Inside Pulse DVD Review – The Machinist

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Director:

Brad Anderson

Cast:

Christian Bale……….Trevor Reznik
Jennifer Jason Leigh……….Stevie
Aitana Sanchez-Gijon……….Marie
John Sharian……….Ivan
Michael Ironside……….Miller
Larry Gilliard……….Jackson

Paramount Classics and Filmax Entertainment present The Machinist. Produced by Julio Fernandez. Written by Scott Kosar. Running time: 102 minutes. Rated R (for violence and disturbing images).

The movie:

Okay, not to mince words, the best reason to see The Machinist is for Christian Bale’s performance. Strike that. It should read “see this film for Bale’s appearance…or lack there of.”

There’s a scene early into the film where Bale’s Trevor Reznik character is staring at his bathroom mirror. He examines his collarbone. Muscle tissue is scarce giving us full access to the protruding bone. As the camera pulls back, you can see this emaciated man and just wince at his appearance. By watching Bale skulk around through each scene you can’t help but become unnerved.

In preparing for his role as an insomniac Christian Bale lost more than 60 pounds. That’s the film’s selling point right there. And it is information helpful to those who don’t believe they are watching the same man who will don the cape of the Dark Knight.

Trevor works the graveyard shift as a machinist. He does his job dutifully despite his insomnia. His co-workers think of him as some kind of “spook”; like maybe he scares them a little. One day his sleeplessness clouds his vision and as a result his co-worker Miller (Michael Ironside) loses a hand. This treatment to Ironside is old hat. He has appeared in such films as Total Recall and Starship Troopers missing an arm.

So Trevor keeps to himself, up at all hours, but two women are sympathetic to his needs: Stevie, a prostitute, and Marie, the waitress at an all-night diner out of LAX. Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a hooker and a confidant. Even after the sexual act she is kind enough to tell Trevor, “If you were any thinner, you wouldn’t exist.”

Marie (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) is the other woman in Trevor’s life. She is like a warm cup of coffee to jump start a bad morning. Serving Trevor a cup of coffee and a dish of conversation, Maria maintains a cheerful demeanor in the twilight hours of the day. She sizes up Trevor immediately. He is a lonely, lonely man. But she can’t understand why he drives all the way out to an airport for coffee and pie.

Seldom do you leave a movie theater questioning the motivations of the characters in the just finished film. Brad Anderson’s film is intriguing because its main character lacks decision-making abilities. There are times, yes, where he eats chicken or smokes. But these are more instinctive actions. Unlike Trevor, we wake up every morning. And during the day we make decisions that may have an inherent effect on what occurs next. Trevor Reznik stopped having this ability a year ago. Consequently, Trevor hasn’t slept for a year.

As the film progresses, a mystery arises. For starters there is a guy named Ivan (John Sharian) a distraction in the machine shop who may have contributed to Miller’s accident. He had a drill press accident once costing him some fingers. Not only has he lost some fingers, but also his appearance resembles that of Casper the friendly ghost. The other guys in the shop claim Ivan doesn’t exist. And what’s the deal with Post-It notes on Trevor’s kitchen refrigerator?

Many may dismiss The Machinist as a horror film. The horror is there it’s just not as visceral as say carbon-copy slasher flicks or PG-13-oriented so-called horror pictures. Director Brad Anderson, working from Scot Kosar’s script, invokes a heighten sense of terror with Trevor. He hasn’t slept in a year and we wonder just how he maintains stability. Now it is physically impossible to go without sleep for an extended period of time; but Bale’s massive weight loss is so substantial we are willing to believe Trevor’s insomnia issues. With each passing minute the psychological terror depicted in the film is as, if not more, shocking than anything involving blood and guts.

The climax in The Machinist is adequate enough in providing a plausible explanation for its mysteries. Not all mysteries may be revealed but in a film like this, you watch it for the performances, not its plot. Christian Bale is on the cusp of Hollywood greatness. Sure, he may not have the star power of a Tom Cruise or appear in five films a year, but Bale carved his niche, no pun intended, in cult cinema history as serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. His performance as Trevor Reznik is eye opening. As the quintessential “walking skeleton,” Bale shows an intense dedication to his craft. Thank goodness there are actors that take on film projects that think “outside the box.”

Score: 8/10

THE DVD:

VIDEO: How does it look?

The cinematography by Xavi Gimenez gives the film a distinct look. Blue and gray color filters accentuate the despair and solitude Trevor Reznik is feeling. We see the world as he sees it. It’s just a sad state that Trevor sees the world with such desolation. Warner Bros. gives this art house favorite the five-star treatment when it comes to video quality. The lighting and color filters used give the video a cool feeling. Few imperfections and minimal edge enhancement. The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic widescreen.

Score: 8/10

AUDIO: How does it sound?

The music of a film can play an important role. Themes are constructed to give the movie a purpose, to stimulate emotion. Roque Banos’ essential musical score is no different. His music is a throwback to Bernard Hermann’s rifts in Psycho; both enhance each film’s sense of urgency. Banos’ work is somewhat diminished by the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound track, however, which is a shame. Also included on the DVD is a 2.0 track.

Score: 7/10

SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary, featurette, and deleted scenes!!!

Paramount Classics has kindly provided the DVD connoisseur a few extras to satisfy his or her curiosity. First up: a commentary by Brad Anderson.

Brad doesn’t go into great detail regarding the making-of The Machinist. What he does do, though, is talk about Christian Bale, Scott Kosar’s screenplay and other elements about the film. He doesn’t shy away when he talks about Bale’s incredible weight loss. Before production commenced he told Bale that he wanted him to lose some weight. Brad didn’t specify how much weight to lose. If he told Bale to lose 60 pounds I’m sure Bale would have told him “to go to Hell.”

The next extra is a featurette entitled The Machinist: Breaking The Rules. This 25-minute piece is pretty pedestrian. It gives a simple overview of production with sound bits by the cast and crew. The best thing gained by watching this feature is learning that the film was shot in Barcelona, Spain. This city took the place of Los Angeles, California. Signs were altered and American license plates were put on automobiles. Christian Bale mentions that the most inhospitable places of Barcelona represented Los Angeles. Is that to say Hollywood is a harsh environment? Well, it is a dog-eat-dog world.

Eight Deleted Scenes are also included. Four of them are alternative versions. Only two scenes have optional commentary by Brad Anderson; the rest we are left to wonder why they were excluded. Nothing is really gained from these scenes but they do offer intriguing possibilities. Note: it’s best to view these scenes after watching the film. Some of the deleted scenes may spoil the ending.

Completing the extras for The Machinist DVD is the film’s theatrical trailer and a compilation of trailers including Mean Creek, Enduring Love, Suspect Zero, and Schultze Gets the Blues.

Score: 6/10

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!