The Machinist (on DVD)

2004’s The Machinist may not be as suspenseful as The Sixth Sense, Fight Club and Memento, but it is still an interesting psychological study. Trevor Reznik (played by Christian Bale) has an alarming physique and an even more alarming problem – he has not slept for almost a year. As we follow his downward spiral, we eventually come face to face with the cause of all his problems. The entire movie is shown through Trevor’s perspective and since he is clearly teetered on the verge of insanity, the audience has to decide what may be real and what may be his delusions. Director Brad Anderson drains almost all bright colors out of every single frame and constantly has an eerie music as a backdrop. It creates an uneasy feeling for the audience while watching this movie. Naturally endowed with incredibly good looks, Bale still loves to challenge himself and pursues off-beat roles. Trevor may be the biggest departure he has ever taken. He lost one third of his body weight (approximately 60 pounds) for this part so that he could look Trevor’s skeletal form. Bale is frequently seen without his shirts in the movie and it feels exploitative by the filmmakers to show his body so much more often than necessary. Being a small independent movie, The Machinist came and went in theaters quickly, but it is worth seeing on DVD.