Internet Abuzz Over Christian Bale as Dick Cheney

Christian Bale is "unrecognizable" in his portrayal of former VP Dick Cheney in the upcoming film Vice, the Huffington Post reports, noting that the actor gained 40 pounds for the role, along with shaving his head and dyeing his eyebrows. But don't take their word for it. The trailer for the film, which opens on Christmas, is out; see it in our gallery or here. In addition to Bale as Cheney (shown in the trailer laying the groundwork to become the man behind the curtain in the Bush administration), Sam Rockwell stars as former POTUS George W. Bush, Amy Adams portrays Lynne Cheney, and Steve Carell is Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Here's some more reaction to Bale's transformation:

• "Christian Bale looks nothing like himself in his latest movie," writes Ale Russian at People, calling the actor's transformation into Cheney "jaw-dropping."
• Per Julie Miller at Vanity Fair, Bale's portrayal of Cheney "may be the actor's most haunting transformation yet." As the magazine points out, Bale isn't necessarily the obvious choice to do Cheney. The former is 44 years old and English, while the latter is a 77-year-old American, "and his silhouette is more Penguin than Batman."
• Bale "has gone from the Dark Knight to Dick Cheney," Bryan Alexander writes at USA Today, warning that viewers "might want to avert your eyes during the shirtless, boxer shorts moment as a paunchy Cheney walks through barracks."
• And it's not just Bale's physical transformation that stands out. Outlets note that he also captures Cheney's "steely" demeanor. In a 2017 interview with Deadline, director Adam McKay said he wanted Bale before he even started writing the script, saying that Bale "psychologically breaks someone apart and puts them back together."
• Sam Rockwell's George W. Bush isn't going unnoticed, with Yohana Desta writing at Vanity Fair that Rockwell delivers "an eerily perfect impression … nailing his Texan accent and consummate 'well, huh' expression."

(More Dick Cheney stories.)