If you are a big Christian Bale fan, then we have a big piece of good news for all our viewers. We have made a list of 20 best Christian Bale movies that you should watch. All the rankings of the movies are based on audience reviews, IMDB ratings, and on our personal views. Before starting I would like to throw some light on the life and career of Christian Bale.
Christian Charles Philip Bale commonly known as Christian Bale is an English actor who is very well known for his extraordinary and auspicious roles. Bale is very famous for transforming his body into different types according to the requirements of the film. He can drastically change himself by becoming slim, fat, extremely fat, or a smart and fit actor.
This versatile actor performs all his roles with extreme dedication and perfection and because of all this, he had made it to the list of the most successful and highest-paid actors throughout the globe. He made his debut in the film industry in 1987 with the film ‘Empire of the Sun’ and his debut film was also very successful. Till now, he has worked in more than 50 films and has successfully established his name throughout the globe.
20 Best Christian Bale Movies That Are A Must Watch
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight is a superhero film that is based on DC Comics character batman. It received an IMDB rating of 9. This film is the second installment of the Dark Knight series and is also a sequel to the Batman film that was released in 2005. It was released in 2008 and has a very successful runtime of 152 minutes and also broke all the box office records by collecting a whopping amount of 1 billion dollars and became the highest-grossing film of 2008.
This film was extremely liked by the audience and also become the most successful and most profitable film of Bale’s career. It was directed by Christopher Nolan and was produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan in association with Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Comics, Legendary Pictures, and Syncopy.
The screenplay work of this film was managed by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Warner Bros Pictures. This picture marked one of the best performances of Christian Bale’s career and along with him Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, and Maggie Gyllenhaal were also in the lead cast of the film.
In the Batman, Lieutenant James Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent team up to fight against all the evils of the society but are threatened by the mastermind Joker. It was an amazing film and I would like to advise you to watch this film if you haven’t watched it yet as it can easily become a part of your favorite films in this quarantine period.
2. The Prestige (2006)
The Prestige is a psychological thriller film that was released in 2006 and has a very successful runtime of 130 minutes. This film was extremely liked by the audience and it received a huge amount of positive reviews from the audience and hence has a very successful and profitable run at the box office. This film easily crossed the 100 million mark at the box office and become part of the highest-grossing films of that year.
In a recent interview, Bale himself announced that he was excited about this film as he had performed a completely different role in this film and all his hard work and passion proved in the success of this film. This film was directed by Christopher Nolan and was produced by Emma Thomas, Aaron Ryder, and Christopher Nolan in partnership with Touchstone Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Newmarket Films, and Syncopy.
The screenplay work of this film was managed by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan and this film was adapted from a very famous novel with the same name written by Christopher Priest. This film has Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis and David Bowie as the lead actors who have performed their roles with extreme dedication.
The distribution rights of this film were owned by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution for the American audience and by Warner Bros Pictures for the audience from the rest of the globe and this film also received very high IMDB points thus it had made to our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies.
3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises is a superhero film that was adapted from the DC Comics character Batman. It was released in 2012 and has a successful runtime of 165 minutes and this film broke all the previous records at the box office by collecting a huge amount of 1.1 billion dollars and making it one of the most successful and profitable sequel of Dark Knight series. This film was the final installment of the Dark Knight series and also the most successful installment.
It was directed by Christopher Nolan and was produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven in association with Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Comics, Legendary Pictures, and Syncopy. The screenplay work of this film was managed by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan and the music production and composition were done by Hans Zimmer. It has Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Morgan Freeman as the lead actors of the film. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Warner Bros Pictures.
In the story after 8 years of fights, happenings, and destructions the merciless Bane again forces Bruce to come up with his role as Batman to save the Gotham City from the nuclear destructions to save the humanity. It was on outstanding film and that’s why it has taken third place in our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies. I would like to advise you all to watch this film along with all the sequels.
4. Batman Begins (2005)
Batman Begins is a superhero film that was released in 2005. It received an IMDB rating of 8.2 which is a high rating. It was directed by Christopher Nolan and was produced by Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, and Larry Franco in association with Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Comics, Legendary Pictures, Syncopy, and Patalex III Productions. The screenplay work of this film was managed by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer and it was adapted from the Batman character of DC Comics.
This film has Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe and Morgan Freeman as the lead actors of the film and according to audience reviews, they all have performed their role with extreme dedication and complete perfection. This film has a runtime of 140 minutes and each minute of this film was worth watching and was full of action.
It also received very high points from the critics and hence it has taken sixth place in our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies. This movie was appreciated by the audience and it was also very successful at the box office and was liked by the audience throughout the country. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Warner Bros Pictures. It was overall a tremendous film and I would like to advise all my viewers to surely watch this film as it can easily make you fall in love with the story as well as the characters of this film.
5. The Fighter (2010)
The Fighter is an American biographical sports drama film that was released in 2010 and had a very successful runtime of 116 minutes. This film was very much liked by the audience and hence collected a huge amount of 130 million dollars making it a part of the most successful and profitable films of Christian Bale’s career.
This film was directed by David O. Russell and was produced by Dorothy Aufiero, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Ryan Kavanaugh, Paul Tamasy, Mark Wahlberg, and Darren Aronofsky in association with Closest to the Hole Productions, Mandeville Films, Relativity Media and Protozoa Pictures. The screenplay work of this film was managed by Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, and Scott Silver, and the story of the film was written by Keith Dorrington, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson.
It has Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo as the lead actors of this biographical film. This film is based on the true-life events of the boxer Micky ward and his half brother Dicky Eklund. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Paramount Pictures and The Weinstein Company. This film was extremely liked by the audience and hence you all should at least watch it once as you will like it.
6. Empire of the Sun (1987)
Empire of the Sun is an American epic war film that was released in 1987 and has a successful runtime of 154 minutes. This film was directed by Steven Spielberg and was produced by Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in association with Amblin Entertainment. The screenplay work of this film was managed by Tom Stoppard and was adapted from the novel with the same name written by J.G. Ballard.
This film has an outstanding star cast that includes John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, and Christian Bale as the lead actors and all of them have performed their roles with extreme perfection. The story of this film reflects the life story of Jamie Graham, a young boy who was living in a very rich British family in Shanghai but ends up as a prisoner of war in the Japanese Internment camp at the time of World War 2.
This film is an autobiography and the distribution rights of this film were owned by Warner Bros Pictures. This 1987 released film was extremely liked by the audience and hence had a very profitable run at the box office. This film was released in three languages that are English, Japanese, and Chinese, and attracted a lot of viewers throughout the globe.
7. The Machinist (2004)
The Machinist features Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, John Sharian, and Michael Ironside as the lead actors and they were very well known actors at that time and after this film their fan following again increased tremendously. This film has marked as one of the best performances of Christian Bale and was also really liked by the audience.
It was directed by Brad Anderson and was produced by Carlos Fernandez in partnership with Castelao Productions, Canal, and ICAA ICF Films. The story of this film was written by Scott Kosar and music work was managed by Roque Banos. The story of this film revolves around Trevor Reznik, a machinist who was fired from his workplace because of the psychological problems that created a big accident with a co-worker of him.
It was released in Spain, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States only but still managed to collect enough amount to be called a super hit film. The Machinist was a psychological thriller film that was released in 2004. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Paramount Classics and Filmax Entertainment and it has a successful runtime of 102 minutes. I would like to advise my readers to watch this film as it is a very interesting film and that’s why it has become a part of our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies.
8. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
3:10 to Yuma is an American western film that was released in 2007 and has a runtime of 122 minutes. This film was extremely liked by the audience and received high IMDB ratings therefore, it has taken eighth place in our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies. This film was also very successful at the box office a collected a huge amount of 70 million dollars. It was directed by James Mangold and was produced by Cathy Konrad.
The screenplay work of this film was managed by Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas and the story of this film was adapted from the best selling novel of United States Three-Ten to Yuma written by Elmore Leonard. This film has Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Ben Foster, Dallas Roberts, Alan Tudyk, Vinessa Shaw, and Logan Lerman as the lead actors of this film.
This is about a drought impoverished rancher that was played by Christian Bale who takes a very dangerous job of taking an outlaw to justice. He had put his life at extreme risk by taking this job. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Lionsgate and it was appreciated by the audience throughout the globe.
9. American Psycho (2000)
American Psycho is an American satirical psychological horror film that was released in 2000. This film was directed by Marry Harron and was produced by Edward R. Pressman, Chris Hanley, and Christian Halsey Solomon in association with Edward R. Pressman Productions and Muse Productions. The screenplay work of this film was managed by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner and was based on the novel with the same name written by Bret Easton Ellis.
It has Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Samantha Mathis, Matt Ross, Bill Sage, Chloe Sevigny, Cara Seymour, Justin Theroux and Guinevere Turner as the lead actors who had given their roles with extreme dedication and perfection. This film is about Patrick Bateman who was a very rich American investment banking executive. In the story, he hides his egoistic nature from co-workers and friends as he gets stuck deep into his violent fantasies.
The distribution rights of this film were owned by Lions Gate Films and Columbia Pictures and it has a successful runtime of 101 minutes. This film collected an amount five times more than its budget and thus was claimed as a super hit film. This film was extremely liked by the audience and also received high IMDB ratings and thus has taken ninth place in our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies.
10. Rescue Dawn (2006)
Rescue Down is an American epic war drama film that was released in 2006 and had a runtime of 125 minutes. This film was not very successful at the box office and even was not able to collect an amount equal to its budget but it received good ratings from IMDB because of the interesting storyline, perfect direction, and well-known cast and thus had made it to the tenth place of our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies.
This film was directed by Werner Herzog and was produced by Steve Marlton, Werner Herzog, Elton Brand, and Harry Knapp in partnership with Gibraltar Films, Thema Production, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The story was written by Werner Herzog the director of this film himself and music production and composition were done by Klaus Badelt and Ernst Reijseger.
This film has Christian Bale and Steve Zahn as the lead actors and they both have given an outstanding performance in this film. The distribution rights of this film were owned by MGM Distribution Co. It was not really a very good film but still received good IMDB ratings and thus I would like to advise you all to watch this film and give your reviews about this film in the comments section below.
11. American Hustle (2013)
American Hustle is an American black comedy crime drama film that was released in 2013. This film was directed by David O. Russell and was produced by Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, and Jonathan Gordon in association with Columbia Pictures, Atlas Entertainment, and Annapurna Pictures. This film was written by David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer and music work were managed by Danny Elfman.
This film has Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C. K., Michael Pena, and Alessandro Nivola as the lead actors and all of them had done their work extremely well. This film is based on two con artists who were very much forced by an FBI agent to perform a sting operation on corrupt politicians. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Sony Pictures Releasing and it has a very successful runtime of 138 minutes.
This film was extremely liked by the audience and also received quite high ratings from IMDB. It also had a very positive run at the box office and collected a whopping amount of 250 million dollars at the box office making it one of the most successful and profitable films of Christian Bale’s career. I would like to advise my readers to watch this film as you can easily fall in love with the story and the characters of this film after watching it.
12. Hostiles (2017)
Hostiles, an American revisionist western film that was released in 2017. This film was not very much successful at the box office because of a lack of promotions and advertising. Even though it has an interesting storyline with an amazing cast but still didn’t achieve the success it was aiming at the box office. This film also received good IMDB ratings that were higher than many blockbuster films of Bale’s career.
Only because of its high IMDB ratings this movie has occupied the twelfth place in our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies. It was directed by Scott Cooper and was produced by Scott Cooper, Ken Kao, and John Lesher in partnership with Waypoint Entertainment, Le Grisbi Productions, and Bloom Media. The screenplay work of this film was manged by the director of the film himself and the story was written by Donald E. Stewart.
This film has Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Jesse Plemons, Adam Beach, Rory Cochrane, and Ben Foster as the lead actors of this film. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Entertainment Studios and Motion Pictures and it has a runtime of !33 minutes. This film was available in English and Cheyenne language and thus it was also the main reason for flop as it has covered a very little audience throughout the globe.
13. Public Enemies (2009)
Public Enemies is an American biographical crime drama film that was released in 2009 and has a very successful runtime of 140 minutes. This film was directed by Michael Mann and was produced by Michael Mann and Kevin Misher in association with Relativity Media, Forward Pass, Misher Films, and TriBeCa Productions. The screenplay work of the film was managed by Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman, and Michael Mann, and this film based on the novel with the same name written by Bryan Burrough.
This film has Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, and Stephen Lang as the lead actors. The story of the film is set in days of the Great Depression. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Universal Pictures. This film was extremely appreciated by the audience and it also received high ratings from critics. This film collected a huge amount of 215 million dollars and thus was considered as one of the most profitable and successful films of 2009. It is a must-watch film and I would also recommend this film to our readers as you all will like it.
14. Out of the Furnace (2013)
Out of the Furnace is an American action thriller film that was released in 2013. This film was not at all successful at the box office and was not able to collect enough amounts to get equal to its budget. It was later declared as flop film but still has become a part of our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies because of the decent IMDB ratings it received. This film was also not very successful when it was released on video streaming platforms but still, if you want to watch it you can watch it on Netflix.
It was directed by Scott Cooper and was produced by Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Kavanaugh, Ridley Scott and Michael Costigan in association with Appian Way Productions, Scott Free Productions, and Red Granite Pictures. This film was written by Brad Ingelsby and Scott Cooper and the music work was managed by Dickon Hinchliffe. It has Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, Zoe Saldana, and Sam Shepard as the lead actors of this film.
This film based on Russell Baze played by Christian Bale, who was a Pennsylvania steel mill worker and his Iraq war veteran brother who was not able to adjust in the circumstances of civilian life. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Relativity Media and it has a runtime of 116 minutes. If you are a big action movie fan you can still take a chance and watch it maybe you like it.
15. The New World (2005)
The New World is a romantic drama film that was released in 2005 and has a runtime of 136 minutes. This film has a very interesting story and also has a very well known cast but still was not able to be called as a blockbuster film. This film collected enough amount at the box office to be called as an above-average film. It was directed by Terrence Malick and was produced by Sarah Green in association with First Foot Films, Sarah Green Film, and Sunflower Productions.
This film was written by the director of the film only and music work was managed by James Horner. It has Colin Farrell, Q’orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer and Christian Bale as the lead actors of this film and all of them have huge fan following throughout the globe. The distribution rights of this film were managed by New Line Cinema and it was available in English and Algonquian language.
This film shows the English exploration of Virginia and overall was a decent film. If you are a romantic film fan then you should try this film and also share your opinions with us in the comment section below. Because of its high IMDB ratings, this film has taken place in our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies.
16. Terminator Salvation (2009)
Terminator Salvation is an American military science fiction action film that was released in 2009. This film was the fourth installment of the Terminator film series and was one of the most successful sequels. This film was extremely liked by the audience and also received millions of positive reviews throughout the globe. It collected a whopping amount of 370 million dollars at the box office and became one of the most successful and profitable films of Bale’s career. It also became a part of the highest-grossing film of 2009.
This film was directed by McG and was produced by Derek Anderson, Moritz Borman, Victor Kubicek, and Jeffrey Silver in partnership with Columbia Pictures, The Halcyon Company, and Wonderland Sound and Vision. This film was written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris and music work was managed by Danny Elfman. It has Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common, Jane Alexander, and Helena Bonham Carter as the lead actors and all of them have performed their roles with extreme dedication and perfection.
The distribution rights of this film were owned by Warner Bros Pictures for the American audience and by Sony Pictures releasing for the international audience and this film has a very successful runtime of 115 minutes. It was a superb film and I would like to advise all my viewers to watch this film if you haven’t watched it yet.
17. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a romantic comedy fantasy drama film that was released in 1999. This film was directed by Michael Hoffman and was produced by Michael Hoffman and Leslie Urdang in partnership with Regency Productions. The screenplay work of this film was managed by the director of the film himself and it was adapted from the novel with the same name written by William Shakespeare.
It has Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, Christian Bale, Sophie Marceau, and David Strathairn as the lead actors of this romantic film. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Fox Searchlight Pictures and it has a successful runtime of 116 minutes. This film received a mixed response from the audience and also performed quite decent at the box office and collected enough amount to be called as a hit film.
18. Reign of Fire (2002)
Reign of Fire is an apocalyptic science fantasy film that was released in 2002 and has a successful runtime of 102 minutes. This film performed quite well at the box office and collected a decent amount of 83 million dollars at the box office and was announced as a super hit film. It also received a high positive response from the audience and thus had made it to our list of best 20 Christian Bale movies.
This film was directed by Rob Bowman and was produced by Richard D. Zanuck, Lili Fini Zanuck, Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, and Dean Zanuck in association with Touchstone Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, and The Zanuck Company. The screenplay work of the film was managed by Matt Greenberg, Gregg Chabot and Kevin Peterka and the story of the film were written by Gregg Chabot and Kevin Peterka.
This film has Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco, and Gerard Butler as the lead actors of this film. The distribution rights of this film were managed by Buena Vista Pictures and this film was released in UK, Ireland, and the US only but still managed to get a super hit tag.
19. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
Exodus: Gods and Kings is an epic biblical film that as released in 2014. It was directed by Ridley Scott and was produced by Peter Chernin, Ridley Scott, Jenno Topping, Michael Schaefer, and Mark Huffam in partnership with Chernin Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, Babieka, Volcano Films, and TSG Entertainment. This film was written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, and Steven Zaillian and music composition and production work were managed by Alberto Iglesias.
It has Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn, Sigourney Weaver, and Ben Kingsley as the lead actors. The distribution rights of this film were owned by 20th Century Fox and it has a successful runtime of 150 minutes. This film was very much liked by the audience and thus had a very successful run at the box office and collected a whopping amount of 270 million dollars. Because of all this, it has taken nineteenth place in our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies.
20. Shaft (2000)
Shaft is an American action thriller film that was released in 2000. This film was highly appreciated by the audience and also received decent points form IMDB thus it has taken place in our list of 20 best Christian Bale movies. It crossed the 100 million mark at the box office and made its place in the list of most successful and profitable films of Bale’s career.
This film was directed by John Singleton and was produced by Scott Rudin and John Singleton in association with Scott Rudin Productions and New Deal Productions. The screenplay work of this film was managed by Richard Price, John Singleton, and Shane Salerno, and the story of the film was written by John Singleton and Shane Salerno.
It has Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale, Dan Hedaya, Busta Rhymes, Toni Collette and Richard Roundtree as the lead actors of this action film. The distribution rights of this film were owned by Paramount Pictures and it has a successful runtime of 99 minutes. I would like to advise my audience to watch this film as it can easily become a part of your favorite films in this quarantine period.
This was all about the 20 best Christian Bale movies from our sides. Now, I would also like to know which movie of Christian Bale you liked the most so, surely comment down your favorite movies in the comment section below. For more updates stay tuned to Otakukart.
