No one really knew anything about The Machinist before it’s release, other than the fact that Christian Bale was in it and he was extremely gaunt looking in publicity pictures.
Once again, Christain Bale gives another extraordinary performance as he plays insomniac Trevor Reznik, a machinist who seems to spend his life working and seeing tart with a heart Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh). It soon becomes apparent that Trevor’s physical appearance and mental state have undergone a radical change since his insomnia started a year ago.
Following an accident with a co-worker, Trevor becomes increasingly paranoid as strange things begin happening around him without any rational explanation. What follows is an excellently crafted story that is expertly played by Bale in a performance which rivals his turn in ‘American Psycho’.
This film was amazing!! Scott Kosar has taken a basic idea and has created a masterful story full of twists and turns that really does manage to keep you intrigued and baffled until the conclusion.
The cast were all excellent here with Christian Bale stealing the show like he did in ‘American Psycho’ whilst also managing to allow the rest of the ensemble a chance to shine, with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Michael Ironside making great impressions in particular.
Brad Anderson, who kept me on the edge of my seat with the very creepy ‘Session 9’ has once again managed to pull me in and keep me enthralled for the duration of the ride, thanks to his attention to detail and his skill as a director.
Like the other recent Filmax titles, The Machinist looks amazing as they have taken great care and attention in getting the look of the movie just right, and the aesthetics are really solid.
There are all sorts of creepy and disgusting moments to be found in the film, with the highlight being a trip to the Carnival, but what really shocked me was that such an ordinary conclusion had been preceded by such a twisted story.
OVERALL SUMMARY
The Machinist is quite simply the best film I have seen in a long time, and hopefully a sign of things to come from Filmax and indeed 2005.
