The Machinist

A taut psychological thriller about insomnia. Simple as that, but I'll elaborate anyway.

Christian Bale plays Trevor Reznik, a man who hasn't slept in over a year. He's eternally in limbo between sleep and being completely awake, his body wasting away to nothing and his mind following suit. Working long hours in an industrial work shop and with his only friend a nice enough hooker, things could definitely be better for him.

Then things start to get even weirder. He begins to see another employee who may or may not exist. He begins to hallucinate, develops paranoia, and finds mysterious sticky notes attached to his fridge every now and again. He's losing his grip on reality, and he doesn't know why. It all stems from something that happened almost a year ago, something that caused his insomnia and has been driving him mad ever since...

It's an effective little movie, partly due to Bale's grand performance. He was completely dedicated to the role, so much so that he went from 180 pounds to 120 pounds before shooting began; watching him in the movie is like watching a skeleton move. It's rather astonishing to see him like this, and it's made all the better with how crazy he really does seem.

The coloring of this film is interesting as well. Everything seems to be washed over with dark blue and gray, giving it all a rather bleak feel. It works with the tone of the film, and helps give the whole thing an almost surreal vibe.

Admittedly, parts of the film don't work as well. An observant watcher will probably figure out some of the twists early on (though the film doesn't really treat the twists as twists, so it's alright). But this is a movie that isn't so much about being surprised, but about following a character in his descent into madness. And in that regard, the film works wonders.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0fuHY4U1UA