Review of The Machinist (2004) by Chad W — 28 Feb 2013

Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) is a machinist who has had chronic insomnia for a year and has lost weight to the point where he has become severely emaciated. His alarming appearance and strange behavior cause his co-workers to keep away; they eventually turn on him after he is involved in a machine accident that causes his colleague Miller (Michael Ironside) to lose his left arm. Trevor, who was distracted by an unfamiliar co-worker named Ivan (John Sharian), bears the blame for the accident. No one at the factory knows of Ivan and there are no records of him as an employee. Trevor seems to find peace only in the arms of Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a prostitute who develops genuine affection for him, or in the company of Maria (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón), a waitress at the airport diner where he spends many of his.

Sleepless nights. Trevor is haunted by brief flashes of recurring imagery, and everyday objects take on a menacing air, like a car cigarette lighter. A mysterious series of post-it notes that appear on his refrigerator depict a game of hangman; these vaguely threatening incidents send Trevor further into paranoia...

"The Machinist" grabs a hold of you immediately from the first scene and becomes a a journey through a mind deprived of sleep, nourishment and a struggle to untangle an inner chaos caused by guilt. The plot bears connections to "Fight Club", but in no way does it feel less unique or like some sort of a copycat. Despite its supposed setting in Los Angeles, the film was shot in its entirety in and near Barcelona/Spain and somehow there´s something about the environment that doesn´t feel like L.A (despite the fact that the production did everything to cover that up), and that just adds another great and strange layer to the story. But, I think without Christian Bale´s truly committed performance, "The Machinist" wouldn´t have been as good. He starved himself for over four months prior to filming, as his character needed to look drastically thin. Allegedly, his eating consisted of one cup of black unsweetened coffee and an apple or a can of tuna each day (approximately 55-260 calories). According to the DVD commentary, he lost 28 kilograms (62 lb), reducing his body mass to 54 kilograms (120 lb). Bale wanted to go down to 45 kilograms (99 lb), but the filmmakers would not let him due to health concerns. He later regained the mass, plus an additional 27 kilograms (60 lb) through weightlifting and proper eating, in preparation for his role in Batman Begins. To put it mildly he looks literally like shit and his harrowing appearance lifts the movie to great heights. Bale not only physically inhabits Reznik with his skeletal appearance, he.

Also mentally nurtures all the nuances of fear, pain, pleasure and madness that build as his character's reason for a year of insomnia is revealed at the very end. The director Brad Anderson conveys a state of mind with a disturbing effectiveness and you become almost as paranoid as Reznik when watching "The Machinist".