The Machinist

A very powerful and depressing film that relies mainly on Christian Bale's acting and looks. The director dictates the pace brilliantly and with the gloomy atmosphere he manages to keep the viewer in the highest tension and alertness for an hour and a half. The screenplay doesn't fool around, either, it's purposeful all the way through and the ending, even though it may be guessed ahead of time, is an excellent and exciting conclusion to this outstanding and original thriller. (07/13/2011)

The ambiguity of every scene in The Machinist amuses me immensely. It's a bit of a shame that the existential level is killed a bit by the necessary point of the story, but I still enjoy the playfulness of form and content throughout. When you add in a good dose of witty cynicism (my favorite, when Reznik gets dementedly hit by a car and the camera focuses on the "I'd rather be fishing" sticker) and Bale's dedication, The Machinist deserves five stars. (10/12/2010)

Unfortunately, in terms of pace, the film is very poor. The editing was also not up to par, and by the end you are left very confused. Even with full attention, it is simply impossible to grasp the whole plot with all its details, and the resulting shock is more chaos than anything else. Just because Christian Bale weighs twenty kilograms doesn't mean he automatically gives a fantastic performance. It is commendable and somewhat crazy that he was willing to undergo such a transformation for this role, but his acting remains average and in no way close to Batman or Equilibrium. The Machinist boasts an excellent depressive atmosphere (great filters and toning) and solid minimalist music, but I felt that there was a lack of originality. (08/25/2006)

Christian Bale is clearly one of those actors who have no problem losing weight to the bone or letting a belly button grow. Personally, I found him disgusting in The Machinist, while the belly button in Dirty Shirt was comical and funny. The Machinist is a pretty decent psychothriller, dominated by Bale himself and supported by two ladies in supporting roles. I was disappointed by the ending, so I will stick to an average rating. (10/09/2017)

A well made mystery drama with elements of horror. You you will have to enjoy the atmosphere because to story itself is not that surprising (if you’ve already watched a few films, figuring out the twist will be easy). That said, The Machinist is still worth watching, if only for Christian Bale’s superhuman (inhuman) performance. (07/02/2009)