self-preservation in David O. Russell's 1970s caper.

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Bale plays a struggling rancher who agrees to escort a notorious outlaw to a prison train, testing his courage and morals in this revisionist Western.