When I saw this film the other day, my mother did ask me, "Is this movie from last year or this year?"
I answered her, "From last year, I'm pretty sure."
She proceeded to ask me, "Then why wasn't Christian Bale up for best actor or something?"
Well, I can answer that question very easily: it's because his performance wasn't that great. It didn't quite rise up to the level of Keanu Reeves' total badness in Constantine, but there were most certainly a few moments where his poor deliverance had me cringing. I can understand Bale's position, however. Reeves was forced to act as the Constantine that his director required him to; somehow I get the idea that Bale was incapable of creating Trevor Reznik, as well. And when that happens, nasty acting can arise.
However, Bale is to be commended to going from 180 pounds straight down to 120 just for this role. To do that, he was forced to consume only a can of tuna and an apple every day (I'm guess water was included, as well). There are points in this film where Bale stands on the scale, and records his weight by writing it down on a post-it note (post-it notes become very handy in this film, I should mention). When I saw the number "119" on the wall, I was in disbelief. Sure, the 6'2" Bale was looking pretty thin, but was he honestly down to such a low weight? It's amazing what actors will go through just to fulfill a role sometimes. And this film must have taken a hell of a lot of work, because there are a few instances where we get to see Bale as he was once was. At two-thirds of his original weight, Bale hardly even looks the same. I would have had no idea who he was if it wasn't for the credits.
The Machinist takes a good deal of patience to watch, just as its production took a good deal of patience to make. It is not a fast-moving film at all, feeling much longer than the 102 minutes it actually inhabits. It takes a long while to see what the real mystery is, and it takes even longer to discover the answer. Trevor Reznik is an industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year. One day, he meets Ivan (well-played by John Sharian), a strange, intimidating man who seems to always have some role in the less fortunate parts of Reznik's life. As he tries to decipher Ivan more, we watch as his relationships with friends and co-workers develop interestingly. Reznik and Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a prostitute, hold an increasingly emotional and personal relationship. He also starts dating Marie (Aitana Sanchez Gijon), a single mother who works at an airport cafe. All of these relationships start to come together at the end, and yes, we get one of those "suddenly it all makes sense" moments.
I was prepared to hate "The Machinist" when the first revelation came, but if you watch the film a little more, you'll find there's a lot more to like. This is a very dark film; there's very little happiness within it, and it's actually kind of hard to laugh at the small in-jokes writer Scott Kosar adds in. I think Brad Anderson handles what he has pretty well. One of the most memorable scenes is one involving a carnival tunnel ride called "Route 666"; something like this shouldn't be so scary, as we've been through them all before, but I'll confess that I was pretty terrified. The only part about the film that still pesters me are the mystery post-it notes that "someone" was leaving on Reznik's refrigerator. What's entirely pointless is that the answer to these notes is already revealed in the trailer, and the obviousness concerning the answer can be seen well before we're finally told. I do think, however, that Anderson handled the revelation very well, even though the steps that were taken to it were rather useless.
I can't say I quite understand why this film is on so many of the Top 10 lists that I've been seeing recently, when I've seen a good number of movies that I enjoyed much more, and would be far more willing to cast upon my own list. However, that doesn't go to say that there's no quality within "The Machinist", because it is one hell of a subtle, sometimes terrifying mystery thriller.
An Industrial Worker Hasn't Slept In A Year. He Is Living A, Nightmare Where Cryptic Notes Appear, & Has Visions Of A, Co-worker No One Else Can See. ...More at HotMovieSale.com
Christian Bale delivers one of cinema's most sacrificial performances in Brad Anderson's mesmerizing thriller. Written by Scott Kosar 2003's THE TEXAS...More at Family Video
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