NoFace for Film

Title: The Machinist
Year: 2004
Director: Brad Anderson
Starring Cast: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
Rated: R

NoFace Rating: 4.5 out of 7

I’ve been a long time Christian Bale fan, so I was intrigued when I first heard of The Machinist. Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to see it in theaters, but I finally got to watch it on DVD.

Bale plays Trevor Reznik*, a machine operator. Trevor is suffering from quite possibly the world’s worst case of insomnia. As a result of not having slept in a year, Trevor is literally wasting away, a shell of his former self. His co-workers wonder why he no longer spends time with them. His boss thinks that he’s doing drugs. His only confidantes, a prostitute named Stevie (Leigh), and a waitress named Marie (Sánchez-Gijón) are concerned for his health. As Stevie says at one point, “If you were any thinner, you wouldn’t exist.”

Reznik’s life takes a turn when very strange, disturbing things start happening, and it seems that only he is aware of them. Is this the result of a sleepless, delusional mind? Or is there something more sinister at work?

When The Machinist first came out, most critics focused on Bale’s extreme weight loss to fit the part. It’s not uncommon for an actor or actress to alter his or her physical appearance for a role. Both Demi Moore and Natalie Portman shaved their heads (G.I. Jane and the upcoming V is for Vendetta, respectively); Tobey Maguire got buffed for Spider-Man 1 and 2; and Sean Astin porked up for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Bale’s transformation in The Machinist however, was not only astounding, but bordering on dangerous to his health. According to the IMDB, the 6′ 2″ actor shrunk down from 180 pounds to an alarming 120 pounds, and it clearly shows. He looks AWFUL in this film. In fact, he looks gross. You can see the gap between the two halves of his ribcage. He’s got horrible dark circles around his eyes. Downright scary.

Once you get past Bale’s horrifying appearance, you find that he is terrific in his performance as Reznik. But then again, he is awesome in any role he plays. Bale is another one of those underrated actors who normally does complex roles in small, independent films -much like Ewan McGregor. Like McGregor, it had to take starring in a major Hollywood blockbuster to finally get the public to notice him. Leigh is ok as sympathetic prostitute Stevie, but to be honest I wasn’t wowed by her performance or anything. Sánchez-Gijón was also ok as waitress Marie, but again it wasn’t a stand out performance in my opinion.

The atmosphere established in The Machinist is perfect: dark, gritty, and very cold. Trevor’s grey, sickly pallor matches both the machine shop in which he works and his dull, lifeless apartment. The only scenes that involve color are fittingly when Trevor speaks with Stevie and Maria, symbolizing that they are the only bright moments in his pathetic life.

The Machinist is a great film. It’s got an intriguing plot with a great twist at the end, and Christian Bale is amazing in it. If you’re a fan of films like Memento, Insomnia, or Fight Club, you’ll enjoy The Machinist.

You may be wondering, “Well if the movie’s so great, then why did you only give it 4 1/2 reels?” Well, the thing is that, as much as I enjoyed it, the movie is rather bleak and depressing and not something I’d want to watch over and over again. I appreciate The Machinist for its plot, its style, Bale’s acting, and the way it’s filmed, but it’s not something I’d like to watch over and over. As I mentioned, I’m a huge Christian Bale fan, but I’d rather watch one of his other movies first before watching this one again.

FUN FACT: Although the story takes place in a West Coast American city, with English-speaking American characters,The Machinist was actually filmed in Barcelona, Spain!

* The character’s name is based on Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. Writer Scott Kossar is a huge NIN fan, whose music features heavy machinery sounds in their music (from the IMDB and Wikipedia. Note: DO NOT CLICK on these links if you want to avoid spoilers).

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