The Machinist

How, in God's name, do you lose that much weight? I mean, Christian Bale looks, quite literally, like an Auschwitz prisoner. I can't imagine the film working without his having lost one-third of his flesh, but if there ever was a film that teenage girls should go see to dissuade them from starving themselves for beauty, fashion, what have you, this is the one. According to one report I read, Bale lost 63 pounds by eating one can of tuna and one apple per day. I could harp on about this at length, and you'll understand why when you watch it. Strangely, while the film creeps you out (and not just from having to look at Bale with his shirt off in that state) and has some peek-through-your-fingers moments, it simultaneously tries to put you into a dreamy, sleepy state of mind. It's quite the unique mix. Bale plays Trevor Reznik, a factory worker who hasn't slept in a year, and seems to be hallucinating the existence of a co-worker. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the heart-of-gold hooker (but she was cast for how well she gets angry, that's clear). The beauty of this film is that you're certain it will move in only one direction, based on some rather gruesome images sprinkled throughout, but it does a 180 at the end and you are treated to one of the most satisfying endings of the last few years. This comes from the mind of a director working in the same vein as Christopher Nolan and Alejandro González Iñárritu, and yet crafting something truly original. And here I thought all the good plots had been done.

year: 2004
length: 102 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361862/combined