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THE MACHINIST
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars:
Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, John Sharian,
Michael Ironside
Director: Brad Anderson
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Studio: Paramount
Features: See Review
Length: 101 Minutes
Release Date: June 7, 2005
“I
KNOW WHO YOU ARE!”
Film
***1/2
The
Machinist presents to us a
character who is living in a consistent nightmare, and we are right there with
him from minute one. The film itself plays like a hybrid mix of the work of
David Fincher and David Lynch. And much like Fincher’s Fight
Club, the film manages to administer one final surprise after unfolding so
unpredictably.
Right from the
opening scene, we are thrown into the world of Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale), a
man who seems to be losing a grip on reality, both mentally and physically, at a
slow-but-sure pace. Acquiring the appearance of a nearly decomposed human being,
Trevor admits to one of his few friends that he hasn’t slept in a year. His
skeletal figure has the few that do care about him very worried.
He works as a
machinist at a local steel mill. His appearance, and periodic strange behavior,
puts off his co-workers. This only increases when, after being distracted,
Trevor causes a fellow worker (Michael Ironside) to lose his left arm in an
accident.
The distraction
came by way of a man named Ivan (John Sharian), a bulky figure and fellow
employee. He appears to be quite chatty with Trevor, something which he accepts
since he doesn’t have many friends. Strangely enough, he had a similar
accident sometime ago, having lost his fingers—which are now replaced by his
toes.
Outside of work,
Trevor only has two sources of consultation. The first of which is Stevie
(Jennifer Jason Leigh), a hooker who seems to listen carefully to Trevor’s
confessions of what’s truly troubling him. Like all her clients, she does bed
him, but she considers him a bit more special than the average customer. As his
nightmare seems to evolve, he is right back at her door.
The second is Marie
(the luminous Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), an airport waitress who serves Trevor on a
daily basis. A single mother, she is given bigger than usual tips by Trevor, not
just for service but for companionship it seems. She is both bewildered and
flattered by Trevor’s charming efforts.
Plot-wise, that’s
about all that I can afford to reveal. I will only say that the movie grows more
intense and suspenseful which each following sequence. And the final moments of
the film provide a plot revelation that, for once, does the movie complete
justice as opposed to being something of a gimmick.
Much was made about
Christian Bale’s jaw-dropping physical transformation for the role. As was the
case with Robert De Niro in Raging Bull
and Benicio Del Toro in Fear and Loathing
in Las Vegas, you simply can’t believe that this is the same actor
you’re so used to looking at in other pictures. And think about it-Bale is a
naturally slender guy, so to see him drop so much as 60 pounds for this film
shows perhaps the most committed form of acting we may ever witness, simply
because of the risks involved. Thank goodness Mr. Bale made it out of the
transformation alive, as he prepares to don the Bat suit in Batman
Begins.
Director Brad
Anderson, who made the highly underrated horror flick Session 9, has crafted another mesmerizing piece of effective and
assaulting cinema with The Machinist.
Like Fight Club, it stays true to its
grim and atmosphere for the entire film. It’s a most unforgettable, and
brilliantly brutal, psychological journey that will stick with you long after
you see it.
On a final note,
this would make quite a good double feature along with Bale’s American
Psycho, even though the films are somewhat different.
Video
****
This is a
remarkable piece of DVD video from Paramount. Hardly ever has there been such a
magnificent treatment of a film with such an unyielding murky atmosphere. Come
to think it, there really isn’t any shed of light in the film until the last
half hour. Image quality is nothing short of superb, and colors, which are
mostly that of a dark green in the dimly lit shots, are visually effective. To
make the viewing more effective, it may help to watch this with the lights
turned off.
Audio
***
Even though this is
a mostly dialogue driven film, the thriller portions of the movie allow a great
deal of sound to provide quite a strong effect. Certain set pieces, i.e. the
machine factory, deliver a superb level of surround sound. Dialogue delivery and
music playback also earn this presentation bonus points. A splendid job.
Features
**1/2
The disc includes a
commentary from director Brad Anderson, a revealing documentary titled “The
Machinist: Breaking the Rules”, 8 deleted scenes, a theatrical trailer and
several bonus trailers for additional Paramount titles.
Summary: