You’ve seen Christian Bale incredibly gaunt in The Machinist. You’ve seen Christian Bale incredibly ripped in Batman Begins. You’ve seen Christian Bale moderately paunchy in American Hustle. But you’ve never seen Christian Bale quite like he is in Vice, Adam McKay’s upcoming Dick Cheney biopic. The actor piled on considerable poundage to play the former US Vice-President, and when you factor in a bunch of seamless prosthetics you’d barely recognise him. The film’s first trailer has arrived – take a look and see if you can spot Bale’s latest guise.
In a similar way to McKay’s last film, The Big Short, Vice looks set to bring a bold, energetic and comedic slant to an otherwise bleak and serious story – Cheney is thought to be a major player in America venturing into Iraq under George W. Bush’s presidency. And playing that President is Sam Rockwell, who looks to be leaning into Bush’s reputation as, well, a bit of an American idiot. Also in the cast are Amy Adams and Steve Carell.
Vice looks much more engaging and interesting than your average po-faced biopic – and considering how The Big Short fared in the Oscar race a few years ago, expect this one to catch the eye of the Academy. It hits UK cinemas on 1 February 2019.
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