The Machinist review

The most astonishing thing about The Machinist is Christian Bale's emaciated frame, which haunts every scene and which is simultaneously shocking and strangely compulsive. Such was his devotion to the project that Bale shed several stone in preparation for the role, apparently existing on a diet of one apple a day. It pays off thanks to a remarkable performance which dominates a film that is often uncomfortable viewing. It could be loosely described as a mystery thriller, although one that tries just a little too hard to convince the viewer of its merits.

Bale's walking skeleton goes by the name of Trevor Reznik, a loner who works as a lathe operator in a tool factory. Reznik's life is going downhill fast: he never sleeps, he begins to have strange encounters at work with people he has never seen before, and he nurses a slightly unhealthy obsession with a waitress at an airport café. His only relationship which has any sense of normality is with a hooker (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who mothers him and gives him temporary respite from the demons that appear to be plaguing his mind.

These demons appear variously as flashbacks to a death which Trevor may or may not have been involved in, a car crash which he may or may not have caused, and indications that someone is entering his shabby apartment when he is not there and leaving him strange messages. Christopher Nolan's Memento is called to mind as we witness the disintegration of Trevor and try and piece the puzzle together.

Director Brad Anderson infuses the film with moody lighting and music, and certainly makes the audience work to figure out what is happening. But it's Bale who steals the show with a quite remarkable performance, a turn which is probably too realistic for mainstream awards but will linger in the mind of anyone who sees it.

The Machinist won't be everyone's cup of tea, and relies on too many tricks in terms of how it lays out its story. Shot on a low budget in Spain, it has the feel of an indie thriller, and one which should certainly find an audience beyond the art house market. 'How can you wake from a nightmare if you can't sleep?', asks the tagline, and it may well give some viewers restless nights.

Paul Hurley