DVD Review: The Machinist

Despite critical praise and a pesky Internet following, Christian Bale lurks perennially "on the verge" of mega-stardom. His spotty career is pock-marked with weighty performances; his masochist serial killer Patrick Bateman is one of the most overlooked screen performances in history. The Welshman will don the cape this summer in Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins"; casting that evoked praise and relief from fans who swore off the deeply held franchise after Joel Schumacher systematically destroyed it. About the time Bale restores the hopes of comic book loyalists, his little-seen film "The Machinist" will premiere on DVD. Not surprisingly, his performance has generated early Oscar buzz---but will fickle Hollywood Bale-out?

In a state of near-collapse, Bale gives one of the best performances of his career in "The Machinist," an aesthetically-charged psychological thriller. Bale plays Trevor Reznik, an industrial worker who has not slept in a year. His 63-pound weight loss is bleakly cadaverous-Trevor is a sunken-eyed apparition of a human being; jutting bones, emaciated face, and unruly, gangly limbs near atrophy. It is an unsettling transformation worthy of more praise heaped on Robert DeNiro for "Raging Bull" or Charlize Theron in "Monster" because it feels less like a gimmick. Bale artfully creates an extension of yet another expertly drawn character sure to be over-looked.