Christian Bale’s Most Underrated Performances Happened 10 Years Apart in Movies by the Same Director

With the awards season well underway and the Academy Awards quickly approaching, it is time to revisit and reconsider the greatest movie acting performances of the 21st century. Whether it’s a supporting role, or a lead role, a man or a woman, a blockbuster or an understated indie film, each and every award-nominated performance has something to appreciate. From Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood to Charlize Theron in Monster, to Christopher Plummer in Beginners, to Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers, there have been so many mind-blowing performances since the turn of the century, but only one of them can be the best. One particularly strong contender comes from the Best Supporting Actor category of the 83rd Academy Awards.

Christian Bale’s first and only Oscar victory is also one of the best. In 2010, he took home the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in the Mark Wahlberg-led film The Fighter. The man behind Dicky Ecklund is one of the most well-regarded actors in the movie business today. Bale captured the hearts of blockbuster fans during the 2000s with his unique and iconic portrayal of Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, and he hasn’t slowed down since. Despite his Oscar victory being one of the best of the century, The Fighter might not even be Bale’s best performance. Two contenders for the best Christian Bale performance came in 2013 and 2023 in movies by the same exact writer-director.

Out of the Furnace Was Christian Bale and Scott Cooper’s First Collaboration

Out of the Furnace Christian bale — Image via Appian Way Productions

Immediately after the release of The Dark Knight Rises, Christian Bale found himself in a bit of a wasteland. For nearly the entirety of the preceding decade, he had films to prepare for, a schedule to consider, and roles to look forward to, but now he was completely wide open. This, of course, opened the door for his incredibly exciting collaborations with the aforementioned highly acclaimed filmmakers, but it also opened the door for collaborations with up-and-coming voices. One of these voices was Scott Cooper, a former television and film actor, who made the bold jump to directing in 2009.

Cooper’s directorial debut outing was Crazy Heart. The film was a Hank Thompson-inspired musical drama that led to Jeff Bridges’ long overdue Best Actor victory. Crazy Heart was a critical and financial smash, and it led to Scott Cooper having the pick of the litter overnight. While Cooper’s drama sensibilities seemed perfectly suited for a career in biopics, he chose to pivot into the realm of crime thrillers. Cooper began to work on Out of the Furnace after being inspired by a real-life story and his experience of losing a sibling while growing up. Little did he know the film would lead to a match made in heaven. Prior to even meeting the acclaimed actor, Cooper wrote the screenplay for Out of the Furnace with Christian Bale in mind and even went as far as to refuse to make the film without Bale’s involvement. This connection is exactly what makes Out of the Furnace one of Bale’s best performances. There is an understanding of Bale’s public persona and his previous acting experiences, and Cooper manages to both perfectly utilize and subvert these expectations.

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On the surface, Out of the Furnace is not too different from the average Christian Bale film fans see today. The film is a gritty crime drama that primarily follows Russell Baze, a down-on-luck steel mill worker in an underdeveloped Pennsylvania town (inspired by Braddock, Pennsylvania). When his younger brother, Rodney Baze (Casey Affleck), goes missing, Russell, already flooded with problems of his own, is thrust into a desperate quest for answers against ruthless gangsters and a local police chief. His search leads him deep into a brutal, unforgiving underworld of prize fighting and crime-doing controlled by Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson). Russell is forced to confront the difficult life his brother was living and reluctantly sets off on the exact path he warned his brother against. Russell, who previously found himself in prison for vehicular manslaughter, finds himself torn between staying clean and being true to his principles and embracing a path of vengeance.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Ridley Scott were attached to Out of the Furnace early in development. Plans eventually fell through, but both decided to stay on as producers.

While the film has an incredibly exciting premise, it is primarily a character study. The film is very understated when compared to most “revenge” films. Instead of a focus on violence, there is a focus on emotion, and the film is better for it. Despite occasional action scenes and an incredibly exciting finale, Out of the Furnace is much more notable for its stark realism, slow pace, and beautifully dark storytelling. The story is a reflection on brotherhood, post-traumatic stress disorder, and the impact of environment on behavior. Cooper’s debut is dark, saddening, and completely devoid of hope for the vast majority of the runtime, and it is all held together by the central Christian Bale performance.

What is The Pale Blue Eye About?

Christian Bale and Scott Cooper’s collaborations wouldn’t stop in 2013. Cooper took a quick detour in 2015, working with Johnny Depp on the highly acclaimed Black Mass, but returned to his best and brightest collaborator in 2017. 2017 saw the release of Hostiles, a Western drama about the relationship between a cavalry officer and a Cheyenne war chief. The film stars Ben Foster, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, a young Timothée Chalamet, and, of course, Christian Bale in an incredibly powerful role. Despite the star-studded cast and favorable reviews, Hostiles slid under the radar. The film unfortunately suffered because of the crowded year that was 2017, and because of the sheer brilliance of Bale and Cooper’s third collaboration. Six years later, and exactly 10 years after Out of the Furnace, Bale and Cooper would join forces for their third, and perhaps best, film project together.

Composite image 3:10 To Yuma and Hostiles scenes

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The Pale Blue Eye is a retro murder mystery film set at West Point Military Academy. After a series of grisly murders shock the community, Augustus Landor, a world-weary detective with a hardened exterior, is called in to sniff out the truth. As the investigation continues, so do the murders. The body of a cadet is discovered with disturbing, ritualistic markings, and Landor quickly deduces that these are more than simple acts of violence. Landor, struggling to crack the case, reluctantly teams up with a young Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling). Poe is a strange yet observant cadet who very closely mirrors the Edgar Allan Poe that modern fans know.

The young man is fascinated with death, the uneasy, and the macabre but offers unique insights into the academy that contrast Landor’s realistic and linear thinking. The unlikely duo dives deeper and deeper into the underbelly of this institution and slowly discovers that the culprit could be more sinister and satanic than they ever expected. From brutal murders to suspicious students to black magic and potential double agents, The Pale Blue Eye will keep even the most astute viewers on their toes. The investigation forces both men, but particularly Landor, to confront their inner demons as the case hits even closer to home than previously imagined.

Scott Cooper presented Christian Bale with the story for The Pale Blue Eye 10 years prior while making Out of the Furnace, but decided to wait to make it.

While the critical response to The Pale Blue Eye pales in comparison to Hostiles and Out of the Furnace, it deserves a second look, particularly for the powerhouse Christian Bale performance. The Pale Blue Eye demonstrates everything that makes the 2010 Academy Award winner so deserving of that honor. Bale’s performance in David O’Russell’s The Fighter can be described as raw, visceral, and deeply vulnerable on the exterior.

Bale has repeatedly worn his heart on his sleeve in his films, from The Machinist to Knight of Cups, all the way to his MCU debut in Thor: Love and Thunder, but he can also do the complete opposite. Bale’s Augustus Landor is hardened and unbothered but deeply haunted. Bale shows his incredible range in this performance, teetering on the edge of spilling out with emotion but holding it all in until the very end. He performs a high-wire act of forcing himself to be emotionless while the trauma and despair are left unsaid but fully understood by the audience.

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It’s impossible to pick a favorite Christian Bale performance, but one thing for sure is that when Scott Cooper and Christian Bale team up, it is certain to be a must-watch. Cooper’s next film, the Bruce Springsteen biopic entitled Deliver Me From Nowhere, is unfortunately Bale-less, but the duo will reunite again someday. In the meantime, fans would be remiss if they didn’t check out these two underrated films, as they feature one of the greatest actors in the world at the top of their game.

Out of the Furnace

Release Date

December 6, 2013

Runtime

116minutes

Director

Scott Cooper
The Pale Blue Eye

Release Date

January 6, 2023

Runtime

128 minutes

Director

Scott Cooper