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Brad Anderson has created a truly modern masterpiece of haunting with The Machinist.
Christian Bale gives possibly his most committed performance to date as Trevor Reznik, a man who disappears before our eyes in body and mind.
Shot on an incredibly tight budget with a stripped-down aesthetic by cinematographer Dan Lausten, it is a harrowing and intimate character study.
Kronos Quartet's haunting score keeps the viewer on edge from the start.
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As Reznik's insomnia accelerates with each sleepless night, he pulls you down the rabbit hole.
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón are the film's mainstays, perfectly counterbalancing Bale's nerves.
The heartbreaking climax offers an ambiguity with few answers but many questions for the soul.
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Bale dropped a staggering 63 pounds to fully inhabit Reznik's consumed body, delivering perhaps the most committed performance ever filmed.
The Machinist is a masterpiece of psychological horror that will mark you forever. A film that will get under your skin.