Moody psychological flick with incredible actors

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2008)

After seeing the ingenious "Session 9" I was really eager for "The Machinist". Basically the 2 movies have a lot in common in the end... both set up a dark, intriguing atmosphere, giving irritating hints here and there and blurring the lines between reality and imagination. Both movies have incredible lead actors who kind of get to your heart. Christian Bales Character is played perfectly ... not just that he looks so broken with the dozen pounds he lost but he has the same way of going to your heart because he has this soft and broken and lost look in his eyes which makes the end of this movie as dramatic and heart-breaking as "Session 9".
"The machinist" is about a heavy machine operator played by Christian Bale who suffers from insomnia and has his reality breaking down on him, seeing strange characters, eerie notes on his refrigerator and getting paranoid with all his surrounding seeming to turn against him. Of course there is a lot of Memento and Fight Club in this movie but even more its Session 9. After all "The machinist" is a deeply psychological movie about facing your inner demons and what the human psyche can play to cope with extreme situations. The recurring bloody refrigerator scene was such a perfect image for this with Bale staring on the post-it sticker only and his mind blurring out the parts of reality he just doesn't want to see.
Actually I think the movie was a bit too stretched but it still manages to keep the viewer tense and waiting for the twist which in this case is as far from a horror movie or thriller as can be. Its a great movie with incredibly humane acting by all involved, especially Christian Bale. If you loved this don't hesitate to watch "Session 9".