Herald rating: **
Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) weighs 55kg. He works on a machine in an engineering firm and his fellow workers think he's a loner, he's strange. He has two confidants, both women: Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a hooker, and Marie (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), a waitress at the airport's all-night diner.
He says he hasn't slept for a year.
One day he makes a mistake on his machine and Miller (Michael Ironside), a co-worker, loses a hand.
Like The Woodsman, director Brad Anderson's movie is not about a plot, although it does unwind to a realistic ending. It's about a situation, people's reaction to it, and about a transfixing performance from Bale, who lost almost 30kg to play the gaunt, haunted Reznik.
Anderson leads the DVD with a 30-minute interview covering the production, and marvels at Bale starving himself for his art.
On the commentary track, Anderson continues his thesis on US independent films, his craft and his roots in 40s noir. Eight deleted scenes are included.
* DVD, Video rental out now
The Machinist
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