The most astonishing thing about this bleak, underplayed psychological thriller is Christian Bale's incredible physical transformation. No longer the bulked-up protagonist from American Psycho, Bale has deliberately withered to the point where his appearance is shockingly reminiscent of undernourished PoWs. Reportedly losing over 60 pounds - a third of his body weight - to get into the role, Bale plays factory worker Trevor Reznik, whose emaciated condition and chronic insomnia may be linked to a mysterious stranger and a secret from his past. Director Brad Anderson, who was behind the lens for the effectively creepy Session 9, here cultivates a similarly studied atmosphere but his determination to move everything at a pace that would disgrace a particularly slothful snail finally undermines some of the tension. Still the Theremin-heavy score, which brings to mind such cult classics as The Day the Earth Stood Still and Carnival of Souls, is appropriately weird.

Trevor, an insomniac lathe operator, experiences unusual occurrences at work and home. A strange man follows him everywhere, but no one else seems to notice him.