Christian Bale is Trevor Reznik, he has not slept for a year and he is ravaged by exhaustion, his body is little more than bones and his weary mind is playing tricks on him. After a serious accident where his neglect sees a co-worker lose a arm, he becomes haunted by his guilt and he begins to find cryptic notes in his flat, while he is stalked by man, wherever he goes.
Brad Anderson creates and sustains a very creepy and dark Ora throughout the film; filling it with haunting imagery and clever camera work. Christian Bale is simply mesmerising in this role, and he must have starved for months to capture the characters physical appearance. He is excellently supported by Jennifer Jason Leigh, a prostitute who seems to be the only one he can trust.
The Machinist is truly compulsive viewing and despite similarities to the feel of Fight Club and the structure of Memento; this film does stand alone on it's own merits.
8/10
