The Machinist: A Psychological Portrait of a Killer
The Machinist: A Psychological Portrait of a Killer
Despite being an esoteric genre, several films dare to delve into the realm of psychological thrillers. Films such as “Pi”, “Mulholland Drive”, “Jacob’s Ladder”, and “Memento” are some examples of suspenseful movies which tap into the human psyche. However, Brad Anderson’s 2004 film “The Machinist”, is a bit of an exception to this genre. Written by Scott Kosar, although still suspenseful, this film focuses more into the psychological aspect, rather than the thriller. To show this, the movie taps into mind of the protagonist not through voice-over narration or other clichéd devices, but by means of Freudian psychoanalysis.
Trevor Reznik, played by a dauntingly skinny Christian Bale, is a machine worker who supposedly has not slept “in a year”. Besides his skeletal appearance, Reznik also likes to wash his hands in either bleach or lye, write post-it notes for himself, drives to the airport for coffee and pie, and spends his money on a prostitute (Jennifer Jason-Leigh) so that he can have company. Trevor’s co-workers and even his hooker girlfriend Stevie are concerned over his condition with her even saying “If you were any thinner, you wouldn 't exist” (2004). Among his idiosyncrasies, Trevor also seems to be seeing a reoccurring strange man, Ivan, who supposedly works at the same factory. One day while paired up with co-worker Miller, Reznik sees Ivan and gets distracted, resulting in Miller’s hand being severed by the machine. This leads to a big fiasco with Trevor saying that the accident was caused due to Ivan’s distraction, but his boss claims that there is no Ivan working at the factory. The plot thickens.
Ivan then makes another appearance and Trevor meets up with him at a local bar. Here Trevor tells Ivan that he needs to make an appearance because no one at work believes him. Subsequently, Trevor goes to work and while trying to fix a broken machine, it turns on and his arm gets caught in it and
Despite being an esoteric genre, several films dare to delve into the realm of psychological thrillers. Films such as “Pi”, “Mulholland Drive”, “Jacob’s Ladder”, and “Memento” are some examples of suspenseful movies which tap into the human psyche. However, Brad Anderson’s 2004 film “The Machinist”, is a bit of an exception to this genre. Written by Scott Kosar, although still suspenseful, this film focuses more into the psychological aspect, rather than the thriller. To show this, the movie taps into mind of the protagonist not through voice-over narration or other clichéd devices, but by means of Freudian psychoanalysis.
Trevor Reznik, played by a dauntingly skinny Christian Bale, is a machine worker who supposedly has not slept “in a year”. Besides his skeletal appearance, Reznik also likes to wash his hands in either bleach or lye, write post-it notes for himself, drives to the airport for coffee and pie, and spends his money on a prostitute (Jennifer Jason-Leigh) so that he can have company. Trevor’s co-workers and even his hooker girlfriend Stevie are concerned over his condition with her even saying “If you were any thinner, you wouldn 't exist” (2004). Among his idiosyncrasies, Trevor also seems to be seeing a reoccurring strange man, Ivan, who supposedly works at the same factory. One day while paired up with co-worker Miller, Reznik sees Ivan and gets distracted, resulting in Miller’s hand being severed by the machine. This leads to a big fiasco with Trevor saying that the accident was caused due to Ivan’s distraction, but his boss claims that there is no Ivan working at the factory. The plot thickens.
Ivan then makes another appearance and Trevor meets up with him at a local bar. Here Trevor tells Ivan that he needs to make an appearance because no one at work believes him. Subsequently, Trevor goes to work and while trying to fix a broken machine, it turns on and his arm gets caught in it and
Cited: Anderson, B. (Director). (2004). The machinist [Motion Picture]. Spain: Paramount Pictures.