Academy Award-winning actor Christan Bale has worked with the best of the best when it comes to Hollywood's behind-the-cam auteurs. That usually goes hand-in-hand with working alongside fellow Oscar-winning actors. While his latest starring vehicle Amsterdam was a flop, critically and commercially, it saw him re-teaming with award-winning director David O. Russell, and we hope the two collaborate again soon.

Speaking of — we took a closer look at Bale's Oscar-nominated filmography and narrowed that list down to the finest projects. As we count down the days until Bale's next film The Pale Blue Eye hits the masses, let's all celebrate his proudest achievements on the big screen front. Read our ranked list of films below.

7 The New World (2005)

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Sarah Green Film

Oscar-nominated for its stunning cinematography, compliments of the legendary Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki, The New World is one of Terrence Malick's finer efforts, especially when compared to his 21st Century body of work. The award-winning director takes that true-story Disney classic (Pocahontas) and makes the colonial story his own in true "Malickian" form. The storyline follows Captain John Smith (Colin Farrell) as his ship arrives in 1607 to found Jamestown, an English colony in Virginia. Bale plays famed settler John Rolfe, who makes a dramatic entrance deep into the film's second act when he proceeds to fall in love with Pocahontas as well. His character's late arrival into the film is surely worth the wait.

Related: These Are the Best Christian Bale Movies, Ranked

6 American Hustle (2013)

Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper in American Hustle (2013)
Sony Pictures Releasing
Panorama Media

Nominated for 10 Oscars, four of which from all acting categories (via THR), American Hustle is pure David O. Russell cinema. A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals, the overstuffed film tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who, along with his seductive "British" partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia — and that means a killer cameo comes in the third act. Bale put on a ton of weight for this project that impressively followed his turn in Russell's previous film The Fighter that had required Bale to lose an absurd amount of weight. What a guy!

5 The Prestige (2006)

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Touchstone Pictures

Oscar-nominated for its cinematography and art direction, The Prestige is one of Christopher Nolan's finest films, even if it's often overshadowed by bigger titles like his Batman trilogy and Inception. In 19th Century London, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), his beloved wife Julia (Piper Perabo) and Alfred Borden (Bale) are friends and assistants of a magician. When Julia accidentally dies during a performance, Robert blames Alfred for her death, and they become enemies. Both become famous and rival magicians, sabotaging the performance of the other on the stage. The plot is riddled with clever twists and turns — and Bale in a "dual" role will make your head spin.

4 Vice (2018)

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Annapurna Pictures

Nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Actor for Bale, Vice also won in a category for makeup and hairstyling. We all know the real-life situation played out here: George W. Bush picks Dick Cheney, CEO of Halliburton Company, to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No stranger to politics, Cheney's impressive resume includes stints as White House Chief of Staff, House Minority Whip, and Defense Secretary. When Bush wins by a narrow margin, Cheney begins to use his newfound power to help reshape the country and the world — with fatal consequences.

Related: Best Christian Bale Action Movies, Ranked

3 The Fighter (2010)

Bale Wahlberg The Fighter
Relativity Media

Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including a win for Bale in the Best Supporting Actor category, The Fighter is one of his best performances. The drama is about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer with a history of crime and drug abuse under his belt. Mark Wahlberg is the true protagonist as Irish, but Bale's journey in Dicky's shoes is the character arc we're really invested in here. Bale's Oscar win was a shoo-in, to say the least.

2 The Big Short (2015)

Christian Bale in The Big Short (2015)
Paramount Pictures

Nominated for five Oscars, including one for Bale in the Best Supporting Actor category, The Big Short follows three separate but parallel stories of the U.S mortgage housing crisis of 2005. Bale nails the role of Michael Burry, an eccentric ex-physician turned hedge fund manager who believes the U.S. housing market is built on a bubble that will soon burst. He proceeds to bet against the housing market with the banks, who are more than happy to accept his proposal for something that has never happened in American history.

1 The Dark Knight (2008)

Batman standing in rubble in Gotham in The Dark Knight (2008)
Warner Bros. Pictures

Nominated for eight Oscars, two of which were wins, The Dark Knight probably should have gotten a Best Picture nod as well. Oh, well. The riveting story is set within a year after the events of Batman Begins (2005). Batman (Bale), Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) successfully begin to round up the criminals that plague Gotham City — that is, until a criminal mastermind known only as the Joker (Heath Ledger) appears, creating a new wave of chaos. Batman's struggle against the Joker becomes deeply personal. Bale's scenes with Ledger are the ultimate hero vs. villain moments that we wait for in superhero films. This movie will be talked about for generations.