With this week's release of Terminator: Salvation, a lot of moviegoers will be reconsidering the career of Christian Bale, a subtle underplayer who is not the kind of guy you'd expect to find in a summer blockbuster like the Terminator or Batman, but hey, neither are Johnny Depp or Robert Downey, Jr. I think this character assassination is just plain mean. Not to mention wrongheaded.
Ever since Bale surfaced in Empire of the Sun (1987), registering one of the best performances ever by a child actor (he really conveyed his character's alienation and dreams as a kid interned in a Japanese concentration camp during World War II) he's had a remarkable ride, mostly in independent movies where his low-key work is best appreciated. Consider his filmography, He was the wistful boy unionist of Newsies, singing about Santa Fe and dancing in New York's Park Row; a London teen of uncertain sexual preference, decisively stamped by the gender-bending milieu of glam-rock in The Velvet Goldmine; Everygirl's first romantic hero, tender Laurie Laurence in Little Women; Everywoman's horror date, American Psycho; a guilty manorexic in the intense The Machinist; gentle planter John Rolfe, Pocahontas' husband, in The New World; the disciplined psychoanalyst son of a hippie mom in Laurel Canyon (his richest performance); the bounty-hunting father, quietly facing down the showy Russell Crowe in 3:10 to Yuma; and of course, the mixed-up Bruce Wayne and his alter ego in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. (I've forgotten Rescue Dawn, where he was also terrific.) I can't think of another actor of his generation who has exhibited so much range -- and restraint.
Bale's whispery voice, cut-glass cheekbones and 100-mile stare is reminiscent of Henry Fonda and Clint Eastwood, actor/stars more reliant on their guts than their charisma. Though I like that he doesn't turn up the volume in Batman and Terminator, the quiet of his acting is easily drowned out by the clank and grind of the machinery in these Big Machine movies. You? Are you a Bale fan, agnostic, hater? Why?
Bale has ALWAYS been an interesting actor, especially in his minor films like METROLAND and the criminally underseen HARSH TIMES. Those, along with his sexy/scary turn as AMERICAN PSYCHO are the performances of his that resonate for me. I would like to see him get past the intense media scrutinization and keep making movies worth remembering.— garyk- An enormous fan beginning with Empire of the Sun. You can't take your eyes off of him or get him out of your mind. He has looks, virility, a beautiful speaking voice and charisma.— ccjroberts
- Thanks for mentioning the "intense media scrutiny." I think the media plays him as a control freak with anger-management issues (the verbal scuffle with his mother in London, where the charges were dropped; the verbal scuffle with a cinematographer who got in his way during a key scene of Terminator). Heck, nobody remembers when Leonardo di Caprio was trashing hotel rooms, they remember his performances. I think Bale has the range of DiCaprio.— carrierickey
- If you want to see a good Bale flick -- The Prestige.— UncleEddie
- He's a great actor. Although, he looks like a d-bag off screen.— Zero
- Bale now brings credibility to any movie. If he signs on you know its going to bring something special to the table.— anthoNYfan
- Fan. It was truly a pleasure to watch him with Gyllenhall in Batman, and Empire of the Sun automatically vaults him to the top of the heap.— Philth
Comment removed.- Ultimate fan. It's not often a child actor with such promise becomes a serious actor with real creds. Heck i even watched Reign of Fire just to see him (though that was painful).— mansei
- If you want to see Christian Bale doing 'restraint' watch him in Equilibrium (set in a world where emotion is outlawed).— edm630
- I've only seen a few of Bale's movies: American Psycho, Metroland, The Dark Knight, and Laurel Canyon. He has a certain quality that I don't enjoy - a kind of cultivated creepiness that makes me not want to spend two hours watching him. (This response on my part pre-dates the recent media kerfuffle, I should add.) This is less a critical analysis than a visceral response, but sometimes that's how we decide whether or not we like an actor. As far as his behavior on the Terminator set, as it happens I manage a discipline program for a large organization, and if one of our employees acted like Bale did, he'd at the very least receive a long suspension, and more likely be fired. I can't think of a good reason why an actor should be treated differently, other than money and fame.— wwolfe
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