Christian Bale’s Infamous 2001 Action Flop Gets Surprisingly Positive Review from Gun Expert

Gun specialist Taran Butler reviewed Christian Bale’s notorious 2001 action film Equilibrium and found it to be unexpectedly good, complimenting it on its extravagant action scenes. In the science fiction movie, bale plays John Preston, a powerful cleric in a dystopian future where feelings are repressed. John, however, manages to escape his brainwashing and attempts to reclaim his life from the ruling dictatorship. Despite being a box office bomb and receiving negative reviews from critics, numerous audience ratings suggest that this was one of Bale’s best films.

Speaking with Corridor Crew about their show “Stuntmen React,” Butler has now provided a favourable assessment of Equilibrium’s action-packed scenes.

Beginning at 10:59, Butler describes how the outrageous way the combat scenes are presented makes for even more amazing, yet masterfully crafted, action scenes. Niko, one of the hosts, adds his insights about the creation of the movie’s practical effects. See what Niko and Butler had to say about this below:

Taran Butler: You might as well do it correctly if you’re going to go over the top. This is where they accomplished it. Without leaving a stain on his white attire, the guy simply rips apart a billion frickin’ people.

Niko: I’ve read that the special effects in this sequence were actually wired into the firearms, so when he pulled the trigger, it activated the squib timings, and the guys had both entrance and exit wounds. And everything happened at the exact same time. You never see that in films. Like, putting the time mechanically to make your squibs, and your guns, and basically your fireworks all work in a synchronized way.

Butler: They’re Berettas that are modified. The director, Kurt Wimmer, has the two fake ones where the things break out of the bottom, he turns them into hammers and Wacks everybody.

Equilibrium currently holds 40% critics score and 81% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Summary

• Gun expert Taran Butler praises Equilibrium’s action scenes as over-the-top and well made, despite the movie having bombed at the box office when it was first released.
• The film blends guns and martial arts similar to The Matrix, likely an attribute that garnered it audience praise in retrospect.
• Equilibrium’s energy may have inspired future action movies, showing how important its action scenes truly were.

Why Equilibrium’s Action Scenes Are Perfect for The Sci-Fi Movie

Even though Equilibrium’s action sequences are ridiculous and over-the-top, Bale’s character is sufficiently established as Libria’s most accomplished cleric to make them work. The battle technique, which uses both guns and martial arts against numerous opponents striking at once, is akin to that of The Matrix movies. The flashiness of the action scenes makes them even more dramatic and exciting at the same time because of how many individuals John battles at once in the movie.

The movie’s story, which emphasizes individualism and the value of human emotion despite the potential drawbacks, is enhanced by the action sequences. While the story is a rather simple tale of rebellion, it’s elevated by both Bale’s performance as a soldier turning against the dystopian government and the practical effects used in its many action scenes. Without memorable moments like John’s fast gunplay and the hallway scene near the end, the movie wouldn’t be as much of a cult classic as it is today.

The way guns are used in Equilibrium may have even inspired later action movies, such as fights in John Wick, which carry a similar energy to the Bale-led action flick. Either way, the sci-fi film is a testament to the importance of balancing an interesting story with high-octane fights in an action movie. Because of the praise Butler offers the movie, it’s no surprise the film has become beloved despite its initially poor box office performance.

Equilibrium

Equilibrium is a science fiction film directed by Kurt Wimmer, starring Christian Bale as John Preston in a dystopian future where emotions are suppressed through mandatory medication. In his role as a top-ranking government enforcer, Preston begins to question the regime he serves. The film explores themes of emotion, control, and resistance in a society that forbids human feeling.

Kurt Wimmer is the director.

December 6, 2002 is the date of release.

Kurt Wimmer is the writer.

Cast: Taye Diggs, Dominic Purcell, Sean Bean, Emily Watson, Christian Bale, Christian Kahrmann, John Keogh, and Sean Pertwee

107 minutes in total

Primary Category: Science Fiction

Christian Bale’s 10 Best Movies Ranked

Christian Bale is a prolific actor who has acted in numerous fantastic films. Bale began his career as a young actor and is now regarded as one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. His breakthrough performance came at the age of thirteen in Steven Spielberg’s coming-of-age World War II drama Empire of the Sun, and his early success paved the way for him to establish himself as a legitimate cinema star as an adult. He has won six Critics’ Choice Awards, two Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and an Academy Award.

One of the rare actors who can transition between high-end blockbusters and prestige low-budget movies with ease is Bale. Over the course of his career, Bale has played both fictitious staples of pop culture, like Batman and John Connor, and real-life historical figures like Dick Cheney and Melvin Purvis. He’s also played a magician, a machinist, and a race car driver. From the boxing biopic The Fighter to the satirical slasher American Psycho to the comic book-based The Dark Knight trilogy, Bale’s best movies encompass a number of different genres and styles.

The Machinist (2004)

For his role in The Machinist, Bale underwent one of his biggest physical transformations—a loss of 62 pounds before filming started. He portrays Trevor Reznik, a factory worker who is dangerously underweight and has been unable to sleep for a full year. As a result, he is starting to experience delusions and paranoia. The movie is an astounding character study focused on psychology. The Machinist became a well-known cult favorite despite being a box office flop upon its initial release. Critics praised Bale’s intensely devoted performance in particular.

American Hustle (2013)

American Hustle is an exuberant true-crime caper that is darkly humorous and heavily inspired by the FBI’s Abscam operation during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The plot centers on two con artists who work with an FBI agent to conduct a sting operation to remove dishonest politicians. In his role as con artist Irving Rosenfeld, Bale deftly guides an all-star cast that including quips from Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence. Although the movie received positive reviews, did well at the box office, and earned Bale a nomination for Best Actor among its ten Oscar nominations in 2013, it is gradually losing its cachet.

Empire Of the Sun (1987)

As a young actor, Bale made his breakthrough as Jim Graham in Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, which was a hybrid of a war movie and a coming-of-age narrative. During World War II, Jim, a little child, undergoes the most extreme cultural shock as he is taken from his affluent British family in Shanghai to a Japanese internment camp. Empire of the Sun’s beautiful photography and strong performances have led to a renewed appreciation of the picture as one of Spielberg’s best war films, despite its original lackluster box office performance.

The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige, based on the same-titled novel by Christopher Priest, is an exciting story about rival magicians in 1890s London. Hugh Jackman and Bale make a great team in the main characters of Robert “The Great Danton” Angier, an aristocratic magician, and Alfred “The Professor” Borden, a working-class magician. Christopher Nolan, the director of Bale’s Dark Knight, crafts a taut, claustrophobic magical realism thriller with The Prestige that skillfully builds to a shocking twist. The script’s three acts—the vow, the turn, and the prestige—are organized similarly to the three steps of a magic trick.

The Big Short (2015)

The Big Short, which is based on Michael Lewis’ nonfiction book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, describes how the housing bubble in the US contributed to the financial crisis of 2007–2008. Although economic computations may not seem like thrilling movie material, The Big Short’s dry financial proceedings are made interesting by comedy and cameos, thanks to director Adam McKay of Anchorman, who shared the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay with co-writer Charles Randolph. For his role as the socially awkward hedge fund manager Michael Burry in The Big Short, Bale was nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA.

Little Women (1994)

One of the most well-received and financially successful adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel is the 1994 rendition of Little Women. Little Women centers on the maturation of the March sisters during and after the American Civil War, with Winona Ryder’s Oscar-nominated portrayal as Jo March serving as the main driving force. Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, played by Bale, is Jo’s closest friend and eventual spouse of Amy, her sister. The flawless ensemble of Ryder, Bale, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, and Susan Sarandon supports director Gillian Armstrong’s authentic interpretation of the well-known tale.

Ford V Ferrari (2019)

Matt Damon stars as automotive designer Carroll Shelby opposite Bale as race car driver Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari, which charts Ford’s plucky efforts to build a car capable of beating Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Ford v Ferrari was a hit with both critics and audiences in 2019, and it was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture. Audiences don’t have to be racing fans to get swept up in Ford v Ferrari. The underdog story and Bale and Damon’s on-screen chemistry are compelling enough to captivate anyone.