The Ultimate Mood Experience of Grit

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2009)

After not sleeping for an entire year, a machinist named Trevor (Christian Bale) begins having encounters with a strange man named Ivan. Ivan's presence causes him increasing trouble with his girlfriend and his employer, and as life unravels he is less and less sure what's real and what's not. Throw in a game of Hangman and a bleeding refrigerator and the story gets even more strange.
"The Machinist" has been called a mood piece, and I think this is a perfect description. The writer's love of Nine Inch Nails, mixed with director Brad Anderson's unique psychological themes (see his "Session 9" if you haven't)... and throw in references and parallels to the works of Dostoevsky... this film is deep, complex and edgy. Fans of "Seven" or "Fight Club" or "8MM" will love this one.
Great supporting actors Jennifer Jason Leigh and Michael Ironside are here, but no one can deny the amazing work of Christian Bale. Bale gives his all when playing a role (whether as Patrick Bateman or Batman or any other number of roles), but it might be "The Machinist" where he gave his most extreme. Losing many pounds to play the role -- without even requested to by the director -- he became a sickly thin man living off of tuna and cigarettes. That's dedication.
I don't know what more to say... deep psychological thriller, lots of subtle clues along the way... prostitution... this is just a dark tale. Well, more dirty than dark, but dark in its own way. I strongly suggest that anyone who hasn't seen this film make it a priority to get this one on their viewing list.