What's Eating Trevor Reznik?

Rating: 8/10 (27 October 2005)

"The Machinist" is a very interesting film with a simply stunning performance from Christian Bale as Trevor - what he did was amazing and I mean not only his physical transformation that by itself was a real sacrifice an actor can commit for his Art. Besides Bale's performance, the film is masterfully directed and what is very important, clever written. It is one of few films that get under your skin and stay there. The ending was very satisfying and put all pieces of the puzzle together.
***Possible Spoilers***: I read and heard that the film is a combination of "Memento", "Fight Club", "Angel Heart", Insomnia", "Thinner", and "Identity". "The Machinist" may bring all these pictures to memory but it is a masterfully crafted and compelling study of one man's journey from his crime to the punishment where he himself was a criminal, a victim, a prosecutor, and the executioner. (Trevor read the wrong Dostoevsky's novel - he should have read "Crime and Punishment") The one film I was reminded of while watching "The Machinist" - David Cronenberg's "Spider". Both films take place in the atmosphere of confusion, paranoia, guilt, and unbearable terror and both have the unforgettable performances by Christian Bale and Ralph Fiennes as two very disturbed individuals.
8/10