adam-may-bower
'The Machinist' is a dull and anti-climatic film that is only held up by a strong and committed performance by Christian Bale. I had not heard much about this film prior watching it, and my only knowledge on it was that Bale had lost a significant amount of weight for this role. The opening scene promises a dark and compelling (murder?) mystery, but as soon as this scene is over, the remainder of the film drags on. It became clear from the beginning that the character is insane, and therefore not everything is reality. By revealing this so early into the film, the plot-twist at the end isn't anything special. There's no 'ah-ha' moment where you sit there, surprised, shocked and entertained once the movie makes all sense. It's rather an 'oh, okay' moment. While I think the plot wasn't too bad in itself, it was simply the whole way this film was directed. Overly long scenes combined with a very bleak color palette can easily diminish ones attention. However, this film does have a few silver linings. Christian Bale does a fantastic job in this role, fully embodying the character - even from a physical level. The complexity and insanity of the character is highly believable and I'm surprised this did not get an Academy Award nomination! The supporting cast also do a fine job in their roles but were all evidently undermined by Bale. Another perk of the film was the eerie and surreal soundtrack by Roque Baños, who contributed the most to the bizarre and psychotic atmosphere that lingers over this film. Overall, this film was a disappointment for me as it dragged on and led to nowhere. However, it's always a pleasure watching brilliant acting play out on the screen, as well as hearing a masterful soundtrack.
gute321
That's not how you play 'hangman' you only draw another part of the stickman when the player guesses an incorrect letter why would you draw another part of the stickman if the guessed letter is in the word it doesn't make sense bale was good though 5/10
MarrianoJuniper
Before this review should begin, one must consider and commend the dedication of Christian Bale for his performance in this role. His role as Trevor is perfect; it is difficult or perhaps even impossible to consider what other actor would be able to pull this movie off with such effectiveness. The Machinist is about a blue-collar worker, Trevor Reznik, who explains how he "has not slept in a very long time". As the film progresses, he begins to question his own sanity as he becomes embroiled in his own troubled mind to discover why these unusual events are happening to him, and, what they could mean.In many ways, Reznik is on a path to discovery; it may not be the 'discovery' as me and you would relate to other films, but what is clear is that Reznik is trying to 'discover' what is happening to him. It is this discovery that leads to his ultimate end and, in turn allows him to find peace. The narrative is well executed but the plot is slightly let down with a sense of familiarity with the realisation he was chasing himself the whole time. It was almost predictable, but in fairness the film is incredibly engaging and does give you room to consider your own thoughts and ideas around it. Overall, the film will definitely has been a treat to watch. While the plot may be familiar to some audiences, it is nevertheless a captivating psychological thriller that will be remembered as one of Bale's most intense and finest performances of his career.
crberme
This is one of these movies that thought it can be considered old, it never gets old.The Machinist treats mental health problems really interestingly, and immerses the viewer into Trevor's mind in a brilliant yet sneaky way. The movie tries to deliver the vision of a man who's been better, but doesn't realize how low he is because he's gotten used to the felling, and if that's something hard to explain imagine how hard it is to pull it up in an almost two hours long movie. And this film still success at doing it.I Wish I could say more about it, but I would kill part of it's magic. You'll have to see it, something I recommend you to do.
AD
