10 Times Christian Bale Left Us Speechless

6) American Psycho

Patrick Bateman is one of Christian Bale’s most iconic characters; he’s also one that barely fits in with the rest of the actor’s creations. In American Psycho, more so than in any of his other movies, Bale is mannered and artificial, not based in something that feels real unlike so many of his other turns. The performance itself is false, almost cartoonish.

Of course, that’s entirely the point: the vapid, possibly psychotic Bateman is supposed to seem fake, like a carbon copy of a person without any of the noticeably human characteristics. He’s a terrifying sort of blank, perpetually bored and living only for his own pleasure. It could have been so difficult to watch, but American Psycho perversely happens to be home to hands-down Bale’s laugh-out-loud funniest performance.