Almost all of his roles, as an adult actor, have been ones in which a character is beset by darkness that (all too often) plays out into stark violence.

Not that there's anything (necessarily) wrong w/that. But I think Bale needs to expand himself, just a bit, and start taking on some very non-dark roles, and/or play characters that are not going to only or mainly wrestle w/darkness.

It's become tedious. It's as if Bale is deeply convinced that a role is not complex, or right for him, unless there's rage or gore or blood or agonizing pain on tap.

Christian Bale showed brilliant promise in the movie: Empire of the Sun. That movie had plenty of darkness, but the darkness was not it's ulitmate message or even most important theme. I think that Empire is Steven Spielberg's best movie, to date; it's also an underappreicated masterpiece. Bale was a huge part of why it's so good.

Is it underlooked because of its finer subtleties, that go beyond mere gore and pain? I think so.

I wonder if Christian Bale is even able to possibly force himself to play a sunny character, in a good, well-made, well-acted movie?

I see, via IMDB, that Bale's upcoming projects are all violence-riddled, as is ususal for him: Killing Pablo, Terminator 5 and yet another Batman Movie.

Doesn't he find this sort of thing a bit tedious, after a while? Well, obviously not, but I know that I do. I really can't stand to watch him, as an adult actor, which is ironic, given how awed and amazed I was with his acting when he was only all of thirteen.

Sure, Some dark roles are fine, but Bale's made them his speciality, much to his (and the viewer's) detriment, I believe. Maybe "dark" is the wrong description to use, perhaps. As I've said, Empire of the Sun is a very dark movie, but it's also a very transcendent movie.

How about something lighter, for a change, Christian? Think you can do it?

Habitual Intensity, for a very talented actor as Bale is, can be a drug that grows just as ho-hum (for the viewer) as anything else that's addictively relied upon.

I think Bale needs to go over to the light side.

I think he should at least try.

Hell, you don't have to become Jim Carrey (who, it seems, can do both light And dark).

Just Do something light, for a change. That's all. And not something that's light as a pretext for violence.

Do something that's both deep and light - say, along the lines of Peter Seller's character in Being There. Or even the Tom Hanks character of Forrest Gump.

Is Bale brave enough? Or, would he rather just be a cliche of the "tormented actor taking on - yawn - tormented roles" the rest of his life?

I feel that Tom Cruise has a natural darkness or madness to him that he avoids but when he flaunts it (see Tropic Thunder) it can be pretty potent. Bale is the oposite, he tries really hard to be moody and dark but it just never seems all that real.

He needs to liven up, a la Jackman who can play a painfully serious Wolverine and then jump back into funny and light fare.

Lugaru, interesting point re: Cruise; I'd like to see TC play a very drab, middle-aged character. He (sort of) came (a bit) close w/Born On The 4th of July. But, the innate heroism of the role transcended any normal qualities it also contained.

TC relies on his star power way too much. It's potent, just like Bale's dark side, and the public clamors for more of an actor's strong side when it's what makes them famous.

I'd like to see TC play a non-crazy, non-angry, dweeby sort. A true failure, w/o the gloss of Jerry Maguire, for god's sake.

C'mon Tom. Step up to the plate.

While I agree about Empire of the Sun, I think the case with Bale is one of simply being vastly over-rated. There is too much "sameness" in all of his performances. It just seems like the same dude, with the same inner life and personal history, just in different scenarios and costumes. Could also be the accent that keeps him from varying his characterizations. I just heppen to think he's an incredibly boring actor.

Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder may actually be his (TC) best performance ever. Certainly since Magnolia.

screwjack2008:

Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder may actually be his (TC) best performance ever. Certainly since Magnolia.

Tom Cruise stole the show as Les Grossman in "Tropic Thunder." The scene at the end with him dancing was unbelievable. I wonder if there's any way they could create a two hour film vehicle for the character.

It would be interesting. The character is a married guy, so I wonder what he'd be like at home. The speech he gives about Tugg Speedman being a "dying star" was incredible. I'm sure the irony wasn't missed on him. It was also apparently Tom's idea to have huge hands which added alot to his screen presence, I thought. When I first read about his part I thought it was going to be more like an over-the-top Mike Myers, Austin Powers-type cartoonish fat suit. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. Ben Still knows what's he doing. Sorry, off topic. I could talk for hours about Tropic Thunder. And don't even get me started on Robert Downey Jr...LOL!

. . . Metroland, with Emily Watson? That's relatively lighthearted, and uses Bale to solid effect. It also gives lie to facile dismissals of "bourgeois" values, suggesting, Flaubert-style, that an orderly life can offer a good base for subtler subversions.

Of course, to offer the ol' "grain of salt" warning, I've got a serious thing for Emily Watson.

I'm going to have to check out Metroland...

Christian Bale is shit. All he can do effectively is flex his jaw, make the vein on his forehead bulge and replay his 1,000 yard stare. He hasn't got any charisma and he can't do accents - did you see him in Reign of Fire ? He couldn't do a Cockney accent and he's from bloody Britain ! The only role he's believable in is a psychopath because...well, you saw him on Youtube, didn't you ? If he spoke to me like that, I'D BUST HIS CHOPS !!!!!!!!!

McG's a dude, man - he even lent me his snowboard when we were up in Aspen - and Bale - he's just a cool Carl motherfucker.