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The Machinist (Christian Bale) – Movie Review

51s1TNvteJL. SX500 The Machinist (Christian Bale) Movie Review
Director: Brad Anderson
Writers: Scott Kosar
Stars: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
Runtime: 101 min
Genre: Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: 8.4 / 10

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Hitchcock would have been proud of Anderson’s bleak psychological thriller, The Machinist. Both artistic and chilling, this film is uncomfortably fulfilling. A horrifically emaciated Christian Bale, who lost over 60 pounds to play the leading role of Trevor Reznik, proves that his acting runs far deeper than his good looks. From a lucid dreaming perspective, this film is somewhat antithetical, given that the protagonist is an insomniac. However, Bale’s character proves that without sleep, waking life becomes the dream.

Trevor Reznik works graveyard shift as a machinist in a large factory. For some unknown reason, concealed from the audience, Reznik hasn’t slept in a year, and the insomnia has taken a toll on every aspect of his life—from his skeletal body, bruised eyes, obsessive compulsive habits, and repulsive social behaviors. Alienated by his co-workers, who attribute his physical depletion to drugs or insanity, Reznik lives in a self-conscious bubble of loneliness. His one true friend Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), an attractive, sympathetic call girl, does care for him, but the only person with whom Reznik interacts positively is a lovely airport waitress (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón).

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While taking a smoke break in his truck outside of work, he meets the big toothed new employee, Ivan. The next day, Ivan distracts Reznik while he is helping Miller, a good natured co-worker, fix a machine. Reznik accidentally activates the machine which results in Miller losing his arm. He explains Ivan’s distraction to his boss who claims that
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