All the early signs are that this one is Christian Bale's little bald gold guy to lose - but there are four other nominees here who may have other ideas. Sure, Bale might be Batman and in this case a drug-addled boxing trainer - but he's up against Geoffrey Rush's inspirational therapist, Mark "The Hulk" Ruffalo's loveable schlub, John Hawkes' fearsome redneck and Jeremy Renner's borderline psychotic Boston bank robber. What we'd really like to do is pit them against each other in some sort of brawl, but instead we've weighed up their chances in this investigatory feature...
Why He Will Win
](http://empireonline.media/jpg/50/0/0/640/480/aspectfit/0/0/0/0/0/0/l/uploaded/oscarbulletgreen.gif)Bale's the winner presumptive, following his wins at the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globes, for what the latter's worth.
](http://empireonline.media/jpg/50/0/0/640/480/aspectfit/0/0/0/0/0/0/l/uploaded/oscarbulletred.gif)There's been some criticism of his performance, with suggestions that it's just a little too much for the film.The Academy has shown a remarkable fondness for white trash at the nomination stage this year, so John Hawkes' complex Ozark mountain man could be in with a real shot if that trend continues a little further.This is the nomination that no-one quite saw coming, and those nominees usually have to make do with the nomination alone, only to go away with a raised profile and return with a bigger and more prominent chance of winning a couple of years later.He was nominated last year for his magnificent performance in The Hurt Locker; maybe he'll get an overdue dose of recognition this year.Just as his Hurt Locker performance was a little too macho to win over the judges, so his Town turn may be a little muscular.He's%20won%20Best%20Actor%20before,%20and%20since%20has%20been%20nominated%20three%20times%20(including%20this%20one?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
](http://empireonline.media/jpg/50/0/0/640/480/aspectfit/0/0/0/0/0/0/l/uploaded/oscarbulletgreen.gif)He's in the most nominated film of the year, which is a help, and he goes toe-to-toe with the Best Actor presumptive, so logically he *must* be the Best Supporting Actor.He hasn't so far: while his film has been cleaning up, Rush himself has been largely overlooked this year.Who doesn't love Mark Ruffalo? He's one of the most consistent and likeable actors in town. Just give this man an award already! He's over 40 now, it's OK!The film's a little cheerier than the other offerings here, which is generally a handicap in Oscar racing.![