Review of The Machinist (2004) by James C — 22 Jan 2019
The Machinist, on paper at least, isn't all that special as far as psychological thriller's go. The main theme of guilt manifests itself in the protagonist through insomnia, lack of appetite and actively repressing his memories resulting in amnesia.
It's pretty overt and I found myself at least one step ahead of the plot at almost every turn, what prevents the film from wallowing in abject mediocrity is a fantastic performance from Christian Bale as Trevor Reznik that overshadows many of films storytelling flaws by sheer magnetism.
Combined with decent cinematography and sound that helps sell that atmosphere The Machinist ends up being a surprisingly diverting film if a little predictable for those with more than a passing familiarity with the genre.
6/10.
This review of The Machinist (2004) was written by James C on 22 Jan 2019.
The Machinist has generally received very positive reviews.
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