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At a multiplex screening of Don Jon I attended last week, the 20 minutes of coming attractions (no exaggeration) contained previews for two upcoming features starring Christian Bale: American Hustle, which reunites Bale with The Fighter director David O. Russell and costar Amy Adams, and Out of the Furnace, a blue-collar crime movie from the director of Crazy Heart. On the basis of these previews (both of which last about two minutes), Bale plays different characters in the two films. However, we know to expect that in both he’ll perform the exact same motion: a graceless rat-a-tat with his palms, a bit of would-be hipness from a man who enjoys music without really understanding how it’s made.
The two previews employ Bale’s mannerism for different effect. In Hustle, Bale bongos upon the caboose of an unidentified woman who’s crouching on his desk—an image of base-level sleaze (or is it presexual curiosity about the body as object?) amid sophistication and wealth. (The movie is evidently about a successful art forgery operation.) In the Furnace preview, Bale, playing a factory worker this time, performs the gesture on the roof of his car after meeting up with a character played by Casey Affleck. The bit of dialogue in the previous shot (“Wooo!” “Oh my God! Man!”) implies that these two are eager to spend time with each other, which brings a sense of urgency to the tapping.
