Machinist

What if you really lack sleep? Can you still stay focused or would you most probably turn delusional?

Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) is a machinist (no surprise here) who has not slept for a year, causing him to continuously lose weight by the day, practically turning him to bones. His inability to sleep leads him to two women, Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) a prostitute and Marie (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón), a waitress he visits every night at the airport cafe.

Most of his co-workers were sceptical when he denies he is on drugs. They tried to get him to seek help but he refuse to admit his deteriorating condition. One day at work, blamed for his inability to stay focused, he caused an accident involving his co-worker Miller (Michael Ironside). Attributing his lost of attention to Ivan (John Sharian), a new co-worker that no one knew existed, everyone around him turned into a nervous lot, treating him as a liability. When he is caught in a situation where he almost got himself injured, he accused his co-workers of conspiring to purge him out, using Ivan to torment him. Not only that, even his most trusted, Stevie and Maria, seems to be part it as well. Hell, even his landlord was not spared, as he suspected her of placing mysterious stick-up notes in his apartment. Is he really starting to turn delusional, or are the people around him turning him crazy?

Christian Bale lost a lot of weight just for this role that you practically see his skeletal frame. It gets really excruciating at times seeing him in that state. Some people think it was a sick attempt to attract movie goers. Whatever the reason Bale decided to do it for, it made no difference to me. His acting was top notch regardless. Bale play Trevor, a man full of dark secrets that he keeps to himself, perfectly. If the Oscars is not political, he would have won easily.

This movie delve in the realm of what is real and what is not. Many questions were laid on the table. Why can't he sleep, who places the notes in his apartment, who is Ivan? Pace is slow at times but it was quite intended as it is not an action movie. The tension builds up as it reach the peak where all answers are answered. Most importantly, the revelation don't make you feel cheated, unlike most movies of the same genre

This movie is definitely not for those with short attention span. Even if you are not, watch this only when you are in the mood for a real drama.