review: The Machinist

Classic mechanisms of folklore such as the doppelganger and the proverbial fork in the road are given a whole new treatment in this thrilling and mysterious Kafkaesque story of an insomniac who is losing his grip on reality. Director Brad Anderson shoots an aesthetically pleasing, yet dreamy, and forebodingly nightmarish film which plays with the viewers’ mind just enough to keep up the intrigue. This is an above average film with an appealing story and is significantly improved by the striking performance of the hardly recognizable Christian Bale as the emaciated protagonist, Trevor Reznik. Bale is just one of those artists who literally BECOMES his art while working on it, and I have a tremendous respect for such allegiance. The Machinist is a prime example of his ability and proof that he is capable of great depth as an actor. I enjoyed this one quite a bit!