With the release of the new Batman movie I wanted to see how big Christian Bale's acting chops were. He impresses with this very stylized "film noir" and of course the weight loss is just plan scary.

This movie is great. And Christian Bale's performance and dedication to the role is exemplifying. I cannot believe that it is the same man when he is like 95 lbs!! Great movie, worth watching.

This movie is very good. A warning though, Christian Bale, is very difficult to look at throughout the movie. I had read that he dropped to 100 pounds to become the character of Trevor. Without giving anything away, Trevor is a machinist who has not slept in over a year. He is tired, lonely, and strange things start happening to him. He spends his time working, visiting a prostitue, Jennifer Jason Leigh, surprisingly good in this film, and having coffee in the wee hours of the morning at a local airport. The film is dark, sad, and ultimately a strong statement of the evils that men can do. Highly reccommended.

Probably the best psychological thriller in YEARS. This is not an easy film to get in to, and it takes a lot of commitment to stay with it to the end. The payoff is worth the wait. I tend to call this type of film a "sleepy-thriller". It moves along at its own pace, not overly concerned about the viewer's "timeframe". Quite possibly the best Bale movie I have ever seen. His dedication to the role and his portrayal of Reznick is mesmerizing. So much better than the typical Hollywood schlock. Recommended!

I saw this movie a few years ago and I always recommend it to friends. I have to warn you, don't watch it of you're tired or uncommitted. The first half hour are slow moving and the movie is filmed in a black and white type atmosphere. This is a great story with a resolution. Afterwards, you'll be thinking "Woah, is that what happened? That actually makes sense." No tricks or unresolved issues here.

Christian Bale is one of the greatest actors of his generation. That said, the Machinist is a unique psychological thriller in that the protagonist looks like Death warmed over. Bale is so bone-thin, it lends to the fear factor and the realism.

The story is about Trevor Resnik, a loner machinist who works the graveyard shift. Strange events begin to occur, and Trevor believes there may be a conspiracy against him. As the viewer is drawn into his world, brief moments of happiness, respite from the fear, do not last long before we are plunged into another waking nightmare. We long for release for Trevor, and it is granted at the end, but not after a bit too long of a rollercoaster ride of mental adrenaline.

Recommended, but I recommend the futuristic action film Equilibrium more. Bale is his best here, physically (thank God) and of course in acting ability.

Bale has an uncanny ability to disappear into any role he's given. In "The Machinist" he does so again to devastating effect. The film is a dark, deep, curious animal that unfolds ever so deftly to a painful, but profound ending. This is fine filmmaking to be sure, but Bale takes it to a deeper, more interesting level that really sets the tone and makes it all the more powerful. A film that treats the viewer with respect. This is one of the few movies I recommend quite frequently.

"The Machinist" is a movie that is so enthralled and impressed with itself that it refuses to let go of its convoluted story. Trevor, a man who has not slept in 1 year, is both physically and mentally suffering from the aforementioned sleep depravation. His work, personal life, body and mind suffer from his insomnia, if we can call it that. Strange things begin to happen, he sees people unseen by anyone else and the viewer, along with Trevor, is taken along in this psychological thriller with more twists and turns than a python asphyxiating its prey. And that is exactly how you feel, asphyxiated and unwilling to follow the convoluted story line. The movie is unwilling to let go and becomes more entrenched in itself pulling more and more twists from the void that is this man's life.

I did not like this movie, but I did like Bale's performance. It was excellent, and to see the extent to which he had starved himself for this role, makes the movie all the more exceptional and gut wrenching. I usually like Aitana Sanchez Gijón, but in this movie, the dialogue between Bale and her character was pretty bad and this is not one of her best performances. The movie ends with one heck of a twist, I am still not sure if it is worth sitting through the entire movie.

"The Machinist" is not only an amazing phychological thriller, but it contains one of the best performances I've ever seen. As soon as you see Christian Bale's skeletal body, and how emaciated he became just to play the part, you know there's something special here.

The main character is Trevor Reznik, a machinist who lives a lonely life and suffers from chronic insomnia that's destroying his life (he hasn't slept in over a year). He's lost an incredible amount of weight because of his illness, and he's also developed compulsions (soaking his hands in bleach and scrubbing his bathroom floor with a toothbrush, for example). His insomnia, as well as a series of freakishly odd happenings, quickly leads to paranoia. When an accident happens at the workplace, Trevor is thrown into not only confusion, but guilt, as well, as he tries to work out who is leaving strange sticky notes in his apartment. Without giving out any spoilers (and there are plenty to give), the ending is not what you expect... and it's this ending that make or breaks you as a fan of psychological thrillers. Frankly, you'll either love the twist or feel cheated. I loved it.

If you enjoy phsych movies, then "The Machinist" simply will not dissapoint you. Period. I feel that this movie is way underrated, especially given Bale's performance. But one thing that is misrepresented is the movie's own description of itself as outright "horror." I would never classify it as horror - it's definitely creepy, and it is way "out there," but don't let the idea of HORROR turn you off. It's not. The story is just so against the grain that people might not know what to make of it...hence the classification of horror. In my opinion, anyway. Awesome. Go and enjoy some great storytelling.

To see Christian Bale in this movie is to be amazed at how well he prepared for his role. The guy looks like a walking skeleton and I really couldn't get over that this is the same guy who plays Batman. This is a thriller and a mystery. The plot was terrific and kept me guessing right up until the end. The movie's concept is similar to A Beautiful Mind, Identity, Fight Club, etc. What separates this movie from others of it's type is the performance by Christian Bale. He reminded me of Robert De Niro in Raging Bull except in reverse. De Niro went to Italy to eat and gained a whole bunch of weight to play the role in Raging Bull and won the Oscar. Christian Bale looks as if he spent a year of not eating or sleeping to play the role in The Machinist, and he should have won the Oscar. He is very convincing as a man who has not slept in a year and who is having some... issues. Great movie. 5 stars all the way.

The cinematography was great but unfortunately that alone a worthy movie does not make. I was hoping perhaps the ending might make up for the terrible film but I was badly dissatisfied. I understand some people may view this film as some sort of high art but as for I it did not connect.

Christian Bale fans will not believe it is him at first. Suspense and intrigue keep you on the edge of your seat. Not easy to figure out until the very end.

This movie is so cool. It will keep you guessing and on your toes until the very end. I highly recommend this movie to anybody that loves suspense movies like Fight Club or The Usual Suspects that keep you guessing on the ending. Best movie.

I really loved this movie. It has so many unique aspects to it. I don't want to repeat what all the other reviews have already said, so I'll just say that after I watched this movie the first time, I watched the special features
(bonus material) and then I watched the movie again but with the Director's commentary activated. There is
so much more you pick up on that way. Its an intriguing story with an interesting outcome.
I watched this movie just after having seen "The Number 23" (with Jim Carrey) and I thought there were some
interesting parallels between the two stories. Granted, the two stories aren't overly similar, but there definitely
are parallels and similarilties.
I'd definitely recommend this movie, but like I said, watch it first, then the bonus materials, then watch it
again with the director's commentary. There are some interesting subtleties that you learn about through
the Director's commentary that you might not even notice otherwise.

"Machinist" totally gobsmacked me. I've always been impressed with Christian Bale's acting abilities, but this time, he almost went too far. There's a quote in the movie, "If you were any thinner, you wouldn't exist." That really fits Bale's appearance. He's at 120 in this film and only stopped there because the directors were afraid for his health.

Bale plays Trevor Reznik, a machinist who has not slept for a year. He's seeing people at machines near him who don't work at his job, someone's breaking in to his apartment and leaving cryptic notes, everywhere he's seeing connections--but to what? Is it illusions caused from him not sleeping? Is it some kind of plot?

The end shocked me--but it truly explained a lot. "Machinist" is one of the best-acted films I have seen in a long time--and the conclusion really did sneak up on me. Very impressed--but I'm classifying this film as a rental for me--I doubt I could see it more than once.

I first watched this movie over a year or so ago at a friends house, and remember getting a headache trying to figure just what the heck was going on in the film!! Now, after re-watching it recently, I found out that this film isn't that hard follow, and above all, it is very good. Like everyone else who has viewed the film, I was shocked by the looks of Christian Bale. Ha, everyone thinks that Tom Hanks did a great job of losing weight for the role he played in "Castaway", well Bale's weight loss blows that right out of the water! As far as the story, it is very well written, and it keeps you guessing what exactly is going to become of his man who claims he "hadn't slept in a year"..Yes,that's physically impossible, but the character that Bale plays really believes this (watch the Director's commentary during that scene, and you'll know what I'm talking about)Anyway, I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone that might not have watched it, so all I'm going to say that the movie is about a man that suffers from extreme insomnia that cause him to have feelings of confusion, paranoia, guilt, and anxiety to the point that he doesn't know what's real and what's not. This film does have a sorta "Hitchcock" feel to it, combined with something out an old Twilight Zone episode. It's a very dark and slow paced film, and the performance by Christian Bale is riveting. And what many people might not know is that the film was filmed entirely in Barcelona, Spain, and a lot of the exteriors had to be changed to make it look like it was filmed in America. This DVD has some decent special features. It has a good and informative director's commentary, a 25 minute '"making of" feature called "The Machinist: Breaking the Rules", and 8 deleted/alternate scenes (which aren't that different from the original scenes). I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who enjoys psychological/thriller/mystery types of films.

Director: Brad Anderson, Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Ironside, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, John Sharian.
Christian Bale takes method acting to whole new extremes as he looses 60 pounds to play Trevor Reznick, a blue-collar machinist beleaguered by insomnia. Unable to sleep properly for almost a year, the deeply lonely Reznick is tormented by his colleagues after a momentarily lapse of concentration causes fellow worker, Miller to lose an arm. Since his only emotional release is a world-weary but compassionate prostitute (Jason-Leigh), Reznick's world slips into further decline when he's confronted by a brawny stranger called Ivan, who seems to know more about the machinist's life than he does himself.
This thriller goes deep into a world of psychosis and terrible despair for Trevor--paranoia, suicidal thoughts and complete disengagement of body and soul.

The Machinist starring Christian Bale is eerie, isolating, and brilliant. Bale's performance is bone-chilling and talking about bones he lost so much weight for this role. He plays Trent Reznick, a machinist who hasn't sleeped in over a year, I won't give away what is plauging his over-due exhaustion but I can tell you this is one film that you will watch over and over again. Defintely a standout from 2003, watch for the clues so with that advice in mind, The Machinist is a film I highly recommend!

I can only support what all other great reviews have said. Great story, great direction, great acting. This is very much in the spirit of Memento only I think the story was actually better for The Machinist. I was hooked in the first minute, no foolin'. Bale is as crazy as the person he was portraying! During the film I was just sure that they had somehow digitally altered Christian Bale's appearance to look like a starving man. He weighed only 120 lbs at one point. Then, I watched the featurette on making The Machinist and discovered, oh my God! He really did starve himself down to that weight. That's insane! Awesome performances all the way 'round. How did Bale not win awards for this performance? It was an amazing film.

Usually young director Brad Anderson writes the scripts for all his films--but after reading Scott Kosar's script in 2001, he made an exception. He could see a stunning and frightening film in his mind's eye, something unique and completely off-center; perhaps too much so. They had to shop around for two years before finally finding a quadrate of producers -but they were Spanish. The solution, of course, was to shoot the film in Spain, using mostly a Spanish crew. Anderson was careful with the settings, casting, and art design, creating a world of the story to reside in "Anywhere, U.S.A."; pushing a little to resemble the seedier sides of Los Angeles -which was indeed tricky considering he filmed mostly in Barcelona.

Brad Anderson has directed 12 films since 1995, one of the most notable being NEXT STOP WONDERLAND (1998). He has taught film classes in Boston, and directed a lot of episodes for various television series. He shot THE MACHINIST (2004) from the main character's POV, and he kept teasing us with set ups, camera angles, lighting, and intentional echoes from Hitchcock and David Lynch. To deepen the comparisons, he had composer Roque Barios emulate strains of Bernard Herrmann; punctuated with electronic music that sounded like pieces of the theme from THE OUTER LIMITS.

This film has already achieved cult status. Most viewers are taken aback by the raw intensity of the action, the macabre point of view, and the deep emotions -unstable, angry, and explosive, along with the rampant paranoia. Actually Anderson does build this film to a point where we are offered complete closure for all the plot conflicts and mysteries -but even so a lot of audience members are left in a dark theater feeling still perplexed and confused. Roger Ebert wrote, "We see Trevor's world so clearly from his eyes that only gradually does it occur to us that every life is seen through a filter." I would add to that that every viewer watching every film is filtering that experience through their perceptions, experiences, random prejudices and predispositions. That is the primary thing that makes film discussion and criticism so visceral and engaging.

Christian Bale was brilliant as Trevor Reznik, reducing his beautiful body to an almost unrecognizable state, a rib-bulging cadaver, one of the walking dead, an Ausweis victim. It was fascinating to watch Bale twist and turn, bob and weave, posing for several skeletal tableaus -knowing just how to present those jutting bones for maximum effect. John Sharian played co-worker Ivan, reminiscent of Brando in APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) -a lethal smile with horsy teeth and deadly eyes; mysterious, flashy, and dangerous, but possessed with a wicked sense of humor; a twinkle in one eye and a drop of blood in the other, often hidden behind black sunglasses. Jennifer Jason-Leigh added another hooker with a heart of gold to her role charm bracelet, doing a bang up grand job as Trevor's call girl/girlfriend, Stevie. Leigh is so comfortable in the nude we forget she is acting, bringing both sensuality and matronly affection to the table. She dared to like, maybe even almost love that oddball; that starved bird with the broken wing -and dared to hope he could build a life with her beyond prostitution. During their final scene together when Trevor goes over the emotional edge -the sadness and pain turning to anger on her face was hard to forget; with marked simplicity, just Leigh living in that terrible moment with us watching.

THE MACHINIST transcended genres. It transcended time and space, and even place; filmed in Andalusian limbo to thrust us into a nightmare world that bends and twists like a dragon's tail -spiked and murderous -peopled with dark characters and darker deeds, suggesting demons lurking unseen in the shadows; permeated with that deep feeling of despair, or anger toward the unknown and the unknowable. It requires multiple viewings to fully appreciate the acting, the art design, the psychology, and the writing. An audience member must be at the top of their cognitive game to successfully negotiate the twisted journey within the mind of a tortured soul.

The man is just so extremely talented, and not to mention good-looking! This movie really makes you think. EXCELLENT. Highly recommended!

There are other movies out there that deal with trauma and its psychological components, such as Jacob's ladder, and this is a different take on a similar subject. The first scene of the movie makes no sense until the end of the movie, but everything finally does come together.

Faced with a terrible event, Trevor develops into an hallucinatory, pathetic character in trying to deal with his guilt. He starts off as a pleasant, intelligent guy, and his steady girl is also a likable, sympathetic person. But when he steps out with a waitress and her son, we begin to see that something is wrong. His weight issues, where he is 130 and losing day by day is also a flag that something has to be wrong.

He manufactures people and occurrences that at first seem real, but he finally realizes that they are anything but real.

Christian Bale gives an excellent performance in this movie and at its conclusion I found that I could feel for him in his torment. It is a difficult movie to watch at times, but one does take away from it the complexities of the human mind, and the power of the unconscious, or the soul, over the human mind. It is a modern day take on Poe's Tell-Tale Heart.

This movie shows a man breaking down as the guilt of what he has done eats away at his sanity, leaving him to feel isolated from a world he sees is out to get him.

Anderson's eerie psychological thriller is an intelligent study of guilt and repression featuring a disturbing lead performance by Bale. Talk about dedication: the actor dropped a shocking 63 pounds to immerse himself in the role of Reznik, a "living skeleton." It is hard to see the hulking star of "American Psycho" so gaunt and sickeningly starved, but it serves the character's sympathetic, soul-annihilating psychosis. Leigh and Sanchez-Gijon provide excellent support, as does Mr. Clean look-alike John Sharian, playing a demonic, scarily deformed factory worker who may or may not be a phantasm. Filmed in metallic blues and grays for added effect, "The Machinist" is a paranoid, memorably creepy puzzler.

After watching it a few times, I can appreciate what they were trying to do with this film. If you can, watch it when you're really, really, really tired.

Christian Bale's Trevor Reznik hasn't slept in a year. He's so thin you can see his ribs and spine. His main social interactions are with his regular call girl and the waitress at the local airport late-night diner. He's obsessed with cleaning his body and house with bleach.

As the movie opens, we see a husk of a man inhabiting the grimy, industrial streets of a coastal city. Reznik is a machinist, and lately he's been seeing a new guy at work that no one else can see. Reznik is obviously hiding from some traumatic even in his past, and the movie consists of the unfolding of the jigaw puzzle of his life. The Machinist is an atmospheric movie, one that will transport you to a waking-nightmare state of dark colors, somber music, and a general haziness between reality and horror.

I love this movie to death!!!!! My favorite type of movies are suspense movies and this one reigns supreme. I consider myself pretty smart,but this movie had me confused in the beginning. I had no clue, which is what makes this movie great!!! And Christian Bale....EXCELLENT!!! Now, everytime I watch it, I pick up more clues. It's a masterpiece and I highly recommended to anyone who like to challenge their brain!

It had been a while since a movie shocked me. "The Machinist" is about a man who can't sleep. He is the thinnest man you might ever see for two odd hours. You might wonder if that is reason enough for you to watch this film and that is precisely why I took me a while to finally watch it. I like films that are based solely around one character but The Machinist is something else. I thought it would be easy to write a review for this film. Well, it's about time I start mine.

I liked "Fight Club" but didn't like "Memento" too much and I thought "Seven" was good while I thought "Lucky Number Slevin" insulted movies. Some of these films werent as good as the others. The more popular ones had one or two characters to keep you interested. I liked Machinist because it had everything a character should be and more. In Trevor Reznik's heart resides a man of much mystery, intrigue and forgetfulness.

I mean, 11 minutes into the film I knew I was going to love it. It is a masterpiece because it has to be watched again to be appreciated and understood. Some might argue and find faults - too bad for them. Overall, much like my fellow readers who've written very good reviews for the Machinist, I felt the background score was truly magnificent while the semi-lucid conscience of characters had it's own charm.

The Machinist will grab your nerve and noodle it. Easily among my top 15 films of all time and I just saw it a week back. I will now go and watch every film by Christian Bale (loved Prestige) and meanwhile you should go watch The Machinist. Not to forget, fans of "Secret Window" might like this film,too.

My Rating -> 9.5/10

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"The Machinist" is a very interesting film with a simply stunning performance from Christian Bale as Trevor - what he did was amazing and I mean not only his physical transformation that by itself was a real sacrifice an actor can commit for his Art. Besides Bale's performance, the film is masterfully directed and what is very important, clever written. It is one of few films that get under your skin and stay there. The ending was very satisfying and put all pieces of the puzzle together.

I read and heard that the film is a combination of "Memento", "Fight Club", "Angel Heart", Insomnia", "Thinner", and "Identity". "The Machinist" may bring all these pictures to memory but it is a masterfully crafted and compelling study of one man's journey from his crime to the punishment where he himself was a criminal, a victim, a prosecutor, and the executioner. (Trevor read the wrong Dostoevsky's novel - he should have read "Crime and Punishment") The one film I was reminded of while watching "The Machinist" - David Cronenberg's "Spider". Both films take place in the atmosphere of confusion, paranoia, guilt, and unbearable terror and both have the unforgettable performances by Christian Bale and Ralph Fiennes as two very disturbed individuals.

This is one of the strangest and disturbing movies I've seen in a while. Christian Bale loses so much weight in this movie that it's hard to look at him. Filled with some really cool nightmarish visuals, this well written story may not be for everyone, but if you like weird movies..... Give it a try! Another great performance by Bale!

Great movie. Hard to believe what C. Bale did to his body to make this film so realistic. Great photographic work.

Christian Bale plays the part of an operator, not a machinist.
Just thought I'd clear that up for anyone who has seen or will see
this movie. I enjoyed the movie. I feel so tired....

The first thing anyone will notice about this film is Christian Bale's emaciated frame. He lost over 60 pounds to perform this role and the scenes of him shirtless are rather grotesque, yet effective to his character. His acting I must say is superb, he truly delivers a wide range of emotions - fury, bewilderment, passive satisfaction, the whole nine yards.

The directing is also excellent, the entire movie is shot in soft colors and lighting, which gives it a mellow, yet ominous feel. The symbolism is heavy, featuring repeated symbols in different forms. The movie has an atmosphere of urgent tranquility which drags the viewer into the paranoid state of Trevor Reznik, the main character.

My only qualm about this flick, is that it reminds me of much of the last decade's hip indie thriller plotlines. I don't want to give too much away, but you kind of have to push movies like Fight Club, American Psycho, Memento, Pi, Following, etc, out of your mind in order to truly enjoy it without an annoying sense of de ja vu. Certain points of the movie become like a mishmash of these aforementioned films... It also maintains a Hitchcockian vibe throughout with its desperate, schizoid portrayal of the protagonist.

Sparing this it is a stylish, engrossing film which hits the mark. I recommend before watching this film to pretend you had never seen the films I previously mentioned, and it will be much more enjoyable. Otherwise the movie could become like a cycling of cliche questions concerning a disturbed mind...

I love Brad Anderson. His low-key directing style along with Christian Bale's magnificent acting make one helluva combination. Michael Ironside is equally entertaining, but then, when is he not? I absolutely loved Session 9, and this is sort-of similar, if only in the way it manipulates your mind. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers and/or intelligent horror movies, this one (and Session 9!) should definitely be in your collection. As an aside, I don't think Hollywood had much to do with this movie, and I'm fairly certain that it's not to be taken as a documentary on psychosis, as the above critic would have you believe.

A stunning performance from one of the best actors in the business. The Machinist is both an exceptional and haunting exploration of the way the mind deals with guilt, and an unforgettable vehicle for the genius of Christian Bale.

From the early glimpses of Kafka's The Castle and Dostoevsky's The Idiot, in Reznik's apartment, we sense that this is going to be one dark ride into the abyss; and it is.

Yet there is a beauty and a symmetry to the ending that is ultimately uplifting, despite its tragic inevitability. I don't want to give away any plot details, so I would just urge you to watch this masterpiece for yourselves.

A modern classic.