Excellent Thriller which swept me off my feet

Rating: 8/10 (1 October 2009)

Let the Spanish title not fool you, this movie is entirely in English, based in America but shot in Spain (It took great pains to make Barcelona look like an American City) The movie is about a Machinist(A worker who works on industrial machines) played by Bale who is also an insomniac (Apparently he has not slept for about a year). He spends his nights having sex with a prostitute cum friend or sipping coffee and eating pie in the airport canteen in the company of his favorite waitress. One day in the The place where he works, an accident occurs which changes his life and with the occurrence of a mysterious co-worker, his life becomes a living hell. The movie is a psychological thriller with noticeable similarities with cult classics like Fight Club and Memento. Yes, the non-linear style, dual personality blah blah. About the movie, it is fast paced and does not bore the viewer which is the necessity of a good thriller. The editing should be credited for this.
About the acting, the entire movie was on the shoulders of one man - Christian Bale. And damn, he has excelled. Great actors are known for their complete dedication and focus for a movie. Examples given could be of Robert Deniro for Raging Bull who changed his physical appearance completely to look like a boxer etc. In this movie, Bale has lost considerable weight to get into the character who must have a visual impact on the viewer as a supposed freak. Hats off to Bale for his dedication
Rating : 8/10