The Machinist (2004)

Before he played Batman, Christian Bale turned into a character named Trent Reznik in The Machinist.  Reznik is an insomniac who has not slept in a year.  His body begins withering away.  His mind begins to deteriorate.  He is so exhausted that he becomes delusional and paranoid.  Eventually his symptoms cause an incident at work that sets off a chain reaction that sends his life spiraling out of control as he loses grip on reality.  He becomes a man tormented by his own mind.

The film is written by Scott Kosar and directed by Brad Anderson.

The rest of the notable cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Michael Ironside, John Sharian, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Reg E. Cathey, Craig Stevenson, and Anna Massey.

The Machinist is brilliant.  The plot has so many twists and turns that will keep you entranced and guessing until the conclusion sneaks up on you.

9 years after watching this movie for the very first time, it’s still just as potent as ever.  That is a symptom of excellence.  It never gets old.

Christian Bale appears like he went through hell preparing for his role as Reznik.  He went from being in close to perfect shape to looking like death.  He was so bony that he literally appeared like he could drop dead of starvation at any moment.

Shortly after seen this movie for the first time, I remember reading that Bale lived off of nonfat lattes, green apples, and cigarettes.  That was his diet.  It was basically all that he ate for weeks.  I think it’s incredible how his body went from one extreme to another.  To top it all off, shortly after The Machinist, he got into even better shape than he was prior to filming The Machinist, in order to become Batman.  Talk about a man dedicated to his work.  His devotion to his character helped to turn this movie into a masterpiece.

The Machinist is pretty warped.  The film will mess with your mind in its own unique sort of way.  Prepare to be puzzled.  This is filmmaking at its best.

I rate this movie a 10 on a scale of 1-10.

Buy, rent, or run?  BUY!

If you liked The Machinist, then you will probably enjoy the following films:

Out of the Furnace (2013)

American Hustle (2013)

Leave (2011)

Wrecked (2010)

Trance (2013)