Not a great movie, but a GREAT performance

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2005)

If you're the kind of person who savors dissecting movies like a cinema professor, you will enjoy cutting this one up. Bale is awesome in his force of will; to lose that weight, look like a Holocaust survivor, and still have the focus to execute his performance flawlessly. All the supporting actors did they jobs too. If you like wankering around with symbolism, the movie is loaded with clues. Film looked damn good too, from an editing point of view.
If not, you really have to like creepy films. But its more Hitchcockian in pace, than say a slasher flick. Could be ideal if you have a date that's really into that kind of flick.
Otherwise, its an incredibly well executed, but overly long Twilight Zone episode. I don't agree with the Fight Club plagiarism accusations. I loved Fight Club; you can pick out one or two details, but its totally different movie. Memento was more confusing than Machinist. Really, the style theft was Twilight Zone. (Its a damn shame none of the sequels could match this movie.)