The Machinist (2005)

Directed by: Brad Anderson | 102 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, John Sharian, Michael Ironside, Larry Gilliard Jr, Reg E. Cathey, Anna Massey

A “film that takes its dramatic tension and horror from everyday situations”. A “subtle nightmare”. This is what director Brad Anderson envisioned with ‘The Machinist’, and that is exactly what the film has become. “Subtle” is a good word to describe the way the film affects the viewer. “Under the skin” is another one. This word not only describes the kind of tension and sadness that the viewer experiences while watching the film, it also refers quite literally to the physical state of the main character Trevor, and thus its interpreter, actor Christian Bale.

Bale follows in the footsteps of Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, and Adrien Brody. Like these actors, Bale has drastically “adjusted” his weight for a movie role. However, in this case it is so extreme that his health seems to be in danger. He’s lost nearly thirty pounds (about a third of his body weight), on a daily diet of a can of tuna and an apple, and the results are impressive. He walks around like a practical skeleton. sunken eyes; prominent cheekbones, rib cage, spine, collarbones: everything sticks through his skin.

His appearance, though extreme, does belong to his character. Reznik barely eats and hasn’t slept in a year, for reasons that only become clear to us at the end of the film. “If you’d be any thinner, you’d disappear” both the whore with the heart of gold, Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and the beautiful waitress Marie (Aitana Sánchez-Gijon) say to him at various points in the film. . Is that his goal? Does he want to disappear? And if so, why? We do not know. The man is and will remain a mystery to the viewer for a long time. A man we have to deal with and who, like Stevie, we want to understand and get to know.

The sympathy, which the character arouses purely on the basis of his worrisome appearance, creates a moral dilemma in the opening scenes of the film. The first shot shows Bale, in silhouette, in his room, where he rolls a corpse in a carpet. Is this being played with, and winked at, his killer persona from ‘American Psycho’? This perception of his character is problematic when we later see him in close-up, after dumping the corpse into the water. With his sunken face and his various wounds, he seems to have some scary disease. However, can we feel sympathy for him after the disturbing actions just now? This ambiguity regarding his character runs throughout the film. We never quite know what to think of him. While Trevor is dumping his body, a man approaches and asks: “Who are you?”. This is what Trevor, and with him the viewer, actually wants to know.

Bale’s acting, aside from his “body language”, is impressive. He plays a character who lives on the border. On the (mental and physical) border between life and death, between reality and apparent reality, between normality and abnormality, and more such dualities. Bale manages to maneuver beautifully between these layers. This kind of dichotomy is also reflected in the characters. For example, the two women in his life form the whore-madonna contrast, and the quirky, slightly frightening wardrobe Ivan that keeps appearing and disappearing (reminiscent of Brando’s Colonel Kurtz from ‘Apocalypse Now’) could also be in such a fit a picture. This character is also well, and with visible pleasure, portrayed by John Sharian. With his mocking grin and typical behavior he manages to contribute to a macabre kind of atmosphere, reminiscent of Lynch’s work.

Not only Lynch is a clear source of inspiration here. Hitchcock is also clearly referenced. This can be seen in the pace of the film, certain shot choices, the narrative use of the setting, but especially the exciting music, which comes very close to Bernard Herrmann’s work for the master of suspense. Surprisingly, however, is the addition of the whistling sounds of the theremin, an instrument that figured prominently in ‘Ed Wood’. It just provides that one surreal “touch” in the soundtrack, which supports the atmosphere of the story well. The film has a strong “bleached” appearance. The cold, light blue-grey color, which lies against the black and white, beautifully reflects the mental state of the character: desolate, emotionless, tired.

Several times, in an interesting way, so-called “dissolves” are used, in which images slowly merge into one another. For example, we see Trevor driving, in his car, looking up, where we see the escape tower where his favorite waitress Marie works. However, a life-sized head (of Marie) suddenly appears next to the tower, which has a threatening and alienating effect. Soon we are fortunately back in the tower in full size. Another example is a coffee cup that slowly turns into a roller coaster. Another interesting game with the completely different scale of two objects.

The film has become an interesting mix of drama and mystery, culminating in an now satisfying final reveal. Unlike many twists in other films, such as recently in ‘Saw’, the ending follows logically, and fairly, from the previous one. Throughout the film, the viewer is given enough clues to be able to understand the reveal for the most part, and the ending is more likely to be the last piece of the puzzle that is given to you, than a suddenly all-revealing or overturning final scene. This last bit makes everything fall into place and gives an almost moving insight into Trevor’s psyche. ‘The Machinist’ is a film that perhaps doesn’t delve very deeply into the psyche of the main character, and whose independent scenes do not always contain as much drama or suspense, but the quirky and oppressive atmosphere of the semi-mysterious story, as well as the excellent actors and the interesting style, ensure that the viewer remains constantly captivated.