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El maquinista
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El maquinista (2004) More at IMDbPro »

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El maquinista (2004) -- An industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity
El maquinista (2004) -- An industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity
El maquinista (2004) -- An industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   55,404 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 39% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Brad Anderson
Writer (WGA):
Scott Kosar (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Machinist on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 November 2004 (Germany) more
Tagline:
How do you wake up from a nightmare, when you're not asleep? more
Plot:
An industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
7 wins & 8 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(41 articles)
Seriously, What the Hell Happened to Christian Bale?
 (From Get The Big Picture. 2 July 2009, 12:09 PM, PDT)

Int: Christian Bale
 (From JoBlo. 2 July 2009, 1:17 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Dark and Spooky Psychological Thriller more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Machinist (International: English title) (USA)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for violence and disturbing images, sexuality and language.
Runtime:
101 min | Turkey:94 min (TV version)
Country:
Spain
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital | DTS
Filming Locations:
Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain
Company:
Filmax Group more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
While talking to another character, Christian Bale's character says, "Nobody has ever died from insomnia." The exact same line is said in Fight Club (1999), another film about a man who suffers from terrible insomnia. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Resnik pulls up in his truck outside Miller's house he parks a couple of feet from the kerb, when he returns the truck is tight against the kerb. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Ivan: Who are you?
more
Movie Connections:
References Psycho (1960) more
Soundtrack:
Broadway Lights more

FAQ

Why did he wash his hands with bleach?
What is the actual plot of this film?
more
89 out of 110 people found the following comment useful:-
A Dark and Spooky Psychological Thriller, 22 November 2004
Author: noralee from Queens, NY

"The Machinist" demonstrates that "Session 9" wasn't the only creepy thriller that Brad Anderson could do.

While M. Night Shyamalan and commercial fare like "The Grudge" get the attention and the big bucks, Anderson is quietly mastering disturbing, psychologically scary shockers. While the previous movie took advantage of our imaginations leaping around a spooky environment, "The Machinist" makes our discomfort palpably visual in Christian Bale's painful to look at body, as his character is ravaged by insomnia and loss of appetite; by the end of the movie it's shocking to see his normally handsome face.

But all the focus on his astounding weight loss takes away from the other elements in the almost black and white film that make it a scare fest. The movie establishes "The Twilight Zone" mood immediately with the soundtrack, which includes generous use of the theremin, as Hitchcock did in "Psycho." The production design is excellent at supporting the mood.

The suspense builds and is sustained through to the satisfying conclusion as you genuinely get involved in Bale's efforts to solve the increasingly mysterious happenings around him. Even though you are pretty sure he could be hallucinating, you are intrigued to figure out the trigger.

Despite looking like a caricature of a Holocaust victim, Bale creates a full character, from the jocular male camaraderie of the factory where he doesn't quite seem to fit in to responding one beat off to the warmth of the two women in his life, a waitress and a prostitute with the an open heart of gold (played, as usual by Jennifer Jason Leigh, but effectively languid).

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for El maquinista (2004)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Whats the longest you havent slept for? coye
Has anyone tried the diet Bale used for the film? forgotten_mango
Finger toes MingFoo
A theremin? carlsez_1
Manic Street Preachers sandbox_magician
weight loss..not relevant to the script! Bad choice! reed_antonio
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