The Machinist

Released 2004
Stars Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, John Sharian, Michael Ironside
Directed by Brad Anderson

A noir horror movie of the most un-classic kind, Brad Anderson's The Machinist takes you into the unstable mind of an insomniac with a dark secret whose life has become a bleak emotional wasteland devoted only to going through the motions of working. Blessed with an extraordinary performance by Christian Bale, this movie plays out like a nightmare, and will remind some viewers of The Fight Club, Memento, and Insomnia. Although The Machinist may at times seem to be derivative of those films, and is inferior to them, it is nevertheless a harrowing experience for those to whom this sort of story appeals.

An emaciated Christian Bale (not a Halloween skeleton) Bale's Trevor is, as the title implies, a machinist at an assembly-line factory. He clocks in every morning, then clocks out every afternoon, keeping basically to himself. When he returns from work, he does nothing more remarkable than frequent an airport diner where he converses with the same waitress (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) on a daily basis, or visit his "regular" prostitute, Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh). But something strange is happening. A mysterious man named Ivan (John Sharian) is haunting him, and he is having strange visions. The question is whether these are figments of a deranged imagination or part of a larger external conspiracy to drive him insane. How much of what is happening is transpiring within Trevor's psyche? Who, if anyone, is real? Why has the clock stopped at 1:30? Why is the refrigerator bleeding?

Summary by James Berardinelli

This is a decent psychological thriller, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it again. It had a strong start but when Ivan appeared, I thought here we go again. Another movie with a main character who interacts with someone who pushes him in a certain direction, but then we find he's really an alter-ego. I always wonder how it works for people with real mental illness. Are all of these conversations happening in their heads, or does everyone else watch them having conversations with themselves? One thing I liked about the movie is Trevor is actually sort of charming, especially when he's with the waitress. He's treated like a freak by his co-workers, but he doesn't really act like one in public (in private is a different matter). Of course, we find out a lot of that charm was part of his fantasy, but it was a nice touch to the movie. I also liked the ending, which I thought offered a good reason for him to have lost his mind. Guilt is very powerful, and I could understand him not sleeping and having these fantasies about a close relationship with a waitress with the boy he killed and a man (himself) who's trying to destroy his life. I personally didn't find anything in the movie too disturbing except for the Route 666 carnival ride that made perfect sense later. The movie had a nice atmosphere and good performances, but I've had enough of the fictitious alter-ego characters. It was pretty obvious what was happening, but it would be more interesting at this point to acknowledge it from the beginning. I think you could replace the thriller aspect with empathy for the person who has lost their mind. --Bill Alward, August 18, 2005