A lonely machine operator begins encountering a mysterious new guy at and around his workplace. After a co-workers arm is torn off in a freak on-the-job accident - brought on by being distracted by the strange new guy's presence across the plant - he is told that no such man works there. Due to him causing the grisly mishap, he becomes a pariah around the shop while his growing paranoia over the apparently nonexistent guy he keeps bumping into leads him to believe that those he knows are conspiring against him. As a cryptic Post-It note on his fridge gradually offers a clue in the form of a game of Hangman and the few relationships he has crumble (or may not have even existed to begin with...), the reality of his supposed delusions begins to piece together a troubling incident from his past.
Of course, Christian Bale's extreme dedication to the role is usually the prime topic people tend to focus on and for good reason. The fucker dropped a ton of weight - down to about 110lbs - and looks like something out of a death camp corpse heap. Definitely some commendable risk to one's well being. Aside from Bale's alarming transformation into an emaciated method actor, the movie's gloomy tone makes for a genuinely depressing, mostly colorless and just plain lonely feeling environment. All the performances are solid and the concept is well executed, though the reveal is a little obvious. The physical manifestations of guilt and severe mental anguish is well represented and stays pretty well grounded without feeling too pompous and 'artsy'. If you haven't yet seen "The Machinist" you should give it a look. Also worth checking out is "Session 9".
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