Every single Christian Bale movie, ranked

Meghan CookFeb 2, 2021, 04:31 IST

Christian Bale's acting career spans across multiple decades.Warner Bros. and Lionsgate Films

Christian Bale is perhaps best known for playing Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.
The actor's highest-rated films include "The Dark Knight," "American Hustle," and "Henry V."
Critics didn't share as much love for "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" and "Exodus: Gods and Kings."

Christian Bale has made his mark on a variety of genres, from Shakespearean dramas to action-heavy superhero films.

Seeing as he has such a long and storied film career, it's no surprise that Bale's works have been met with varying degrees of criticism over the years.

Here is every movie Bale has been in, ranked according to critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes:

Note: All scores were current on the date of publication and are subject to change. Films without critical ratings were not included.

Bale played Mandras in "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" (2001).

Penélope Cruz and Christian Bale in "Captain Corelli's Mandolin." Universal

Bale portrayed Moses in "Exodus: Gods and Kings" (2014).

Christian Bale in "Exodus: Gods and Kings." Twentieth Century Fox

He was John Connor in "Terminator Salvation" (2009).

Christian Bale stars alongside Sam Worthington in "Terminator Salvation." Warer Bros. Pictures

In "Newsies" (1992), Bale played Jack Kelly.

Christian Bale in "Newsies." Buena Vista Pictures

He starred as John Preston in the drama "Equilibrium" (2002).

Christian Bale in the 2002 film "Equilibrium." Miramax Films

Bale played John Miller in "The Flowers of War" (2011).

Christian Bale in "The Flowers of War." Wrekin Hill Entertainment

Bale was Quinn Abercromby in "Reign of Fire" (2002).

Christian Bale starred alongside Matthew McConaughey in "Reign of Fire." Jonatha Hession/Spyglass Entertainment

In "The Portrait of a Lady" (1996), he played Edward Rosier.

"The Portrait of a Lady" starred Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich. PolyGram Video

In the romantic-drama "Knight of Cups" (2016), Bale starred as Rick.

Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale in "Knight of Cups." Melinda Sue Gordon/Broad Green Pictures

He played Jim Luther Davis in "Harsh Times" (2006).

Christian Bale in "Harsh Times." MGM

Bale played Stevie in "Joseph Conrad's 'The Secret Agent'" (1996).

Christian Bale in "Joseph Conrad's 'The Secret Agent.'" 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

In the romantic drama "The Promise" (2017), he played Chris Myers.

Christian Bale starred as a photojournalist in "The Promise." Open Road Films

Bale voiced Bagheera in "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle" (2018).

Christian Bale voiced the panther Bagheera in the Netflix film. Netflix

In "Out of the Furnace" (2013), he played Russell Baze.

Christian Bale as Russell Baze in "Out of the Furnace." Relativity Media

Bale voiced Thomas in the Disney animated film "Pocahontas" (1995).

Christian Bale and Mel Gibson's characters in Disney's "Pocahontas." Disney

He was Thomas Berger in "Swing Kids" (1993).

Christian Bale and Robert Sean Leonard in "Swing Kids." Buena Vista Pictures

He was Arthur Stuart in "Velvet Goldmine" (1998).

Christian Bale as Arthur Stuart in "Velvet Goldmine." Miramax Films

He played John Rolfe in "The New World" (2005).

Christian Bale returned to the story of Pocahontas in "The New World." New Line Cinema

In the comedic drama "Metroland" (1999), Bale starred as Chris.

Christian Bale in "Metroland." Universal Pictures

He was Bobby Platt in "All the Little Animals" (1999).

Christian Bale and John Hurt in "All the Little Animals." Lions Gate Films

Bale portrayed Dick Cheney in "Vice" (2018).

Christian Bale as Dick Cheney in "Vice." Annapurna Pictures

He played Walter Wade Jr. in the action movie "Shaft" (2000).

Christian Bale played suspected-murderer Walter Wade Jr. in "Shaft." Paramount Pictures

He was Demetrius in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1999).

Christian Bale, Calista Flockhart, Dominic West, and Anna Friel in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Twentieth Century Fox

Bale was FBI agent Melvin Purvis in "Public Enemies" (2009).

FBI agent Melvin Purvis goes after John Dillinger in "Public Enemies." Universal

He played Sam in "Laurel Canyon" (2003).

Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale in "Laurel Canyon." Neal Preston/Sony Pictures

Bale starred as Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho" (2000).

Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho." Lionsgate

He was Captain Joseph J. Blocker in "Hostiles" (2018).

Christian Bale played an Army captain in "Hostiles." Lorey Sebastian/Yellow Hawk Inc.

Bale played Jim "Jamie" Graham in "Empire of the Sun" (1987).

Christian Bale's first major film role was in "Empire of the Sun." Warner Bros.

In the drama "The Prestige" (2006), he played Alfred Borden.

Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman in "The Prestige." Francois Duhamel/Touchstone Pictures

He was Trevor Reznik in "The Machinist" (2004).

Christian Bale is pushed to extremes in "The Machinist." Paramount Classics

Bale played Jack Rollins in the drama "I'm Not There" (2007).

Christian Bale as Jack Rollins. The Weinstein Co.

He originated his depiction of Bruce Wayne in "Batman Begins" (2005).

Christian Bale as Batman in "Batman Begins." Warner Bros. Pictures

He completed his role as Bruce Wayne in "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012).

Christian Bale's final role as Batman in "The Dark Knight Rises." Ron Phillips/Warner Bros. Pictures

He played Michael Burry in "The Big Short" (2015).

Christian Bale's character tackles the housing crisis in "The Big Short." Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures

Bale was Dan Evans in the western "3:10 to Yuma" (2007).

Christian Bale in "3:10 to Yuma." Lionsgate Films

In "Rescue Dawn" (2007), he depicted Dieter Dengler.

Christian Bale in "Rescue Dawn." MGM

He played Dicky Eklund in "The Fighter" (2010).

Christian Bale stars alongside Mark Wahlberg in "The Fighter." Paramount Pictures

Bale portrayed Laurie in "Little Women" (1994).

Winona Ryder and Christian Bale in 1994's "Little Women." Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

He appeared in the documentary "Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial & Depiction" (2017).

"Intent to Destroy" sheds light on the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute

He played Ken Miles in "Ford v Ferrari" (2019).

Matt Damon and Christian Bale in "Ford v Ferrari." Merrick Morton/Twentieth Century Fox

In "American Hustle" (2013), Bale starred as Irving Rosenfield.

Amy Adams and Christian Bale in "American Hustle." Francois Duhamel/Annapurna Productions

He returned as Bruce Wayne in "The Dark Knight" (2008).

Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as Joker in "The Dark Knight." DC Comics/Warner Bros.

Bale played Sir John Falstaff's luggage-boy in "Henry V" (1989), his highest-rated film.

"Henry V" was Christian Bale's third film. MGM Home Entertainment

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