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May 20, 2010
The Machinist (2004)
Should I see it?
Yes.


Short Review: If you have the stomach to watch a starved man, this is a great film.


All of you with low constitutions please move on. Don’t even pick up the DVD box. This is a very harsh movie and it is not for everyone.

That disclaimer out of the way, I loved this movie. It is dark, intelligent and very well crafted. I believe it is one of the best films of 2004. It is a shame it has been mostly overlooked.

Director Brad Anderson (Transsiberian) and screenwriter Scott Kosar (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) work together brilliantly to tell the story of Trevor Reznik, a machinist who hasn’t slept in a year. His insomnia has taken its toll. Reznik is skeletal and has begun hallucinating visits from a strange co-worker.

At work and at home, terrible things begin to happen. Reznik worries that he is responsible for making these things happen. Through Resnik we are given a study in fear and guilt that will certainly stick with you long after the credits have rolled.
The handling of the brutal, dark subject matter is easy to overdo. Anderson approaches his subject matter delicately. Instead of going for easy sanguine thrills, he offers us just enough to deliver the point. In this age of torture porn, his restraint is something to note.


A pre-Batman Christian Bale provides what may the his best performance to date. His gravel-throat Batman may be laughable at times, but the man knows his craft. He is willing to put himself on the line for his work as well. For this production Bale starved himself to an obviously dangerous point. The scenes where he displays the level of his physical sacrifice are hard to watch. He is Holocaust victim skinny. It’s hard to even look at him, let alone watch him for an hour and a half. Seeing an emaciated man is never a pleasure, even if it is for fiction.

If you can handle a dark, unflinching film, I recommend this film.


Related Reviews:
Christian Bale Movies
Rescue Dawn (2006)
The Dark Knight (2008)


Other Critic's Reviews:
ReelViews
Beyond Hollywood




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posted by Michelle Obama's Left Nut at 8:00 AM




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1 Comments:

Anonymous William E Miller said...

I must agree. This is one my favorite films.

My respect and admiration for Christian Bale's dedication to his craft started here for me.

May 22, 2010 at 4:55 AM  

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