El maquinista (2004)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Brad Anderson

Writer (WGA):

Scott Kosar (written by)

Release Date:

11 November 2004 (Germany)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

How do you wake up from a nightmare, when you're not asleep?

Plot:

An industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity

Plot Keywords:

Insomnia | Post It | Machinist | Hallucination | Fatigue

Awards:

7 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Christian Bale	...	Trevor Reznik
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Stevie
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón	...	Marie
John Sharian	...	Ivan
Michael Ironside	...	Miller
Larry Gilliard Jr.	...	Jackson (as Larry Gilliard)
Reg E. Cathey	...	Jones
Anna Massey	...	Mrs. Shrike
Matthew Romero Moore	...	Nicholas (as Matthew Romero)
Robert Long	...	Supervisor Furman
Colin Stinton	...	Inspector Rogers
Craig Stevenson	...	Tucker
Ferran Lahoz	...	Gonzales
Jeremy Xido	...	Evangelisti
Norman Bell	...	DMV Clerk

Also Known As:

The Machinist (International: English title) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and disturbing images, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

101 min | Turkey:94 min (TV version)

Country:

Spain

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

New Zealand:M | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | Germany:16 | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (cut) | Hungary:18 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:18A (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Filmax Group

Trivia:

While Trevor is riding Route 666, one shot reveals a sign overhead that reads "Crime and Punishment", the Dostoevsky novel about a guilty man who attempts to justify his innocence. This also provides the bookend, if you will, to Trevor's home reading, The Idiot, which is Dostoevsky's examination of an innocent man whom others lure into their webs of corruption and which has a very surprising and climatic ending; thus foreshadowing the movie's own ending. The movie also has similarities to Dostoevsky's "The Double", which contains a character that appears and begins to ruin the protagonist's life. The doppelganger turns out to be a pseudo-schizophrenic manifestation of the protagonist's less desirable characteristics.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the driving sequence after Trevor is asked if he has had any head injuries, the cigarette lighter position changes between the time it is pushed from when it pops out.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ivan: Who are you?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Machinist: Breaking the Rules (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Last Call

Very effective thriller

Though it's obviously not for everyone, The Machinist is one hell of a movie! I actually study the field of psychology at school. I really enjoy reading Freud's theories. What I'm saying is, from a psychological point of view, this movie makes sense. Everything is so perfectly done you feel involved with the main character more and more every single minute. You drown with him. You like him, you hate him, you think he's crazy, but you're in the ride with the guy and you have to stay until the end. And what en ending! I won't spoil anything. How could I? This movie is a living nightmare from the beginning to the very end. It's a trip straight to hell! The performance by Christian Bale (American Psycho, Batman Begins) is absolutely terrific. I don't know how he got so skinny and I guess I don't want to know. All the actors are great, but Bale really shines! The directing and editing are equally amazing, and the story's just awesome. I'm not a big fan of psychological horror films. I'm usually looking more for blood and guts. But here the real horrors are in the head of one psycho dude. So, unlike usual horror films, it's a movie to watch with your brain on and you'll have a scary good time!!