Movie: The Machinist = 68/100

The Machinist is a bit older than the other movies that I have reviewed, but I just watched it for the first time and I thought it deserved a review.  It was a very interesting movie with a very unsatisfying plot and very little recognition.  However, if I was judging the movie by the dedication of the lead actor, I would give it a 100 out of 100. 

Christian Bale is a method actor, which means that he takes the character that he is trying to portray, and tries to make himself mentally and physically similar to that character.  This acting technique makes the characters seem more realistic.  In this movie Christian was playing an insomniac that didn’t eat much and was antisocial.  In order to play this character Christian cut himself off from any social activity.  This gave him the mentality of the character, but perhaps what was more impressive was the physical dedication Christian put into becoming the main character of The Machinist.  Before preparing for the movie Christian weighed a little over 170 pounds.  With the combination of intense cardio workouts and a borderline dangerous diet.  He dropped down to 120lbs, which is a dangerous weight for a 6’ tall actor.

The point that I am trying to make is that Christian Bale is an incredibly talented and dedicated actor.  Unfortunately the ending of the movie was not that great and was not worthy of all of the work that Christian put into.