1. The Machinist (2004)
Bales Character: Trevor Reznik Before Christian Bale was Batman, he was Trevor Reznik in Brad Andersons cerebral thriller The Machinist. If you want to talk about mind blowing performances of any variety then Bales turn as Reznik The Machinists emaciated, insomniac industrial worker must surely feature in the discussion. For starters, Trevor Reznik doesnt even look at all like Christian Bale and thats not thanks to any special effects make-up, or clever computer trickery, thats down to the fact that the extremely dedicated method actor dropped 63lbs, simply for the verisimilitude. And it wasnt even at the request of helmsman Anderson either, who apparently never asked Bale to drop such a dangerously unhealthy amount of weight. Talk about suffering for your art. The end result is that Bales Trevor Reznik looks on the verge of death. Hes beyond thin; he looks completely malnourished and well exactly like he would if he hadnt slept for a year. Its another stupendous turn from a man whos clearly willing to put his health and well-being on the line in order to deliver us that mind-blowing performance.