Intriiguingly suspenseful

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2006)

The eerie appearance of Christian Bale serves to underscore the bizarre happenings of this film and add more than a mere touch of terrifying realism to the movie. Trevor Reznik, a machinist, is literally wasting away. He has not slept in nearly a year. Something is eating him alive. But what? Rather than he obtaining nourishment from life, this unknown force is eating him alive from the inside out.
It's not a case of anorexiain fact, he appears to be fed rather well by a lovely waitress, a single Mom whose son is the center of her universe, (whom he generously over tipperhaps out of guilt or maybe a sense of kinsman ship, he also having been raised by a single mom). Yet despite his generously portioned meals, he continues to be eaten away by some unknown, more than ordinary force.
To compound the intrigue, a co-worker, whom only Trevor seems to interact with, serves almost as Trevor's alter-ego or conscience. He seems to be aligned with a mysterious game of hangman which appears throughout the movie, seemingly pointing one in the direction of the unknown villain. The shock comes to a climax when both Trevor and the watcher realize the letters of the game seem to spell Trevor's name. The crime, if any, remains the mystery.
This is a very suspenseful, psychological, thriller. I'm usually fairly good at guessing what's going on, but this one took me a while. As the truth slowly dawns on Trevor, it also awakens the watcher to the reality of the situation with a shuddering thunder.
Well worth the watch!