His range as an actor is astounding, and Christian Bale's latest film “The Flowers of War” has just released a new trailer.

The “Machinist” plays a Catholic priest in the Chinese capital city of Nanking in 1937 when the Japanese launched a major attack.

The film is about 13 prostitutes who substituted for female university students who were taken as escorts for the troops. Bale’s character shelters a group of these women in his church during what was eventually called The Rape of Nanking.

“The Flowers of War” is based on Chinese author Yan Geling’s novel “The 13 Women of Nanjing” and hits theaters in December.