Film Review

The Machinist

The lead character of this film is played by Christian Bale, and the important thing to remember about this film is that he lost loads of weight to play the part, and he looks really skinny when he takes his T shirt off (which is often).

The film opens with a confusing out of context flashback, which is similar in that respect to Memento, which is also similar in that it is an overrated gritty film about the human psyche and that, but the thing to remember is Christian Bale lost loads of weight for this film, and he looks mental when he takes his t shirt off, like, really thin.

You can tell something really strange and sinister is going on because the entire film is shot through some stupid camera filter that makes everything look really dark and sinister and a bit surreal, even when it is blatantly blazing sunshine in CalifornI.A. or wherever, and even when the camera is looking at Christian Bale’s body, which is unbelievably thin, and he lost all that weight for the part.

Bale plays a character who becomes increasingly and disturbingly paranoid after he is partially responsible for an industrial accident where he works. He starts seeing strange characters at work who he doesn’t recognise, and cryptic post-it notes keep appearing on his fridge saying things like ‘Only one tin of tuna and a black coffee today, you bloater.’

A load of disjointed boring plot lines later, and the film ends with a twist of the ‘..and he woke up, and it had all been a dream’ magnitude, but what gives this film lasting importance is the fact that Christian Bale lost nearly 50 kilograms before filming.