The Machinist (2003)

 Holy Acting Batman!
To see Christian Bale in this movie is to be amazed at how well he prepared for his role. The guy looks like a walking skeleton and I really couldn't get over that this is the same guy who plays Batman. This is a thriller and a mystery. The plot was terrific and kept me guessing right up until the end. The movie's concept is similar to A Beautiful Mind, Identity, Fight Club, etc. What separates this movie from others of it's type is the performance by Christian Bale. He reminded me of Robert De Niro in Raging Bull except in reverse. De Niro went to Italy to eat and gained a whole bunch of weight to play the role in Raging Bull and won the Oscar. Christian Bale looks as if he spent a year of not eating or sleeping to play the role in The Machinist, and he should have won the Oscar. He is very convincing as a man who has not slept in a year and who is having some... issues. Great movie. 5 stars all the way. April 5, 2008

 Muddled Jumble of a Film
The cinematography was great but unfortunately that alone a worthy movie does not make. I was hoping perhaps the ending might make up for the terrible film but I was badly dissatisfied. I understand some people may view this film as some sort of high art but as for I it did not connect. March 31, 2008

 Cross between Psycho, Saw, Sixth Sense, and Memento
This movie is both dark and weird. Something happened to Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) a year ago. You're not sure what, but that's when his world started falling apart. He hasn't slept since then and begins seeing people that others don't. Be forewarned that Bale's appearance will shock you. He looks like an Auschwitz survivor he is so incredibly thin. Reznik's days consist of working as a machinist at a factory, going home and having his prostitute girl friend (Jennifer Jason Leigh) cover over, and then going to Denny's by the airport to flirt with the waitress. Although he tries, he can never sleep for more than five minutes, thus his slow descent into madness.

Through most of the movie you begin wondering who is real and who is a figment of Reznik's imagination. He eats, drives, works, and leads a normal life except he gets thinner and thinner and doesn't seem to get any sleep at all. Meanwhile, he's having conversations with Ivan, a fellow coworker with a mangled hand that no one has seen. In addition to having conversations with the nonexistent Ivan, Reznik is also seeing post-it notes appear on his refrigerator door (and later on everywhere), which is weird because they show up while he's at home alone. He also sees shadows that could be ghosts, but you don't find out until the end what they are. To say anymore would give away the bizarre ending.

This movie was graphic at times. Twenty minutes into the movie, a man at the factory gets his arm caught in a machine with terrible results. That's just the beginning. I would call this a cross between Psycho, Sixth Sense, Saw, and Memento. There is a funny part near the beginning when Reznik takes the waitress's son through a tunnel of horrors ride at the amusement park and bizarre things begin showing up as part of the ride, but the rest of the movie is very dark and depressing.

Since the film opens with Reznik disposing of a body into the river, I felt compelled to watch the whole movie, but I wouldn't want to watch it twice. If you like creepy films that don't necessarily make sense (the Ring, the Grudge) or you like piecing together bizarre clues (Memento), you'll love this one. Otherwise, pass. As much as I love Christian Bale, this one was painful to watch in more ways than one and the ending was enlightening but very dissatisfying.


December 11, 2007

 The Machinist
Christian Bale fans will not believe it is him at first. Suspense and intrigue keep you on the edge of your seat. Not easy to figure out until the very end. December 8, 2007

 This is a really original movie with a awesome ending!
This movie is so cool. It will keep you guessing and on your toes until the very end. I highly recommend this movie to anybody that loves suspense movies like Fight Club or The Usual Suspects that keep you guessing on the ending. Best movie. November 30, 2007

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