The sight of the already slight Christian Bale after he's lost 60-plus pounds for his role in "The Machinist" is one of the creepier things on the big screen this year.
But it's not the only creepy thing about "The Machinist," a psychological thriller/mystery that has some things in common with the films of David Lynch and David Cronenberg — though it's neither as deliberately confusing as Lynch's films nor as stomach-churning as Cronenberg's.
"The Machinist" has a skin-crawling visceral quality that doesn't make for pleasant viewing. In fact, the griminess (both in its look and subject matter) may make you want to take a shower afterward.
And yet the film is put together fairly well, and the various twists and turns are just smart enough to keep it one step ahead of the audience.
The title character is Trevor Reznik (Bale), a machine operator who claims not to have had a full night's sleep in a year. Consequently, the once healthy Trevor has lost so much weight that he's now a shadow of his former self.
His insomnia is also affecting his relationships with his co-workers, as well as a waitress named Marie (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) whom he has befriended and Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a prostitute. Trevor is also having disturbing daydreams and visions — sometimes involving a mysterious baldheaded co-worker (John Sharian) whom no one else seems to know.
Director Brad Anderson and screenwriter Scott Kosar do sprinkle clues throughout the film that help explain the cause of Trevor's insomnia. And the twist at the end is fairly clever.
And interestingly, while much of the material was obviously inspired by industrial music (the main character's name even sounds similar to Nine Inch Nails' frontman Trent Reznor), the score is more classical and employs the Theremin, which is possibly the most unique and eerie-sounding musical instrument around.
Also, the cast is terrific, with solid contributions from Leigh, Sanchez-Gijon, Sharian and Michael Ironside. But it's still Bale's show. He's all sharp angles, both physically and performance-wise. And his haunted, sunken-eyed look will stay with you for days.
"The Machinist" is rated R for frequent use of strong sexual profanity, violence (vehicular, a throat-slashing, some brawling), simulated sex and other sexual contact, gore, brief female nudity, and use of some crude slang terms (as well as a sexually suggestive sight gag). Running time: 97 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com