Review of The Machinist (2004) by Adam D — 16 Sep 2014

At this point in time, there is no denying that Christian Bale is a fantastic actor who goes to great lengths to perfect his performances and bring his characters to life. And I am NOT just talking about Batman.

..so tired of everyone praising him for just that. (cough American Psycho is his best performance cough) I want to fill you in on this little movie that, I feel, has gone overlooked for the past decade.

Everyone seems to know that this is the film he lost tons of weight for and that's it. Let me tell you, I am surprised that Bale didn't die trying to make this movie! He is over 6 feet tall with a broad frame.

..now picture him not eating to the point of weighing 115-120 pounds. He looked like a walking skeleton and I was horrified. Besides the extensive lengths that Bale went to to bring this troubled and disturbed character to life, let me dig into the movie quickly.

Bale plays a man who works at a sort of factor that makes tools and machine parts with large, dangerous machinery...hence the title. The man has not slept for over a year and cannot understand why. As expected, without sleep, he is starting to lose his mind while blending dream and reality.

You know that feeling you have right after a dream where you don't know if it is real or not? Well this guy feels that all the time! He can no longer decipher what is fake or real and paranoia ensues.

Someone is seemingly out to sabotage him, but he can't figure out who. His relationship with his friends and acquaintances begins to fade into a weird blend of dreaming...and by the end of the film, which is a twist I will not give away, you realize that all of the components of his life stemmed from a horrific past that was trying to be forgotten due to massive regret.

Overall, this film is a very dark, gritty, and dramatic psychological thriller. Bale is all over this movie and steals every scene! You can tell the budget was not huge on this film, but the storytelling makes up for that.

It makes you wanna take a shower. This is why you gotta sleep guys! Check it out when ya can because it is a truly underrated gem.