User Reviews

It's a common rule that people subconsciously decide within the first ten minutes whether they like a movie or not. It didn't even take me that long to know that I would be intrigued by "The Machinist".

The set up is perfect. It's adorable how the movie constantly establishes new plot points without ever getting tedious. As the story goes on it gets hard to believe that the ending will be able to explain everything and you start pondering that there can only be one possible conclusion for all the weird events. It may be disappointing at first to learn that your predictions are probably dead-on and you might go: "Not that old twist again." The beautiful thing, however, is that there's an explanation to the twist that really adds a lot to the concept. Much later, when you've already left the theater and you rethink the whole thing, you'll find that the script is much cleverer than you had thought at first. To me the biggest achievement of the movie in retrospective is, that it's never creepy just for the sake of freaking the audience out (and hell, the carnival-sequence is so friggin creepy and well made, it's delightful). Every scene has its purpose and that is not often the case in horror and mystery movies.

Although the whole cast did a fine job, Christian Bale's terrific performance must be mentioned. Usually I'm annoyed by stories about actors losing or gaining weight in preparation for a role, because mostly it's uncalled for anyway and not even worth a mention. What Bale did to prepare for "The Machinist", however, is nothing short of heroic. He lost 60 pounds and looks so unhealthy throughout the whole movie that it's hard to believe he turned into himself again after the director yelled "cut!".

I can recommend "The Machinist" to anybody who's looking for a movie that keeps you intrigued longer than just during its running time. If after 10 minutes you like the movie, after days you'll find yourself still obsessed with it. I love it, when a movie does that to me!

I saw this film at the Stockholm International Film Festival in November 2004. In the audience was director Brad Anderson, and i think he very much appreciated how the film was received by the rest of the audience. And this film was well worth the applause.

This film is about a man (Christian Bale) working in a heavy industry. He suffers from insomnia and hasn't slept for a year. This condition is causing him to lose weight, and his perception of reality to become twisted. Soon he doesn't know what's real or not.

I won't elaborate any more on the plot since it could really spoil the film for you. There are some twists and turns along the way that might not be all that obvious and you should be able to enjoy them without being told too much. What i can say though is that the story is in no way revolutionary. A couple of films have been made in the same vein as this one, the most famous perhaps being Memento and Fight Club. And "The Machinist" shares elements from both these films but still, i think, manages to create an identity of it's own.

But aside from the story, Christian Bale really steals the show. Having seen him in his previous films it's hard to be prepared for what he looks like here. For this film he has turned himself into a walking skeleton, a run-down shadow of a man. And his performance is, throughout the movie, mesmerizing. I have ever since American Psycho been fully convinced of Bale's talents as an actor, and this further proves his talent and commitment. The rest of the cast also do a good job, strengthening the overall strange mood of the film.

Although i thoroughly enjoyed this film i understand it's not for everyone. This is not the least proved by the fact that Brad Anderson (as he stated in the interview after the screening) could not get funding for it in America. Instead he had to go to Spain to make the film the way he wanted to. And i'm not surprised, this is not your standard Hollywood fare. But for those of us who enjoy films that go beyond the will to suit everyone (and make loads of money) this is a rewarding experience. I rate it 7/10.

THE MACHINIST is a mesmerizing film, a journey through the interstices of a mind deprived of sleep, of nourishment, and a mind that struggles to untangle the chaos of a past of guilt and terror. And the journey is terrifying.

When the film opens we meet Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) or at least the emaciated, tortured remains of a man who hasn't slept for a year. We don't know why this worker in a machine factory is in such condition: the story unwinds slowly so that by the end we accompany Reznik in his shock to his moment of discovery. It is the getting there that is the tough beauty of this amazingly rich film as written by Scott Kosar and directed by Brad Anderson.

The setting is always dark as though the state of mind is a nightmare. Reznik's meager existence is challenged when he is involved in an industrial accident in which a fellow worker Miller (Michael Ironside) loses an arm. Shocked by the accident (for which Reznik feels responsible) the various few people in his life seem supportive: a hooker named Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a waitress in an airport all night diner Marie (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón), and an ambiguous bald man Ivan (John Sharian) who appears to Reznik in strange ways.

Reznik's mind slowly disintegrates into paranoid delusions, the only way he can hold his life together is by post-its reminding him first of his documented progressive weight loss, then of his needs, then of his secret mystery. To say more would be a great disservice to the extraordinary plot.

Christian Bale delivers one of the most committed performances on film. He 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. We stand in suspense with him and his fall is as powerful as any Dante ever devised. The entire cast is superb but special kudos go to Jennifer Jason Leigh who finally has a role that allows her to demonstrate the spectrum of skill she possesses as an actress. Not an easy film, this, but a very important one. Highly recommended - but not to see alone! Grady Harp

This film is about what isolation, guilt and insomnia can do to the human mind, even after watching it 100 times it remains a very mysterious interesting film. We may never truly know who exactly Ivan was, but I suppose that's part of the reason that makes this film so great to me as I have the freedom to assume who exactly Ivan is. I've always personally thought Ivan is the ghost of Trevor's old childhood friend who Trevor either forgot about or doesn't recognise, and that Ivan's spirit basically helped sort Trevor out. Others say that Ivan was simply Trevor's other personality, but I like to believe that Ivan was actually Trevor's best friend from childhood, it makes sense considering Ivan and Trevor (pre-car accident) are so alike. The open ended complex mystery behind The Machinist is mostly what makes the film so great, but of course it's filled with suspense, surprises and raw emotion too which make it a truly stunning film to watch. The characters are all quite interesting as well I think, didn't think there was a dull character in it at all. Overall this film is in my top 10 films ever and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes psychological thriller films or Fight Club.

The Machinist gives us the story of a man who hasn't slept in over a year. He's losing weight, his health is declining, and there's the possibility he's losing his sanity.

Christian Bale is excellent as the emaciated machinist, Trevor Reznik. The amount of weight he lost for this role is truly shocking. He lives in a dark, depressing world, in which he is (literally) slowly disappearing. Eventually he starts seeing strange things: A creepy coworker no one else can see. A waitress and her child who might not even exist. Cryptic notes are left on his refrigerator at home. Is he the victim of a conspiracy, or is he losing his mind?

The film attempts to weave a complex plot that keeps us guessing by blurring fantasy and reality. The Machinist falls in the same genre as Fight Club, Donnie Darko and Mulholland Drive. However, while those excellent movies gave us complex characters and intricate plots, there's not much mysterious about The Machinist. Most seasoned movie-watchers will guess that Reznik is living in a fantasy world fairly quickly. There's no real shock or surprise at the conclusion. We've seen this done before in better films.

I won't give an exact spoiler detailing what has caused Reznik's psychological break from reality. Rest assured, it's fairly trite and expected. This is essentially a morality tale about lingering guilt and eventually doing the right thing. For a film with an artistic, independent attitude, The Machinist is little more than a formulaic psychological thriller. Director Brad Anderson is clearly talented and this movie almost worked brilliantly. It just needed a little more complexity in character development and plot to truly engage (and surprise) the audience. After well over an hour of building suspense, one is left disappointed by the mundane conclusion.

There is a purpose in watching this movie, and that is to check out Christian Bales's acting chops before his Batman Begins opens in the summer.

The narrative is confusing at first. There doesn't seem to be any clear direction on where the plot and its subplots lead to. All we know is Bale looks thin, for some reason, isn't getting enough sleep, and develops relationships with a widow, her kid, and a hooker.

As always, most dark thrillers have a twist at the end, and if you can sit tight, you'll get it - not that it will be presented in a confusing manner, just that the pacing could be improved. Actually with shows like Fight Club and Memento around, this show might feel like a fusion between the two, and hence, you might have warranted a guess on the twist midway through the show.

Christian Bale has sacrificed quite a bit to look the role. With the lingering full body shots of his anorexic body, which at times is painful to look at, one can imagine the kind of toil it must have took.

Definite for fans of mysteries and thrillers.

After his chilling horror "Session 9" Brad Anderson continues his journey exploring the darkest depths of the human mind with "The Machinist". This review is not meant to just show the aesthetic and structural qualities Anderson's movie has, but also to distance it from the impression of being a "Fight Club rip-off". The review CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS on both The Machinist and Fight Club and should only be read by people who have already seen these two movies.

Those who are familiar with Aristotle's view on art and specifically the mimesis and catharsis theories will find similarities here, or should I say an exact match to his idea for a "tragedy". "The Machinist" mimics the real world. It is not a supernatural or fantasy story, but something possible in the context of reality keeping to the "mimesis" theory (art should be something that imitates life, stays close to the rules on what is possible). The protagonist, a machinist, is plagued by insomnia and weight loss, the reason for this suffering isn't explained from the start, but later on. We sympathize with him, with the problems this man, Trevor Reznik, has. Why should an innocent, suffer like that, we ask. Why should he be punished if he hadn't committed a crime? The tragic catharsis, writes Aristotle, is the moment when the protagonist's sin is revealed, when we, the audience learn that the punishment he has received isn't unjust, when we know that innocence isn't subjectable to punishment, sin is. Scott Kosar wrote a Greek tragedy, Brad Anderson brought it to life.

The atmosphere? A bleak, nearly colorless look, sadness and dread combined. The gloomy melancholy, jitters the mind. Christian Bale's dedication to his craft is outstanding he takes it to a whole new level. What he underwent for this role, the performance, a range of emotions ranging from fear, shock, paranoia, regret,sorrow. It was more than Oscar-worthy, it was unreal. Director Brad Anderson creates tension and unease at places you wouldn't think it was possible, he delivers surprise after surprise in what may seem more like a hellish roller-coaster ride, then a traditional thriller. A low key musical score, perfect choice, for the tone. Quite a catching opening tune.

"The Machinist", it seems, ends with questions unanswered. The main plot line has been completed but some mechanisms that lead towards the conclusion are a bit fogged out of perception. Nonetheless they are there. The movie is, of course, open for interpretation and the following is simply my take on some of the sub-plots and characters.

On the opening scene. The opening scene is as we've learned, not a chronological first, but a sequence taken from the latter stage. Why? It exists as: –a stylistic approach to create tension, to grab the audience's attention from the start. –an early tip for the mystery the movie has (note Reznik's reaction, the shock in his eyes when dumping the body and when "someone" flashes him with a flashlight).

On the insomnia, weight loss and Ivan. The insomnia and Ivan are the reasons for "The Machinist" being a "Fight Club" ripoff argument. There were movies that used such ideas before Fight Club, Lynch's Lost Highway for example, it's nothing all too original. What these elements represent that is what's important. In "The Machinist" they are the punishment Trevor's guilt inflicts on him. We've all experienced guilt at one point or the other, and we know it can have an effect. Here that effect is taken to the extreme. Fight Club on the other hand had the Narrator's insomnia and split personality, Tyler Dyrden, created from frustration, his inability in adapting to the status quo, he can't sleep because he cannot see a reason for his existence, he makes Tyler who gives him a reason. Ivan is not a split personality, he doesn't take control over the protagonist's body like Tyler, no one except Reznik has seen or heard of him, he is a manifestation like Nicholas or Marie, he is the projection of sin and Trevor in the past. The Trevor who caused the accident, he will repeat it again in order to guide Bale's character to the truth.

On how Trevor Reznik lost his memory about the accident. During the sequence at the theme park where Trevor and Nicholas are walking through the dark tunnel, Trevor notes the similarities between his childhood and Nicholas's current life. Both lacked or lack a father-like figure in their life both are in a good relationship with their mothers. This is not an accident, since Nicholas is merely one of the manifestations in Reznik's subconscious mind there is little doubt that he is also a mirror image of Trevor as a young boy living with his mother. His subconscious guilt fills the gaps and fleshes out the two fictional characters using bits and pieces of his past life. This is done in order to make the two manifestations become believable to Trevor's now doubtlessly distorted perception. If Nicholas is in fact Trevor then what happened to Nicholas during the ride through "Route 666" is what actually happened to Trevor shortly after the accident. Epileptic shock as explained by Marie causes loss of memory "he will forget it ever happened". And indeed Trevor forgot, partially, in his subconscious the memory still existed.

Complex but structurally sound "The Machinist" is the dark, modern reincarnation of a Greek tragedy. Twisted and disturbing, sad but liberating, Scott Kosar, Brad Anderson and Christian Bale create a work of high caliber. Not something that can be enjoyed the way a Hollywood Blockbuster can be enjoyed, it is exhausting, yet pleasing in its own way.

Basically the director had some very cool ideas for scenes he'd like to put in a movie. So he borrowed the ole' "He's crazy and sees things that aren't real" jack-of-all-trades.

This isn't even a "movie" as far as I'm concerned. It makes very little sense, since the director always crosses the lines between what's real and what isn't. So for example the prostitute says that "hit and run drivers should be hanged" (and of course there's the whole thing with the post it and the hangman). Now this would be fine if this was part of the dream sequence, but this is supposed to be actually happening, so she would have no way of knowing. The movie is littered with other coincidences that could never happen in real life, and problems are conveniently glossed over without explanation.

For example okay he trips the lathe's switch, which results in his workmate losing his arm. Fine, he hasn't slept in a year, so whatever, he stumbled, he saw the guy, he was distracted. But why didn't any of the safety brakes work? There's a reason they're there, and people who actually work with machines would have been way more surprised than the director evidently was.

The movie sports the usual neon-lighted, greenish cast, two-thirds-stop underexposed photography, which is kept up for the whole movie pretty much uninterruptedly. The main actor was very good, but the whole thing with the thinning was a bit of an eye gimmick.

In the end this movie only "makes sense": 1) you have a bit of a masochist streak and you like to be anguished (that's okay, some people like to be scared by horrors, some people like to watch this stuff) 2) You just take it as a riddle and don't try to make sense of it as a story For example: the connoisseur of the genre might think "Okay: so he was fishing in the photo, and there's a "I'd rather be fishing" bumper sticker on the car where he walks himself into the accident, so there's probably something about fish which is important. But the problem is that the presence of the bumper sticker only makes sense if you let go all suspension of disbelief or consideration for the movie being "real", and think "the director is trying to give me a hint, what is it"?

But this isn't a movie, it's simply a riddle. It's on the same level of "A guy walks into the elevator of his apartment and always presses the button for the 12th floor. He then walks up the last 8 floors to his house. The elevator is in good working order and is perfectly capable of reaching the 20th floor. Why does he behave as he does?" And the answer is that he's a midget and can't reach above the 12th button. The point is that the guy who told me this story only took two minutes of my time. He didn't force me to look at one hour and thirty seven minutes of a crappily lit waith, of arms turning on lathes, and rotten fish heads on the kitchen floor. Some movies include riddles, but few good ones are BASED on one. Fight Club contains some similar themes, but the characters' actions INSPIRE US, instead of knocking us down. Honeslty, it hurt to watch this movie.

In the end what was his point? People who do bad things can't sleep well? Gee, thanks Einstein. I can see how that required pounding on my testicles for two hours to explain.

Watch it if you like this sort of thing.

I don't want to say this movie is PARTICULARLY bad... it's a competently filmed, and very well acted specimen of a genre I HATE!

Somehow slipping under the radar – possibly because it was made in Spain – THE MACHINIST is probably the best film of 2004, certainly beating the heck out of every other film I've seen from that year as yet. To say too much would be to spoil the proceedings, so I'll keep it simple by saying that this movie is one of the most original, inventive and, yes, moving that I've seen in an age. The movie unfolds at a slow pace which never really speeds up, but the strength lies in the character build-up of Trevor Reznik, a fully flawed and believable human being. It's a movie hard to classify, bearing similarities to MEMENTO but again, being very different in scope and storyline.

There are certainly frightening, gruesome moments to this movie but neither is it a horror movie: instead it's a creepy psychological thriller with some superb acting from Christian Bale, who is at his best when cast as tormented anti-heroes. Bale – whose weight loss for the film is extremely disturbing in itself – appears an emaciated skeleton and the viewer gets to watch as his mind slowly unhinges. Why didn't the guy get an Oscar for this acting? He beats the heck out of anything Russell Crowe has done…the other cast members also give human performances, from Jennifer Jason Leigh's hooker-with-a-heart to Michael Ironside's industrial worker, once again continuing in tradition by losing a limb in this film. The exception is the demonic performance given by John Sharian, a kind of doppelganger/nemesis for Reznik, who's just plain weird. Still, THE MACHINIST is a flawless piece of cinema which has a brilliant twist and something very, very true to say about the human condition.

There are many fine actors in cinema today, with many great performances in many great films, however when it comes to method acting,it doesn't seem to get much better than Christian Bale. For his role of Trevor Reznik in The Machinist, Bale dropped a whopping 63 pounds for his portrayal of the stick thin Insomniac. It is often common for actors and actresses to gain or lose a few pounds for an upcoming role, but to drop such an excessive amount of weight, I think its safe to say that no one can accuse Bale of taking his profession lightly. As a huge Bale fan before seeing The Machinist, one could say my opinion is quite biased, but regardless of my own opinion, Bale's performance in this film is absolutely incredible, and throughout the film I literally felt as though Bale had disappeared into another person. I found it nearly impossible not to gasp at Bale's transformation in this movie.

Near the start of the film we're told that Reznik hasn't slept in a year, which, well, kind of looks obvious. This immediately left an enigma, hooking me in and making me want to know why hasn't this seemingly innocent, lonely Machinist slept in so long, and also why we are introduced to a man who looks like a walking skeleton.

What I absolutely loved about this film is that director Brad Anderson and writer Scott Kosar really did hit the nail on the head of displaying themes of isolation, repression, loss and guilt in this film, as though the story is shown through Reznik's eyes, yet somehow a constant feeling of mistrust of him makes the film rather unsettling. The dark lighting that is constantly drained and ghostly adds to the idea of the themes and loss and guilt, which I found worked very well at creating quite a gloomy atmosphere full of tension and suspense in the film. The exceptionally clever camera work reflects upon the haunting imagery represented throughout different scenes, making the film particularly stand out for me especially because of how dark this film is.

When I say dark, I don't mean black and white, or poor lighting, however every colour in this film seems to be faded and greying, adding to the protagonists weakened state, as though the world around Trevor is sinking as well as himself, which I found very creepy. For the duration of the film Reznik is plagued by an unpleasant character named Ivan, played very well by John Sharian, an apparently new employee where Trevor works who causes him to result in a horrific accident at their workplace which causes Trevor to become alone and mistrusted, endorsing the theme of isolation, making the film somehow darker than Trevor's eye sockets, which are a perfect reflection for his guilt and sin.

There is easily recognisable suspense and mystery throughout the film which is wrapped up in the complex and well written plot, which was built up from great character development shown from Jennifer Jason Leigh's pleasurable portrayal of Reznik's 'friend in need' Stevie, as well as rather mysterious characters such as Ivan and Marie. I feel that some would find the climax of the film predictable and bleak, however I found that the twist was so dark and gripping I honestly felt as though Trevor has become part of my own life because of how much I ended up feeling sorry for this character, instead of it decaying my enjoyment of the film.

For viewers who are just casual movie watchers as something to pass the time, or viewers who don't like anything more complicated and unsettling than Twilight or Transformers, I certainly don't recommend this film as it is disturbing, complex, and well written. However for those who appreciate a fantastic script and memorable cinematography, as well as a plot twist that will keep you on the edge of your seat, I recommend this, as it definitely engages with those points. I very much enjoyed the film, although I did find it quite unsettling at times, as it really does represent a man's horror and fragile state of mind. The Machinist is a film I will most certainly remember, which leads me to giving it a well earned 8/10.

I don't really know what to think about this film, it's a scrambled mess with no real plot and an ending which doesn't make much sense. The Machinist is a bad movie but I still have to very mildly recommend it for Bale who gives an outstanding performance. An outstanding performance given to a largely unlikeable character.

The plot centers around Trevor Reznik, an insomniac who is repulsive to look at. He's a loner who follows the same routine, gets coffee at the airport dinner dispensed by his waitress friend Maria, and goes to the same hooker every night. He works at a pitiful looking factory where his coworkers think he is a freak. Trevor loses his grasp on his life and reality when he meets his new coworker Ivan, an eccentric nut who distracts him while he is handling heavy machinery which results in the loss of a coworkers arm. His bosses tell him this Ivan isn't on their payroll and so Trevor desperately tries to prove he is sane.

It doesn't have a plot at all for the most part. It creates a surreal world but this world isn't an interesting or compelling one. It acts if this world sets you up for a big shocker ending but this ending is irrelevant to the rest of the movie besides for a few images throughout the film.

The draw to this movie is Bale. Just looking at him puts you in awe. Never since Lon Chaney has an actor suffered so much for his craft. He should have gotten an Oscar nomination for this film simply for his weight loss. I kind of wished he suffered for a character that was more charismatic and engaging than this Trevor Reznik.

This is such an unpleasant film to watch. Christian Bale brutalized himself for the role, needing to lose so much weight. It's about a man who is beset by guilt and is unable to sleep. I was astonished by the fact that three previous viewers mentioned Raskalnikov from "Crime and Punishment." Bales' character is beset with paranoia and lives life, thinking that everyone is trying to do him in. He has a terrible time with relationships. But there is something that happened in the past that he is carrying around. He finds a woman who is willing to have a relationship with him, even though she's a prostitute, but he messes that up. We watch him self destruct and try to fend off threats, but he is his own worst enemy. Very good film.

Brad Anderson made a strong mood film with Christian Bale in the main role.This film is half blood art film ,and half blood commercial movie,but very interesting,and emotionally without boring minutes.The story is about a machinist who became very slim cause did not sleep in a whole year.There are two womens in his life, Steve the sex-worker and a another from the airport-café.But I don't tell you more about the story cause it's maybe the only weak point of the film.You will understand what Brad Anderson want to tell you with this movie,cause it's not too difficult.You can learn something important about human behavior,and many other important things ,maybe just like your mind working.

I'll start with the positive. The movie looks good with the faded color lending weight to our protagonist's jaded view of the world. The performances were also applaudable.

However, what was the point of making this movie? (Here comes the spoiler, if you can even call it that!!) From the moment where Ivan first disappears from view and is not recognised by co-workers in the factory, I started to say to myself "Please, not another alter-ego/split-personality story. Fight Club's done this already and done it rather well!" Alas, my fears were eventually realised but I remained optimistic, hopeful that maybe something imaginative might be done after the denouement. Once again I was disappointed.

This is a simplistic, boring story. It's a pity, as it's the best acting that I've seen Christian Bale do and the films palette is strangely appealing but if you want my advice, keep your money for something else!