The Machinist (Anderson, 2004)

***1/2
There is a cliché in cinema that is used frequently and with reckless abandon in psychological thrillers. It’s a cliché utilized in films like Fight Club, Insomnia, and the recent Primer. It’s a tired old gimmick, and one that makes me roll my eyes whenever I see it.

I’m not going to explain this cliché, because then I would ruin the twists in the above mentioned films. And I would also ruin the ending of Brad Anderson’s The Machinist. The difference between The Machinist and any other film that uses the mentioned plot device is that The Machinist is an exceedingly well-crafted film, with strong performances that carry the plot along and prevent the film from falling flat.

Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) hasn’t slept in a year. Exhausted, depressed and weighing in at a skeletal 121 pounds (Bale lost 80 pounds for the role), Trevor is in a bad state. His call-girl love interest (Jennifer Jason Leigh) worries there’s something seriously wrong with him. “Don’t I look ok?” he asks her. But the fact is, Trevor isn’t ok. As increasingly bizarre things start happening around him, as he begins conversing with a deformed man no one else can see, Trevor begins to question his own sanity.

The Machinist is a dark, somber film and a first-rate psychological thriller. The performance from Bale is just fantastic – he is utterly believable as the deeply troubled, mentally scarred man on the edge.

The cinematography in the film is terrific. Painted in great strokes of washed-out gray tones, splashed here and there with dazzling splashes of color. It’s a great looking film.

Though the use of the mentioned gimmick does irk me, The Machinist was, none the less, a very enjoyable experience.