Some actors exude enough charisma to make any film worth watching. In the sci-fi action thriller Equilibrium, Christian Bale again proves he’s one of these remarkable performers. Although the movie bogs down in excessive scenes of explosive gunplay, Bale’s portrayal of a man slowly awakening to the pain and glory of being human emerges as  something fascinating to see – almost as spellbinding as his American Psycho star turn.

In the future world of Equilibrium, feelings and emotions are a crime. Offenders become the prey of specially trained clerics, like top enforcer John Preston (Bale), who hunt them down and kill them. Convinced this is the only way to prevent war and curtail "man’s inhumanity to man," rulers demand that citizens drug themselves to repress any emotional sensations. After all, anger and rage cause violence and cannot be tolerated. Even positive feelings such as love and compassion must be sacrificed for the greater good. Because literature, art and music evoke such emotions, they are outlawed.

On one fateful day, Preston accidentally misses his dosage of the emotion-dulling drug. He starts to feel little things like the cool smoothness of a railing, the beauty of a view from his window, and the softness of a red ribbon. Soon he’s deliberately missing doses, and his partner (Taye Diggs) can’t help being suspicious. By the time Preston rescues a friendly puppy and hears stirring music from an old gramophone, he’s well on his way to becoming an offender himself. Will Preston use his special training to help the rebels? The rest of the movie deals with that key question. A beautiful offender (Emily Watson) and the memory of his wife’s incineration help him decide.

Combining Matrix-like action with the drabness of the future as envisioned in George Orwell’s 1984, Equilibrium succeeds primarily because of Bale’s ability to project the soul of the character he plays. Yes, he’s also dynamic in the action scenes, but almost any actor in excellent physical shape could do those. It’s his quiet moments – looking pensively into the mirror, touching an offender’s fingertips, boldly rearranging his desk, staring quizzically at a painting – that showcase his fine dramatic talent.

Although I saw the VHS version of Equilibrium, I believe its stark futuristic sets would show up better on the big screen. Still, the size of the screen makes no difference in terms of Bale’s impact as cleric John Preston. Eat your heart out, Keanu!

(To be released by Dimension Home Video on May 13, 2003; rated "R" for violence.)