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The Machinist

7.1

50,545

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Original title: The Machinist
Year: 2004
Running time: 100 min.
Country: Spain
Director: Brad Anderson
Screenwriter: Scott Kosar
Music: Roque Baños
Cinematography: Xavi Giménez
Cast: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Michael Ironside, John Sharian
Producer: Castelao Productions
Genre: Thriller. Drama | Psychological Thriller. Psychological Drama. Surrealism. Cult Movie
Synopsis / Plot: Trevor Reznik is a lathe-operator who suffers from insomnia and hasn't slept in a year. Slowly, he begins to doubt his sanity as increasingly bizarre things start happening at work and at home. Haunted by a deformed co-worker who no one seems to think exists, and an ongoing stream of indecipherable Post-It notes he keeps finding on his fridge, he attempts to investigate what appears to be a mysterious plot against him and, in the process, embroils two women in his madness.

Awards: 2004: Sitges Fantasy Film Festival: Best Actor (Christian Bale), Cinematography

2005: European FilmAwards: Nominated for Audience Award Best Actor (Bale)

Critics' reviews

"A waking nightmare (...) with echoes of Hitchcock, Lynch, Kafka and Dostoyevsky"

Todd McCarthy: Variety
"Psychological suspense at its finest (...) The film feels at times like you're dreaming it, rather than watching it"

Michael O'Sullivan: The Washington Post
"May be an expertly manipulated exercise in psychological horror, but that's all it is. Don't look for the kind of metaphoric weight you'd find in a movie by David Lynch or David Fincher."

Stephen Holden: The New York Times
"Brad Anderson tightens the screws of suspense, but it's Bale's gripping, beyond-the-call-of-duty performance that holds you in thrall.(...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Peter Travers: Rolling Stone
"A stylish but fatally shallow puzzler that suggests a 'Twilight Zone' episode filmed on the leftover sets of 'Seven'"

Ty Burr: Boston Globe
"Brad Anderson wants to convey a state of mind, and he and Bale do that with disturbing effectiveness (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"Bale gives a remarkable performance in a movie I can recommend to no one, because the sight of him is more distressing than any of the allegedly deep themes of the picture"

Stephanie Zacharek: Salon
"A bit messy; though it almost makes some kind of psychological sense, it never really persuades as an authentic portrait of a tormented mind."

Geoff Andrew: Time Out

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Ranking Lists Position

25 My Top 10 Movies from 2004 (173)
48 My Favorite Movies from Spain (120)
52 The Weirdest Movies I Have Ever Watched (68)
57 My Favorite Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Movies (155)
74 Little Gems: Little Known Movies I've Discovered (46)
79 Underrated Movies (44)
84 Movies with a Great Male Lead (57)

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