Post by slapshot63 on Jul 25, 2006 11:56:20 GMT -5
The Machinist – A
“Trevor, is there someone chasing you?”
“Not yet, but they will when they find out who I am”
This is a film I have been wanting to see for quite some time for one simple reason: Christian Bale. Bale blew me away in American Psycho then again in Batman Begins. He’s quickly become my favorite actor so I’ll see anything he is in. But how is this particular movie?
Trevor Reznik (Bale) is a lathe-operator who suffers from insomnia and hasn't slept in a year. Slowly, he begins to doubt his sanity as increasingly bizarre things start happening at work and at home. Seemingly haunted by a co-worker who no one seems to think exists, and an ongoing stream of indecipherable Post-It notes he keeps finding on his fridge, he attempts to investigate what appears to be a mysterious plot against him and, in the process, embroils two women in his madness.
There is so much more to the plot of this movie than up above but I will not elaborate anymore on it because if you are reading this and have not seen the movie yet, it will be ruined for you. My suggestion is to try and stay away from any information on this movie until you see it, it is definitely for the best.
Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Stevie, a call girl whose company Reznik fancies. Leigh gives a solid performance here. She’s strong when she needs to be but doesn’t necessarily stand out. Aitana Sánchez-Gijón is Maria, a worker at an Airport Diner which Reznik frequents every night at 1:30. Like Leigh, she turns in a solid performance and makes her role work. For the small amount of screen-time he has, Michael Ironside is great as usual. The best part about him is his commanding voice. Gotta love it. John Sharian plays the mysterious co-worker who Reznik doesn’t trust. He is very strong in this movie. He’s evil looking when he needs to be (those teeth) and he just fits the role perfectly. Of course, the main attraction here is Christian Bale. Once again he overshadows everyone else in the movie and deserves an Oscar. Everyone has heard the story that Bale dropped 60 pounds (down to 120Lbs) for this role, the most for a role ever. He is absolutely grotesque in this movie, especially if you’ve seen what he looked like in American Psycho. You can see every bone in his body and Stevie puts it best when she says “If you were any thinner you wouldn’t exist”. Bale is ridiculously thin in this movie but it helps the character so much. The movie would not work nearly as well if we had a built Reznik or if he was fat. Bale’s dedication compliments this movie greatly. On top of the weight loss Bale still manages to turn in a powerhouse performance. As I said before, he overshadows everyone else in the movie. He plays every emotion so well and this movie further solidifies my feeling of him being my favorite actor ever.
Brad Anderson has created a drab modern day world for this movie to live in. Normally drab and gray color palette movies get boring after a while because their environments are so boring. But Anderson makes even the drabbest thing come off with a surreal beauty that it never gets boring. The world is gray but it is gray for a reason, it’s not just for something different or for artistic sake. The way Anderson uses the images on display and works the camera us wonderful. Everything has an evil feel to it, which perfectly complements the movie.
The score by Roque Banos is gloomy but perfectly complements the movie in which it goes to. It is never overbearing like some scores (Elfman’s Batman) and it lets the movie work without ever seeming intruding.
I honestly cannot think of one negative thing about this movie. It is definitely one of my favorite movies. The story, the acting, the directing, the music; it all comes together perfectly to create one hell of a ride. This is a perfect example on how to make a smart thriller. This movie has a brain and expects the viewer to use theirs too. This movie will not spell everything out for you but is not overtly complicated to the point where you will be totally lost. Do yourself a favor and see this movie if you haven’t already.
Links:
IMDB Page
