Role Call: Christian Bale

Reign of Fire (2002)

THE ROLE Quinn Abercromby, a haunted Brit who teams up with a badass American (Matthew McConaughey) to slay the fire-breathing dragons that have destroyed much of the earth

WHAT EW SAID Lisa Schwarzbaum: ''Reign is a rip-roaring, videogame-busy, Mad Maximum entertainment in which Matthew 'Offense!' McConaughey, as the bonkers Yank leader (shaved head, bulging biceps, tattoos, and biker beard straight out of Oz), rolls into the British fortress headed by Christian 'Defense!' Bale (whose sensitivity is as shaggy as his haircut), and the two joust for leadership.''