The Machinist
Trevor Reznik is a lonely, insomniac machinist that is slowly dying since he hasn’t slept in a year. His life feels like a timeless, half-awake, half-asleep nightmare. (The way reviewers feel early in the morning without food, sleep or coffee.) He starts falling apart when he is responsible for a co-worker being maimed in a workshop accident. Trevor becomes consumed with confusion, guilt, and increasingly paranoia: He keeps finding enigmatic post-it notes, his co-workers appear to be conspiring against him, and who is the new temp guy on the other side of the factory floor? To make things worse his power gets cut so he has to live in the dark, his fatigue causes him to space out at times; all the while he is trying to get to the source of his problems…
This film is a psychological drama that has a similar ‘feel’ to the Memento, The Game and the start of Dark City. It is directed by Brad Anderson (Next Stop Wonderland) and stars Christian Bale (from American Psycho, Equilibrium, & Batman Begins) and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
I’ve not been as impressed by an actor as much as I was by Christian Bale’s performance as Trevor Reznik in this film. Not only is his acting outstanding, but his commitment too; he clearly lost a dangerous amount of weight to play his role in this film, and showed a capacity to hold a film on his own!
The Machinist is well filmed with elements of grey, black and other cold, bleak colours dominating every scene to enhance the moody trance-like reality in which Trevor lives. The Hitchcock-like audio effects also contribute well to the atmosphere of the film!
The Machinist is a gripping, film with a superb plot, and comes together perfectly! If you like psychological dramas see this one!
8/10
Michael Hill
