4/4  Incredible descent into madness
Let me get this out of the way first, the only mention I plan to make here about the insane weight loss of Christian Bale for this role is that he had to put it all back on and then add a lot of muscle to play Batman a year later.
The st... (read full)

2/4  Ehhh...
I stopped this the first time my girlfriend and I tried to watch it, because I was so horrified at the way Christian Bale looked. It's sad when the most talked about thing with this film is the actor's weight loss and not the movie itself... (read full)

3/4  A Modern day Edgar Allan Poe Story
The machinist unravels itself slowly and carefully until the very end. The acting along with good story telling created uneasiness throughout the movie. I felt like I was watching a modern day Hitchcock film that was based one of Edgar All... (read full)

3/4  The Machinist Quick Review
Very good. But, it IS a Christian Bale movie, so it's to be expected.

4/4  The Machinist Quick Review
Christian Bale remains one of my favorite actors with his unwavering dedication and impressive performance in The Machinist. Brad Anderson does a spectacular job creating a dark and creepy Fight Club-esque environment to deliver the film.

3/4  The Machinist Quick Review
Dark and twisted and a stunning performance (and transformation) from Christian Bale - looking haunted and downright unhealthy, which definitely works in the film's favor. It moves a little slow, but the payoff is worth it.

4/5 What happens when you take the wrong path
  by Elisabeth
This is a story of a man whose life is deteriorating. Even his body is showing the effects of deterioration. Christian Bale lost a lot of weight for this role and the director took good advantage of this, using lighting to highlight every bone in his ribcage. Nicely done, although probably not good for Bale's health!

The color scheme in this movie lends a hand in illustrating how bleak this man's world has become. All the scenery around him is in bland gray tones. The only things in vivid color are the things he needs to pay attention to -- like the red car that keeps popping up out of nowhere, the red route 66 sign, the blue car that hits him.
But instead of paying attention to these signs, he instead chooses to see them as a threat...becoming paranoid with each encounter, thus driving away the people who care for him and driving himself crazy in the process.

The lighting in this movie also lent a hand in illustrating mood. I perceived the lighting to be too harsh -- especially at the machinery and at the airport -- and likened this to the sensation of being asleep and suddenly having the lights turned on. The blinding light shocks you awake...just like every time he tries to sleep, something keeps him staying awake.
And for good reason.

This is a strange movie that I don't see appealing to a wide audience. I know there were some parts that still confuse me, but overall, I still liked it. I enjoyed Christian Bale's performance as well as the overall mood of the film. There's a good lesson in here that shows what happens when you take the wrong path...and what happens when you stay there.

3/5 Ambient and stylish, but not exactly gripping.
  by Bob Humbug
My main gripe with this film is the story. When the expected unraveling of the protagonist's psyche begins, it just not, well, psychotic enough. Delusional, yes, which would be fine if this was just a guy with insomnia, but when the film starts suggesting that this isn't just merely a super-human lack of sleep disorder, I kept expecting it to tie the delusions together into some tapestry of insanity that we get to peek into. But none of the really interesting angles I was hoping for surfaced and I was instead left with many loose threads that seemed to lead only to delusion. And simple delusion, is, well, boring.

On the bright side, I can say that if you're anything like me, this film will inspire you to go take a good long nap. Yet, strangely, I can't imagine the filmmakers really hoping for reviews of "It put me right to sleep!" when they were working on it.

3/5 Half of Christian Bale is still better than most
  by Jason (Backwater, Alabama)
You know those days where you are dog-tired, can barely get out of bed, and go into zombie mode up until your lunch break? That's not tired. When compared to Trevor Reznick (Bale), a man whose guilt and paranoia has caused multiple years of a schizophrenic insomnia, those exhausting days are child's play.

Finding slight camaraderie from a factory co-worker, Miller (Michael Ironside), comfort in the bed of a hooker named Stevie (Leigh), and friendship from an airport waitress (Sanchez-Gijon), Reznick drags his emaciated skeleton throughout the day, almost embracing the starvation and insanity, ignoring his hunger and sleep deprivation. When Miller loses an arm in a work-related accident - a direct result of Reznick's hallucination-filled negligence - the world begins to crumble amidst habitual post-it notes, the disposal of a dead body, and a mysterious game of hangman.

Revealed through flashbacks and sleep distractions, the cause of Trevor's increasing alienation and withdrawal from reality receives a twist when he sees Ivan (John Sharian), a creepy colleague who nobody else can see. Convinced he's being plotted against, Trevor grows crazier until the very end. The clever blend of repressed memories and psychotic conceptions, it's Memento and Fight Club rolled into one.

First and foremost, this is a vehicle for Christian Bale's dedication to character acting. Literally destroying his own body, Bale looks like a concentration camp victim throughout the movie, and is completely believable as a person who hasn't slept in over a year. A growing self-awareness and guilt oozes from Bale's pores, as he absolutely nails the role. When a beautiful woman destroys her looks, she receives an award (Theron in Monster). When a man goes much further, he's overlooked. It's almost as disturbing as Bale's appearance in this film.

I, like Reznick, just want to find peace within this movie. On one hand I admire the dedication and bizarre storyline; conversely, however, there are several moments in which this movie drags. With the eerie cinematography, music, and dedication involved, this is an original movie deserving of praise. The only downfall is that it's a tad monotonous and boring at times, and the viewer ends up finding a slight insomnia cure from which Reznick suffers.

Jason Elin

5/5 wow
  by Danielle R (California)
This movie was good, not because i hold Christian Bale as an extremely desirable actor, but because he IS A DESIRABLE actor! He transforms his physical appearance dramatically for his role and it is amazing how in depth he gets into his roles.. you know what happens if you upset christian...

2/5 Very dark and hard to watch.
  by Cheryl Killian (Arlington, TX, USA)
This movie went around in circles and was very dark and hard to watch. As a matter of fact I never finished it. If you like creepy uncomfortable dark movies you will love this.