Beautifly done, drops you into a fragile and intense place

Rating: 9/10 (13 June 2005)

The reviewers on here who are making the comments that this is "the same movie as Fight Club" are missing the point of The Machinist, and Fight Club at that. The point here isn't about "who is Ivan?" or "who is sneaking into Trevor's apartment?" This movie does a fantastic job of passing the fragility of this man, hanging on to his last thread of sanity, on to the audience. the use of blues and grays in the photography lets the audience see the world through Trevor's sleep-deprived eyes. we are not supposed to know what's going on for the first hour, neither does Trevor. Beautiful work by Bale(possibly his finest yet). though some may argue that his weight loss for the film was unnecessary and detracted from his performance, it really does take the viewer out of their comfort zone and is a constant reminder of just how shaky the character's grip on both life and sanity are. Fantastic use of silence and accent music, as opposed to a soundtrack, fits the tone of the film incredibly well. don't check this out expecting to be scared, or told a story. if you are ready to step outside the comfort of your own world, and into the mind of a man fading into insanity, give this one a look-see.