Machinist - by Michael Duck

Directed by Brad Anderson and written by Scott Alan Kosar, spanish co-financed “The Machinist” (2004) starring Christian Bale and Jennifer Jason Leigh contains both very good and very bad elements.

Synopsis

Trevor Reznik hasn't slept in a year, which has led to a shocking deterioration of his physical and mental health. His only solace comes from his call-girl girlfriend and a waitress he visits almost every night. Then, his world becomes a living nightmare as cryptic notes turn up in his apartment and visions arise no one else can see.

Visually, this film is very impressive: Very low-key pictures, in which the details aren’t accessible for one’s eye easily, are contrasted with high-range, clear and bright establishing shots (especially outside). Also the film uses nice camera angles and as he plays around with shadows quite well, he also plays around with the appearance of the physical status of Trevor himself.

The music itself assists the feelings suggested by the pictures quite well, but sometimes reminds one too much of X-Files with its slow, almost atonal oboe.

The Storytelling though is poor and sometimes boring due to its predictability. To my mind the average spectator only needs around 20 minutes at the latest to realise that Ivan is an imagination - too strange and too stereotype is his appearance. Also there are too many evident ‘hints’ that Ivan himself is a reaction to a trauma Trevor has experienced himself long before the end of the film is reached. For example Trevor annotates the license-plate numbers of Ivan’s car, five seconds later there’s a close up of the license plate of Trevor’s car, and they are completely the same!
Also there is no self-mockery at all: Anderson and Kosar miss the opportunity to play around with these obvious facts - references to Fight Club are possible but none is actually given. Last, but not least the function of the waitress remains undefined: Is she the mother of the child Trevor visits again and again - unable to tell his secret to her - or not?

Special mentioning deserves Christian Bale: The huge variety of his roles - velvet goldmine, American psycho and Reign of Fire - is enlarged once again. He really looks like a guy who escaped from a concentration camp one week ago. At my opinion he deserves an oscar only for this ‘diet’ - or his enormous will of acting which becomes manifest in it.

Indeed, I’m a bit disappointed. The beginning of the movie is good, but as the story remains weak even the good pictures alone aren’t able to compensate these lacks and mistakes.