The Machinist is a complex psychological thriller that does its best not to reveal its true colours until the final few minutes. It borrows a good deal from Memento, since in both the leading protagonist is trying to make sense of a reality that seems to get more warped by the minute.

A very thin Christian Bale - you have to give him massive plaudits for the way he thinned down by some 60 lbs to realise the role - plays engineering worker Trevor Reznick, whose mind doesn't seem to be on the job. Perhaps, that's due to the fact that he hasn't slept for a year. Naturally, the insomnia plays a part when a co-worker loses an arm in an accident caused by Reznick's carelessness.

From then on, the film takes on a warped reality. Many strange things happen to this errant machinist and there are clues to unravel if you look hard enough. The only two people Reznick decides to trust are a call girl (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and a waitress (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) whom he sees every night at an airport cafe.

It's a clever film, with tremendous Method acting from Bale, who puts his heart and soul into the role. It's quite a cold film as well, which has to do with the lighting and use of muted colours, reminiscent of Polanski's The Tenant and Repulsion, as well as Wim Wenders' The American Friend, in this spiraling tale of what appears to be madness, coupled with a puzzling game of hangman's noose that Reznick plays out on his fridge.

The Machinist will certainly appeal to insomniacs - watch it and you'll see why - and is an impressive work from the director of Next Stop Wonderland.