FauxNixon

Christian Bale’s performance as Travor Reznik in The Machinist may rank as one of his best ever.  He plays an industrial machinist plagued by chronic insomnia and a mysterious weight-loss that is bringing him down to levels that make him appear like someone from Ethiopia during its infamous famine.  He is, essentially, dying of insomnia and his work as a lathe operator begins to suffer because of it.  He claims to his friend/lover/prostitute Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) that he hasn’t slept in a year.

As his condition increases in its severity he begins to be haunted by a deformed co-worker Ivan (John Sharian), whose distractions cause him to allow an industrial accident to occur in which his friend  Miller (Michael Ironside) loses an arm in an industrial machine. The problem with his subsequent interview with the company officials is that there is no record of an Ivan ever working for his plant and no other worker seems to be able to recall having seen such a person.

As his insomnia and weight-loss continue to worsen an ongoing stream of indecipherable Post-It notes begin appearing on his refrigerator door and his sleeplessness leads him into a deeper and deeper delusional state where he becomes increasingly paranoid, believing there to be a conspiracy against him.

The conclusion of film is a climax that certainly went unexpected by me and is something of a surprise and a revelation that makes all of the mystery, suspense, and build-up in the plot payoff for the viewer with an incredibly enjoyable experience.

The lengths to which Christian Bale dedicated himself to this role are not something that should be overlooked.  Aside from his performance, whose intensity and authenticity are among the most impressive I can recall, he physically endangered his own health by dropping from his usually weight of 180lbs down to a weight of 120lbs after the producers of the film stepped in to prevent him from reaching his goal weight of 100lbs. He claims his weight loss was the result of vigorous exercise and a strict diet of one can of tuna and one apple per day.  It is impressive to see him in this physical condition in this film and then see him as he has regained his weight healthily and gotten into fantastic physical shape for his next role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in his next film, Batman Begins.

In my humble opinion this film should have won more awards, but more specifically, I think Christian Bale was cheated out of an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his acting in this movie.