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So why did the proficient British actor – who became
a household name with his role as the Caped Crusader in Batman
Begins – drop so much weight and dunk himself in
ugly juice? Well, that’s a mystery that unravels about
the same time as this film’s ingenious twist.
But yes, it’s for good reason – and Brad Anderson’s
pic is all the more better for having such a submerged performance
as garnish.
With creepy noir-esque melody, inexplicable strangers, evocative
carnival rides, blood dripping from a fridge, wacky camera-shots
and nutty characters left, right and centre (oh and more unpredictable
twists than the roads to Mt Bulla) you’d think “The
Machinist” was the work of David Lynch. But unlike a
lot of the great Lynch’s flicks – this one actually
comes together, even if it does have you scratching your head
for an hour before it starts joining it’s own dots.
Another twist-filled mystery riding the coat tails of the
praiseworthy “Memento” (2000), “The Machinist”,
tells of a freakishly thin loner (Bale) who has been battling
insomnia for a year. Trevor Reznick seems to be losing it
– he’s mistrustful, he’s jittery, and he’s
certain there’s something strange going on: beginning
with a freak accident he’s been blamed for at work. So
who is the bald guy in the car that’s following him around?
Why is there a game of hangman stuck on a post-it note on
his fridge? And why the hell is he getting so vomit-inducingly
thin?
Brad Anderson’s film isn’t as enjoyable as it is
commendable but it’s still an intriguing picture. It
dawdles here and there; really only gathering steam in it’s
last half an hour, but
comes together so well that it’s inexorably the kind
of film that’s going to leave an impression, in addition
to a mark on top of the noggin where you’ve been scratching
for the film’s duration.
There are some consistent highlights throughout: namely the
performance of Christian Bale – overpoweringly transforming
himself both mentally and physically to play the intriguing
Reznik, and also, the look, feel and arrangement of the picture:
Everything from it’s shadowy colours to audacious cinematography
consistently keeps you interested, even when the yarn doesn’t.
Not as breathtakingly imaginative as “Memento”,
but still a very impressive and palpably different film experience,
The Machinist deserves a look – and it ain’t
good to know that your money’s going to go to good use:
a steak dinner for its star.
DVD Extras
A brief featurette is outdone by the unblemished audio and
video transfer. Did expect a few more extras - but that could
possibly be down the road.
Conclusion: Movie 80% Extras: 35%
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