CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

salmanalfarisi-81574 Imsonia is one of the disorder that I hate more than anything and for people who always have this disorder, it's so difficult to get rid of it. My experience didn't sleep for one day has become a habit for myself and one of my friends has tried to not sleep for two days. But, what if you don't sleep for a year? That is one impossible thing to do but some people have this fatal insomnia disorder. Well, have you ever heard of "The Machinist" behind the making of this movie? Of course, I'm talking about Christian Bale who is doing an extreme diet in order to become a real character in this movie. Before he cast in "Batman Begins," Christian Bale went on a diet so that his weight dropped to 54 kg which was 82 kg. By just consuming a cup of coffee without sugar, a can of tuna, and an apple every day, Christian Bale seems a zombie when I watch this movie. In fact, the director Brad Anderson refused to Christian Bale who wanted to lose more weight again because it could endanger the actor's health. Even so, "The Machinist" shows an unusual story about a mental disorder of a person and psychology in depth, especially insomnia."The Machinist" actually isn't one of the psychological movies. Before this film, there were many films which discussed a depth psychology of a person such as "Fight Club," "Taxi Driver," "The Exorcist," "Insomnia," and etc. So, I think that Brad Anderson's "The Machinist" is an ordinary movie for myself as a film enthusiast with a heavy theme. But, wait a minute. "The Machinist" is actually not about the story of a person's intent from the beginning to the end but this film explores more about insomnia even as deep as possible into a more terrifying phase. Trevor Reznik, which Scott Kosar as the writer really loves Nine Inch Nails, represents a fatal insomnia disorder with various rage conflicts in his mind and even affect his own life. Trevor, who initially became someone who as a normal person for a long time became an anti-social person, even his friends were so worried about him who turned into a different person. In this film, I didn't really care about the character but I care more about Christian Bale with a very worrying totality. In fact, he is no longer a Christian Bale which we always see in every movie. But, because of the story which was shown in this film, Trevor became more hallucinated in his past, a hangman puzzle games posted in his refrigerator, another person of himself, to dilemmas that destroyed him from outside and inside. So, I'm not really discussing how the process of the main character until he cure his insomnia but this film shows a plot-twist which at least entertaining to watch.This film is also like a reality and dream tied into one. Kinda reminds me of "Paprika" which this movie came out in 2004 while "Paprika" came out in 2006. The answer to hallucinations seen as the true identity of Ivan is actually the viewers already know from the beginning. "The Machinist" also keeps a mystery that holds many other surprises to be witnessed by the viewers. Although there are a lot of movies which used concepts like this, what I feel from this film is that this film discusses more about one's psychology even to the dark side about one's personality, tension, hallucinations, mental breakdown, and etc. Because this film also used Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Idiot" as the main reference, if you read the novel it might be familiar with the used of similar characters such as Aitana Sánchez-Gijón as Marie and Matthew Romero Moore as Nicholas. This film seems like an indie horror movie that shows a dark and strong atmosphere, an aura of isolation about someone. Kinda reminds me of "Taxi Driver" about a person's struggle for solitude against injustice from outside the zone. In addition, this movie cannot be separated from its mystery element. The viewers will guess more about Trevor's character with a few clues that will become a plot twist at the end to make it more curious and so focused on itself. A puzzle in life that follows from Trevor allows us to compile all the puzzles with some available clues. However, I see that the plot twist isn't too memorable because the viewers also know from the beginning of the circumstance about the character.In addition to the Christian Bale's extreme totality, we don't forget the other actors and actresses who also showed their best performance. Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stevie is a character who becomes a subplot for Trevor's character because their relationship is nothing more than a couple even though Stevie as a prostitute cocktail is nothing more than that too. Aitana Sanchez-Gijon as Marie is also no more than Stevie but is inversely proportional to the character. On the other hand, Trevor who likes to drink a cup of coffee and eat a slice of pie at the airport makes him more comfortable than being a quiet person. The two characters keep a guilty feeling about the clue investigated by Trevor so that it doesn't mind it at all if you didn't watch this movie yet. John Sharian as Ivan is a character who holds various mysteries and became one of the main points. As one that often bothered Trevor while he worked even caused Trevor to make an accident so that one of his co-workers lost his hand. With a twist ending that isn't too focused, "The Machinist" actually tells the story about a process and an exploration of a person's disorder. While looking for strong evidence of how the film would end, various clues will make you compile and interpret what the film is about."The Machinist" makes everyone assume about insomnia. What exactly is insomnia and why do we not always sleep at night? When for some didn't like their disorder and wanna to cure it and for some people also like to do things like that at night, "The Machinist" makes an interesting assumption about the exploration of an insomnia, about what is the importance of getting up in the morning without doing anything or stay up at night without doing anything. It's a contradiction between the two sides which some also stick to it. With a Christian Bale's totality did an extreme diet, "The Machinist" is a not-too-heavy movie to be appreciated but it interesting to be analyzed together.

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.

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.

Ian (Flash Review)What life events or conditions drives someone to insomnia? This film explores a man, who is an industrial machinist, and how insomnia effects his everyday life to the point of perceived delusion. There is second plot point that I'll leave as a surprise that is the crux of this film. The film feels small and well-focused with an atmosphere of cool steel colors and confining shot framing that give it an ominous tone. Bale literally got into character and starved himself to become the character with an emaciated appearance. Amazingly a year later he was super ripped for his role as Superman. Overall, this is a tight little character study that'll keep you engaged and thinking.