Guilt, Paranoia & Salvation

Rating: 9/10 (17 April 2016)

The past maintains a powerful grip over the present in "The Machinist" as it undermines the sanity of the story's main protagonist and fills him with ever-present feelings of guilt, fear and anxiety. The deep despair that he experiences on a daily basis makes his existence almost unbearable as he genuinely doesn't know the reasons why he's so troubled and therefore can't do anything to put things right or achieve some form of mental equilibrium.
Physically and mentally, Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) is in a fragile state and lives his life following a daily routine that involves working as a drill-press operator in a factory, visiting his regular call-girl Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and enjoying a coffee and pie at an airport all-night diner where he chats with the attractive waitress, Marie (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon). At the factory, his co-workers keep their distance as they think he's strange, primarily because he keeps himself to himself and looks so desperately thin. His emaciated appearance is the consequence of having been unable to sleep for a year and his inability to eat any significant amount of food.
One day, when he and a workmate called Miller (Michael Ironside) are jointly trying to deal with a problem on one of the machines, Reznik gets distracted by Ivan (John Sharian), who's a new machinist, and in that critical moment, causes an accident that results in Miller losing his left arm. From that point on, Reznik's life goes into a downward spiral as he gets fired from his job, becomes disturbed by the fact that nobody else in the factory seems to know who Ivan is and starts to believe that he's the victim of a conspiracy. His hallucinations gradually become more frequent and distressing and for some reason he feels particularly uncomfortable when the cigarette lighter in his car pops and he repeatedly sees clocks that confirm that the time is 1.30.
It isn't until the day when he looks into a mirror and says "I know who you are" that Reznik starts to achieve some form of mental clarity that enables him to begin his long journey on the road to salvation.
The most startling feature of this movie is Christian Bale's anorexic appearance as his hollowed cheeks and protruding ribcage really make him look morbidly thin and emphasise the extreme effort and commitment that he obviously made into looking just right for his role. Added to this, his portrayal of Reznik is exceptional in every way and must make this one of the most memorable performances of his impressive career. Among the talented supporting cast, Jennifer Jason Leigh (as the caring call-girl) and John Sharian (as the mysterious Ivan) also provide a couple of real standout performances.
The subject matter of "The Machinist" inevitably makes it rather grim and harrowing but it's also satisfying to watch because its conclusion explains so clearly the reasons for everything that's transpired. The perfect pacing, the colour palette (that reinforces the cold mood of the piece) and the score (that features a theremin) are all well chosen and contribute strongly to the success of this truly excellent movie.