Christian Bale Movies, Ranked

Bale's worst film came at the end of a streak of three terrible releases in the early 2000s—easily the low point of his career. A futuristic sci-fi thriller from not particularly accomplished director Kurt Wimmer (who would somehow go on to make an even worse film), this 2002 release finds Bale playing a law enforcement officer in a totalitarian state where emotions have been outlawed (and suppressed by medication). Emily Watson stars opposite Bale for the first time since 1997's Metroland, and the cast also includes Taye Diggs and Sean Bean. (Completely unnecessary spoiler alert: He dies.)

Launching a streak of three poorly reviewed films for Bale, this 2001 adaptation of the best-selling WWII novel by Louis de Bernières came from the usually solid John Madden, whose previous film had been the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love. The box office flop reunited Bale (who plays neither Corelli nor the mandolin but instead is "miscast" as "an illiterate Greek peasant," according to Newsweek's David Ansen) with his All the Little Animals co-star John Hurt, though both are second fiddle to Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz.

Set in a future, dragon-filled England, this 2002 post-apocalyptic action film from X-Files director Rob Bowman couldn't capitalize on its stars (Bale and Matthew McConaughey); instead, it failed to impress critics and disappointed at the box office, hampered by poor effects and a derivative, nonsensical script.

You'd be forgiven for having no knowledge of this 1993 dud in which Bale starred opposite Dead Poets Society star Robert Sean Leonard as friends in Nazi Germany who spend their nights dancing to banned American big-band jazz music. As great as that sounds, it's "amazingly suspenseless and devoid of substance," according to the Boston Globe's Jay Carr.

One of two 1996 releases for Bale, this adaptation of Joseph Conrad's London-set novel about a terrorist in the 1880s came from British writer-director Christopher Hampton (best known for Dangerous Liaisons). Critics felt the film, which stars Bob Hoskins and Patricia Arquette and features Bale in just a small role as Stevie (the mentally impaired younger brother of Arquette's Winnie), was "stagey," "pointless," and "leaden."

Playing an American living in Nanking during the Japanese invasion in 1937, Bale is the token Western star in this mostly Mandarin-language war drama from Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers). Critics found it uneven at best—most were disappointed—though few faulted Bale, who delivered a solid performance in what seemed to many reviewers to be an unnecessary role.

Bale's second leading role came in this 1992 musical from Kenny Ortega and Disney, a notorious box office flop about striking newsboys in New York in 1899. The film later developed a bit of a cult following—enough so that it was adapted for the stage in 2011 in a Tony-winning production. The movie's failure wasn't Bale's fault; USA Today critic Mike Clark praised his "engaging turn."

After a rare three-year gap in his filmography, Christian Bale returned to screens in 2022 with three different starring roles. The worst of the trio of films was Amsterdam, a rare critical disappointment for director David O. Russell (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook)—the third pairing of director and star—that also stars Margot Robbie, Chris Rock, John David Washington, Robert De Niro, and Andrea Riseborough (among many other big names). The 1930s-set ensemble farce (which is also part political thriller) finds Bale playing Burt Berendsen, a WWI veteran turned doctor who is framed for a murder as part of a larger conspiracy. Though a few critics liked the result, many others found it exhausting and incoherent, and Amsterdam landed on more than one "worst films of 2022" list.

How forgettable is The Promise? Well, it came out just three years ago, and yet you probably have no idea it even exists. A romance set during the closing years of the Ottoman Empire (and during events leading up to the Armenian Genocide), The Promise reportedly lost $100 million despite a cast led by Bale (playing an Armenian medical student in Turkey) and Oscar Isaac. Critics liked their performances and the movie's intentions, but found director Terry George's film to be "generic" and "boring," with the romance detracting from the film's weightier issues.

The troubled fourth film in the Terminator series, this 2009 entry directed by McG was at one point the worst Terminator film, though the subsequent Genisys definitively established the franchise's rock bottom. (The recent Dark Fate, while an enormous financial failure, is actually better reviewed than both films.) Bale plays John Connor, a character who has been portrayed by at least six actors (depending on how you count them) including Edward Furlong, Jason Clarke, and Thomas Dekker, though the film's real star according to critics is then-newcomer Sam Worthington.

Just a few months after his memorable, career-boosting starring turn in American Psycho, Bale had a supporting role in John Singleton's 2000 Shaft remake/sequel starring Samuel L. Jackson as a NYPD detective who is the nephew and namesake of Richard Roundtree's John Shaft. Bale plays a fugitive suspect in a racially motivated murder being investigated by the younger Shaft. It wasn't a good movie, but it would be far better than anything Bale would make over the next few years.

The sole film directed by the prolific, Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas, this little-seen 1998 drama is based on the novel of the same title by Walker Hamilton. Bale plays a mentally challenged man who escapes his abusive stepfather and befriends an older recluse played by John Hurt.

Bale's only appearance in a Ridley Scott-directed film came in this big-budget 2014 dud, a loose retelling of the Exodus story from the Bible. The actor plays Moses in a cast that also includes Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsohn, Aaron Paul, John Turturro, Ben Kingsley, and Sigourney Weaver. And if you think that sounds like far too many white faces for a Bible story, then you have stumbled across one of the major criticisms of the film upon its release. Bale himself also drew some negative reviews, with The Philadelphia Inquirer's Steven Rea noting the star's inconsistent accent and St. Louis Post-Dispatch critic Joe Williams calling out what "might be the most indifferent performance of Bale's career."

It may be one of his least-known films, but Bale is the lead in this 1997 dramedy from Philip Saville (who spent most of his career before and after directing for British television). It's an adaptation of the debut novel of the same name by Booker Prize-winner Julian Barnes that stars Bale (opposite Emily Watson in one of her earliest roles) as a married Londoner in the late 1970s who grows bored of his dull suburban life as a banker and becomes envious of his free-spirited friend (Lee Ross). Critics simply grew bored of the movie, though they had praise for Bale's performance.

Director Terrence Malick reunited with his New World star Bale for this 2015 experiment in dreamlike, episodic storytelling that finds Bale playing a lonely screenwriter in Los Angeles. Cups features a strong ensemble cast that also includes Cate Blanchett, Antonio Banderas, Natalie Portman and multiple figures from the comedy world (Nick Kroll, Thomas Lennon, and even Dan Harmon), but critics were mixed on the result, with many reviewers liking aspects of the film but not the entire thing.

Writer-director Scott Cooper reunited with Christian Bale for the third time, following 2013's Out of the Furnace and 2017's Hostiles, for this 2022 gothic crime thriller based on the novel of the same name by Louis Bayard. Set in the 1830s at West Point, the film finds a detective (Bale) investigating a series of murders at the United States Military Academy with the help of a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling). Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Toby Jones, and Charlotte Gainsbourg also star. Critics were generally disappointed, finding the adaptation overly gloomy and somber, though the pairing of Bale and Melling was a highlight for many reviewers.

The directorial debut for Training Day screenwriter David Ayers (who would eventually go on to direct Suicide Squad, among other titles), this 2005 crime drama stars Bale as an intense Army veteran suffering from PTSD who turns to crime after failing to land jobs with the LAPD and federal government. New York Times critic Stephen Holden called it a "spectacular technical performance" that "somehow lacks an inner core," though The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw admired Bale's "formidable screen presence."

One-time Batman star Bale visited the rival Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time in 2022 with a starring role in the sequel to Thor: Ragnarok, again directed by Taika Waititi. Bale plays villain Gorr the God Butcher opposite a returning Chris Hemsworth as the titular hero, joined by other MCU regulars including the Guardians of the Galaxy crew plus Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, Jaimie Alexander's Sif, and Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie. Critics actually seemed to like Bale's performance (even complaining about his lack of screen time) but the film as a whole is one of the lesser MCU outings.

Bale played a small (but well-received) role in Jane Campion's 1996 adaptation of Henry James's novel (the director's first film since her hit The Piano). The loaded cast was led by Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, and Barbara Hershey, but the movie itself was dismissed by some critics as pretentious and slow.

While far from Bale's best film, this 2004 thriller from Brad Anderson features one the actor's more memorable roles. He plays Trevor Reznik, a man troubled by psychological issues and a profound insomnia that has left his body emaciated. That skeletal version of Bale you seen on screen is no Hollywood trickery: The actor lost over 60 pounds for the role by depriving himself of almost all food for a period of months.

The second feature film from Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right), this 2002 indie culture-clash drama set against the backdrop of the music industry—the fictitious in-film band counts Sebadoh's Lou Barlow among its members and uses songs written by Sparklehorse—finds a newly engaged couple (Bale and Kate Beckinsale) moving to Los Angeles, where they each find themselves attracted to others.

Bale gained 50 pounds to play former vice president Dick Cheney in this decades-spanning 2018 biopic that reunited the star with his Big Short director Adam McKay. Amy Adams, who previously starred with Bale in American Hustle and The Fighter, plays Cheney's wife Lynne. Many critics didn't like McKay's humorous approach to the material, but the performance earned Bale his fourth Oscar nomination (and second in a leading role), though he went home empty-handed after Rami Malek won the trophy for Bohemian Rhapsody.

Bale's second role in a Shakespeare adaptation (following a brief appearance in Kenneth Branagh's Henry V) came in this 1999 feature from director Michael Hoffman (Soapdish). Bale plays Demetrius in an ensemble cast that also featured Kevin Kline, Sam Rockwell, Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci, Rupert Everett, and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Bale's first major role came in Steven Spielberg's 1987 adaptation of J.G. Ballard's novel, which filmed while Bale was just 13. (He beat out thousands of other kids who auditioned for the part, no doubt helped by the fact that he had just co-starred in a TV movie with Spielberg's then-wife, Amy Irving.) He plays Ballard stand-in Jamie Graham, a British schoolboy who becomes a Japanese prisoner in Shanghai during WWII.

Director Scott Cooper followed his well-received debut Crazy Heart with this 2013 thriller about two brothers (Bale and Casey Affleck) who have trouble readjusting to civilian life after serving in the Iraq War. (On the surface, it's a vaguely similar setup to Bale's earlier film Harsh Times.) When Affleck's Rodney disappears after falling in with the wrong crowd, Bale's Russell must track him down. Reviews weren't bad (and a handful of reviewers really loved it), but the film was a box office dud, and studio Relativity Media was sued for defamation by the Ramapough Lunaape Nation for the film's negative portrayal of their tribe.

Mary Harron's 2000 adaptation of the novel by Bret Easton Ellis stars Bale as New York investment banker turned serial killer Patrick Batemanâ€"a role that the studio wanted to give to the more famous Leonardo DiCaprio (and then Edward Norton or Ewan McGregor), though Harron's insistence ensured that Bale got the part. Even the critics who didn't like the film as a whole (and there were many, though more than a few admired the film's darkly humorous tone) were impressed by Bale's "tour-de-force" performance (as described by New York Times critic Stephen Holden).

Bale reunited with his Out of the Furnace director Scott Cooper for this 2017 western set during the late 1800s. The actor plays an Army officer with a reputation for killing Native Americans who reluctantly takes on the assignment of escorting a Cheyenne war chief (Wes Studi) across dangerous terrain, taking on another unlikely traveling partner (a widow played by Rosamund Pike) along the way. The film lost money during its theatrical run despite decent reviews, which included yet more praise for Bale and his "quietly devastating performance" (according to Rolling Stone's Peter Travers).

Bale worked with Todd Haynes for the first time in the director's 1998 glam rock drama centering on a fictitious '70s rock star—effectively, a stand-in for David Bowie—played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Bale plays a music journalist whose research on the rocker encourages him to explore his own sexuality while also serving as the thread connecting the time-jumping film's various vignettes.

Bale reunited with his Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan in 2006 for this tale of rival 19th century stage magicians played by Bale and Hugh Jackman. Weirdly, it was released the very same month as another turn-of-the-century magician movie, The Illusionist. That not all that similar film had very slightly better reviews, but The Prestige had the edge at the box office.

Released in 2009, Michael Mann's Depression-era true-story crime drama finds Bale playing FBI agent Melvin Purvis, who spends years pursing the infamous bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp). The two stars, however, share very little screentime in the film, which performed fairly well at the box office.

By 2005, Christian Bale had already appeared in nearly 20 films, many as the lead. But it was here where he truly became a star, and where he became forever associated with his best-known role: Bruce Wayne/Batman. It was Bale's first blockbuster: His first live-action film with a production budget and box office grosses over $100 million (far exceeding that mark on both counts). It was also Bale's first time working with director Christopher Nolan, and that fruitful partnership would go on to make three additional films, including two Batman sequels.

The first of two films Bale would make with legendary director Terrence Malick, this 2005 historical drama looks at the founding of the Jamestown settlement in 17th century Virginia. While Colin Farrell leads the film as John Smith, Bale plays his fellow settler John Rolfe, who eventually marries Pocahontas (Q'orianka Kilcher). Coincidentally, Bale also lent his voice to Disney's animated 1995 film Pocahontas, though as a different character. (The animated film's voice of Pocahontas, Irene Bedard, also appears in The New World, this time as Pocahontas's mother.)

Bale reunited in 2007 with his Velvet Goldmine director Todd Haynes for another unconventional music-themed drama. But while the earlier film took its inspiration (unofficially) from David Bowie, I'm Not There is 100% a Bob Dylan movie—or maybe 700% a Bob Dylan movie. Each of the film's seven sections is inspired by a different aspect of Dylan's career, with a different actor starring in each segment. Bale is the only actor to take on two parts of the singer, effectively portraying Dylan during his protest days (still as an acoustic musician) in the '60s before segueing into Dylan's "born-again" period circa Slow Train Coming. Other Dylan portrayers include Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, and Heath Ledger—who doesn't have any scenes with Bale here but certainly would in Bale's next film, The Dark Knight.

James Mangold's 2007 remake of the 1957 Delmer Daves western (adapted from an Elmore Leonard short story) stars Bale as a struggling rancher who volunteers to escort a recently captured outlaw (Russell Crowe) on a train journey to his trial. Critics liked the remake and singled out both leads for praise.

Werner Herzog's 2006 Vietnam War drama depicts the true story of American pilot Dieter Dengler (played here by Bale), who is shot down while on a covert mission over Laos, becomes a POW after being captured, and eventually leads an escape. The Hollywood Reporter called it one of Bale's "most complex and compelling performances."

The final film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, this 2012 release is the highest-grossing title (worldwide) in Bale's filmography, though reviews weren't quite as strong as they were for its predecessor. (One reason: Tom Hardy's Bane isn't quite as memorable a villain as Heath Ledger's Joker.) Bale has stated publicly that he will not play Batman again, and in recent years the role has fallen to Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson (who will take over with 2021's The Batman).

The first of two excellent films pairing Bale with director David O. Russell, 2010's The Fighter tells the true story of Boston boxer Micky Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg), who is trained by his half-brother (Bale), a one-time star who has fallen on hard times. Bale received his first ever Oscar nomination for his supporting performance—and it resulted in his only Oscar win to date.

Bale reunited with his 3:10 to Yuma director James Mangold for his 2019 film about the 1966 "24 Hours of Le Mans" endurance automobile race. He plays British driver Ken Miles, who teams with an American automotive designer (Matt Damon) to represent the underdog Ford Motor Company in the race as they attempt to take down the favored Ferrari team. Critics have been singling Bale out for praise, calling his performance "dynamic," "magnetic," and "entertaining." Writes Anthony Lane in The New Yorker, "Bale is a cussed and calculating actor, yet he's never been more likable than he is here."

Based on Michael Lewis's book of the same name, Adam McKay's 2015 best picture nominee recounts the events leading up to the 2007 financial crisis in often humorous fashion. Starring opposite Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, Bale plays real-life hedge fund manager Michael Burry, who was one of the first people to detect instability in the U.S. housing market and was able to profit from his then-unfashionable prediction that the market would collapse. Bale was nominated in the supporting actor category, but lost the Oscar to Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies).

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this one would wind up at #1. Arguably the best comic book movie ever made that doesn't have the word "Panther" in its title, the second of three Batman films pairing director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale is Bale's highest-grossing film to date in North America (though its sequel eked out a few more dollars worldwide). But here the star is upstaged by the late Heath Ledger, whose indelible performance as the Joker earned him a posthumous best supporting actor Oscar.

Bale had a memorable supporting role in Gillian Armstrong's acclaimed, Oscar-nominated 1994 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel (recently re-adapted by Greta Gerwig). He played Laurie, neighbor and friend to Jo (Winona Ryder) and Amy (played by both Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis), whom he eventually marries.

Arguably the closest thing to a comedy in Bale's filmography at the time (at least until Amsterdam nearly a decade later), this 2013 best picture nominee found Bale working with director David O. Russell for a second time (following The Fighter), with even better results. Based loosely on the true story of an elaborate FBI sting operation in the late 1970s and '80s, American Hustle finds Bale—with an added gut, intentionally terrible hairpiece, and Bronx accent—playing a con man, who is enlisted (along with his partner, played by Amy Adams) by an FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) in an attempt to take down some New Jersey mafia figures and corrupt politicians. Bale picked up his second Oscar nomination (and first in a leading role) but lost the trophy to Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club).