Credit: Netflix

Most people talk about the transformations of Christian Bale before they talk about the performances, and you can argue the toss if you like, but we both know that’s how it goes. And we don’t blame them! The bloke went from looking half-starved in The Machinist to filling out the Batsuit in Batman Begins soon after, and then piled on the pounds years later to play Dick Cheney in Vice.

But that’s sort of the problem as well, because those transformations became such a massive part of the Bale legend that they can distract from what actually makes him such a chameleonic actor. The physical stuff is impressive, obviously, but it’s only one trick in a much, much bigger bag.

Just look at his films. Watch The Prestige and then jump to The Big Short, and it does not feel like the same actor, and no, it’s not because of the physical transformation but because he has acted so well: the mannerisms, the timing. The Fighter got him the Oscar, yet even that did not send him down the obvious road of awards dramas. He kept choosing men who were abrasive or just difficult to like, and American Hustle is a good example.

The following four films prove our point rather dramatically, and since all of them are classics, we’d recommend saving this list and making this weekend a Bale binger.

Four must-watch Christian Bale movies on Netflix:

The Pale Blue Eye (Scott Cooper, 2022)

Now this is where Christian Bale gets to have some serious go at the whole weary-detective thing. He plays Augustus Landor, a retired investigator hauled off to West Point in 1830 after a cadet is found dead with his heart removed. The academy is keeping schtum, naturally, so Landor recruits a young Edgar Allan Poe, played by Harry Melling, to help prise the truth out of the cadets, and from there things get increasingly iffy and serious.

What makes Bale so good here is how little he pushes. Scott Cooper had wanted to make the film for years, but originally felt Bale was too young for Landor, and by the time they finally got there, that problem had sorted itself out. You can see why Cooper waited: Bale gives him the weariness of a man who has seen too much, and that’s exactly what this brilliant Netflix watch needed. Very Bale? Absolutely.

Ford v Ferrari (James Mangold, 2019)

Right, so all the brooding Bale stuff from Pale Blue Eyes? Poof, gone in seconds. Because the moment Bale starts riding a racing car, he’s off. In Ford v Ferrari, he plays Ken Miles, the brilliant British driver Carroll Shelby recruits when Ford decides it wants to beat Ferrari at Le Mans. Easy enough, you’d think. Except Miles is brilliant behind the wheel and is not very good at pretending corporate nonsense makes sense, which means Ford’s executives spend almost as much time fighting him as Ferrari.

And Bale clearly understands the man. He trained at Bob Bondurant’s racing school, where Bondurant could tell him about Miles because he had known him personally, and that makes a difference. Bale does not play him as a racing legend either; he lets him be funny and occasionally a pain in the neck. Matt Damon even said Bale was one of the reasons he wanted the film. Watching them together, you get it. The friendship is what gives the film its soul.

American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000)

Then there is Patrick Bateman, and honestly, where do you even start with this man? One of the most notable roles of Christian Bale, he plays a wealthy New York banker obsessed with looking sharp and saying the right thing and who may also be a serial killer, although American Psycho never makes life easy by telling you exactly how much of what you see is real. That uncertainty is half the fun. Bateman wants to look perfect, and the job was executed accordingly.

The mad part is that Bale nearly lost the role. Mary Harron wanted him, but the studio chased Leonardo DiCaprio and reportedly offered him $20 million before Bale eventually got the part. And thank go he did because Bale found something strange in Bateman, much like the thing that was much needed for the role. He even took inspiration from Tom Cruise after watching him on David Letterman, noticing that broad smile with probably nothing behind it. Once you know that, have another look at Bateman’s smile. See it now? Yeah. Thought you might.

Hostiles (Scott Cooper, 2017)

After Patrick Bateman, Hostiles feels like someone has turned the volume right down. It takes you back in history, where Bale plays Captain Joseph Blocker, a cavalry officer in 1892 who is ordered to escort dying Cheyenne chief Yellow Hawk and his family back to Montana. There is one rather large problem: Blocker has spent years fighting the Cheyenne and carries a lot of hatred with him. So no, this is not exactly a pleasant “road trip”.

What Bale does here is much less flashy than his previous performances (not that they were flashy, but you know what we mean). He doesn’t really explain Blocker to you; you have to watch the change happen. Did you know Northern Cheyenne Chief Phillip Whiteman Jr would not teach Bale the language until he had first learned about Cheyenne culture? Honestly, fair enough. Scott Cooper also shot the film in story order so Bale could let Blocker shift as the journey went on.