4. 3: 10 to Yuma (2007)
Bales Character: Dan Evans Bale is often criminally overlooked when people talk about 3:10 to Yuma; not by a long shot because his performance is bad but invariably because Russell Crowes performance is just so god damned incredible. Overshadowing aside, Bale also performs superbly as an impoverished one-legged rancher who for $200 agrees to escort the notorious bandit Ben Wade across the country to board a prison-bound train. The character of Dan Evans embodies the spirit of wild west honour but Bale approaches his performance with a quiet nervousness that belies Dan Evans massive reserve of willpower. He draws not just from Evans penultimate need to provide for his family (Evans land is quickly souring, so this is a definite factor) but from his powerful intrinsic desire to achieve something meaningful out of life. Its subtle stuff, but if weve learned one thing about Christian Bale from his illustrious career so far, its that he does subtle well. Far from being outperformed by Crowe, as some will insist is the case, the two leads actually accentuate other perfectly, like a fine wine with an expensive steak.