7) The Prestige
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The genius of Bale’s performance in Christopher Nolan’s drama of obsession The Prestige is only truly noticeable after a second watch, when the viewer knows ‘Alfred Borden’ was really two people all along. On a second viewing we can appreciate what this really is: a magnificent, and magnificently subtle, dual performance by a single actor.
Watch the movie again, closely: where one Alfred is the quieter family man, the other is a more self-centred, boorish figure. They share characteristics – they’re both cocky and proud – but the beauty’s in the small but clear dissimilarities that Bale brings to each brother. It’s perhaps the most under-sung performance in a Christopher Nolan movie, and one of Bale’s criminally less-appreciated efforts.