Minor Spoilers

Rating: 8/10 (5 January 2005)

Many actors will go to great lengths to transform themselves into the characters they play.
Robert De Niro gained 55 pounds for "Raging Bull." On the other end of the spectrum, Matt Damon lost 40 pounds for his role in "Courage Under Fire." Christian Bale ("American Psycho") made both of these accomplishments look tame. He lost 63 pounds, weighing in at 130 after a diet of a can of tuna and an apple a day, to play an insomniac in the newly released "The Machinist." In this thriller filmed in Spain, Trevor Reznik (Bale) works long hours in a machine factory and is haunted by his past, causing him not to sleep for over a year.
Reznik lives in a world of paranoia and conspiracy theories.
He spends his nights in a diner sharing his secrets with waitress Marie (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, "A Walk in the Clouds") or with Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh, "In The Cut"), a prostitute who is in love with him.
His job as a lathe operator is rough  and, without sleep, so is his mental comprehension.
One night Reznik meets Ivan, a new employee who distracts him to the point of causing an accident. As a result, a co-worker loses a limb and Reznik's employer no longer trusts him.
After screaming at the factory about everyone supposedly trying to kill him, Reznik is fired. He goes into a deep depression  playing hangman on Post-its to figure out his identity  that ultimately leads to insomnia.
Bale's performance as a man dying of insomnia is truly astonishing. The images of his emaciated body are haunting, and one can feel the life leaving him as he spirals into a painful neurosis.
Director Brad Anderson ("Session 9") has the ability to make the audience feel like it actually knows the characters. Like classic directors Stanley Kubrick ("A Clockwork Orange"), Roman Polanski ("Chinatown") and Alfred Hitchcock ("Psycho"), Anderson has the ability to make a powerful psychological thriller without relying on external killers for horror.
Although there is a twist ending, it is very predictable. The clues the movie reveals are almost the same as in other movies with similar endings.
But that doesn't render the movie any less entertaining or frightening.
"The Machinist" has the identity elements of "Memento" and "Fight Club" and a dark feel reminiscent of Hitchcock.