A perennial fan favorite, Christian Bale is making headlines again in 2022 as the villain Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder. Though critics and fans have been divided about the movie, Bale’s performance has been widely praised.
Having played over 50 movie characters throughout his career, it’s hard to pick the best among the actor’s filmography. However, from a yuppie serial killer to a certain caped superhero, a couple of his characters have stood 0ut as more intelligent than the rest. And even among the smart ones, some can be described as having slightly higher brainpower than their counterparts.
Patrick Bateman – American Psycho (2000)
One of the best serial killer movies where the villain gets away follows the young New York investment banker, Patrick Bateman. He lives an affluent lifestyle but happens to have murderous tendencies.
Bateman’s career achievements in the financial industry mean he is a little bit clever. Nonetheless, he is very careless as a serial killer. Discretion is hardly in his DNA and he is happy chasing victims down the stairs of an apartment block or stuffing body parts in his closet. He makes a habit of killing people on the streets too, something that could easily expose him to witnesses. Bateman has poor self-control, demonstrated by how he murders a colleague due to feelings of rage and jealousy. It’s a surprise that he doesn’t get caught but all that is tied to the hint at the end of the movie that he might have been imagining the events.
Ken Miles – Ford V Ferrari (2019)
Ken Miles is required by the Ford Motor Company to help build and drive a car that will defeat Ferrari at the annual Le Mans competition. As he embraces his new task, his wild attitude becomes an impediment to his career progress.
High IQ people are always able to come up with great ideas or products, and Miles’ engineering knowledge helps design revolutionary models such as the Ford GT40 Mk I and GT40 Mk II. Sadly, he often permits his arrogance and anger to cloud his judgment, which in turn ruins his relationship with his superiors. Consequently, he gets denied opportunities. He can’t be considered a successful protagonist either since he doesn’t get to win a race.
John Connor – Terminator Salvation (2009)
In a futuristic society where machines rule over humans, John Connor orchestrates an uprising. This makes him the main target of the machines.
Though the machines are flawless in their thinking, John is able to outfox them on numerous occasions. Even the best of them, the T-800 has a hard time dealing with him. As for his ideas, John faces plenty of opposition from fellow resistance members but he is eventually proven to be right, leading to a victory against the machines.
Dicky Ecklund – The Fighter (2010)
After his career stalls, boxer Dicky Ecklund dedicates his career to helping his younger brother Micky. Sadly, Dicky’s struggles with drug addiction make him an outcast in his family.
Dicky’s intellect is best seen through his schemes. Eager to raise enough money for his brother, he does things such as having his girlfriend pose as an escort and then show up as a police officer to extort the client. His training methods are quite effective too. Thanks to Dicky’s tutelage, Micky is able to turn around a fight he was almost losing.
Gorr The God Butcher – Thor: Love And Thunder (2022)
One of the most powerful Thor villains, Gorr becomes bitter and vengeful when his daughter dies and he gets mocked by a god he looked up to. He thus dedicates his life to killing gods.
Gorr isn’t just about brutality; he is strategic too. He knows that not every opponent he faces will be a weak one. So, while dealing with Thor and his friends, he kidnaps Asgardian children and uses them as a bargaining chip. Gorr’s dark sense of humor also highlights his superior way of thinking. His words not only enable him to intimidate his opponents but also to fool them. And like every wise person, Gorr eventually realizes the error of his ways and changes.
Irving Rosenfeld – American Hustle (2013)
Irving Rosenfeld, a con artist, faces an unexpected challenge when an FBI agent discovers his activities. In addition to that, an agent falls for Irving’s mistress, a fellow con artist named, Sydney.
Problem-solving skills are a perfect way to analyze intelligence and the most impressive thing about Irving is that he figures out ways to overcome his challenges by the end of the movie. Not only does he get the FBI agent off his back by helping him take down some politicians but is also able to convince his wife to give him custody, something that was making him reluctant to get divorced. The tricks Irving uses to achieve his goals, such as fooling a mafia enforcer, are quite mindblowing too.
Dick Cheney – Vice (2018)
An extremely ambitious person, Dick Cheney rises from the position of a lineman in Wyoming to the Vice President of the United States. The higher he rises, the more complex his life becomes.
Cheney is wise enough to change his behavior after his wife threatens to leave him. He is extremely opportunistic too, evident from how he quickly endears himself to the right people as soon as he gets hired as an intern at the White House. Additionally, Cheney’s decision-making skills are far superior to those around him, hence the reason he is trusted to make decisions about the most sensitive issues such as the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bruce Wayne/Batman – The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005 – 2012)
After the death of his parents, Bruce Wayne gets mentored by the man that would become one of the best Batman villains, Ra’s Al Ghul. As Batman, Bruce then begins fighting crime in Gotham.
As an influential billionaire who is presumably tracked by the paparazzi most of the time, Bruce deserves to be commended for living a double life without the public ever realizing it. He never lacks a concrete plan to outfox his enemies either. As a result, he is able to defeat Ra’s, the Joker, Two-Face, and Bane. Bruce’s numerous unique gadgets are also a confirmation of the fact that he has a firm understanding of technology, something that enables him to do his vigilante work with ease.
Melvin Purvis – Public Enemy (2009)
After killing the notorious Depression Era gangster known as Pretty Boy Floyd, FBI agent Melvin Purvis is tasked with leading the hunt for John Dillinger. He eventually manages to take down the gangster outside a theater.
As an agent, Purvis demonstrates an ability to gather information much easier than his counterparts. It doesn’t take long for him to figure out where Pretty Boy and Dillinger are hiding. He’s able to judge the competence of others quite easily too, which is why he makes a request for some of his team members to be replaced with more capable agents. His strategies are well thought out too, notably one where he coaxes a brothel owner into providing information on Dillinger.
Michael Burry – The Big Short (2015)
In one of the best movies about money, hedge fund manager Michael Burry discovers that the American housing market might collapse, hence he tries to take advantage of the situation. However, things don’t end up being as straightforward as he hoped.
Ordinarily, intelligent people spot opportunities quicker than others, and Burry proves he is in the high IQ league by not only figuring out exactly how the housing market bubble is going to play out but also how to make money from it. Burry is also said to have built his investment firm, Scion Capital, from the ground up and is said to be very liquid. Building a successful company on Wall Street is definitely only something that individuals with high analytical skills can pull off.
NEXT: 10 Smartest Characters In Alfred Hitchcock Movies, Ranked
