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El maquinista (2004)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Scott Kosar (written by)
Release Date:
11 November 2004 (Germany)
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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
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NewsDesk:
(72 articles)
Harry Brown – Martyn’s Review
(From FilmShaft.com. 11 November 2009, 3:07 AM, PST)
Afm '09: Filmax Heads to 'Tranquility Valley'
(From Bloody-Disgusting.com. 9 November 2009, 5:36 PM, PST)
(From FilmShaft.com. 11 November 2009, 3:07 AM, PST)
Afm '09: Filmax Heads to 'Tranquility Valley'
(From Bloody-Disgusting.com. 9 November 2009, 5:36 PM, PST)
User Comments:
'Thinner' meets 'Memento' by way of 'Angel Heart' a la Hitchcock
more (373 total)
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 |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Machinist (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
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MPAA:
Rated R for violence and disturbing images, sexuality and language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
101 min | Turkey:94 min (TV version)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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 |
Canada: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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
There were very few CGI effects in the film. The first café scene had a CGI inserted plane taking off in the background.
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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.
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Movie Connections:
References Fight Club (1999)
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Soundtrack:
After Hours
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FAQ
Why did he wash his hands with bleach?What is the actual plot of this film?
Who is Ivan?
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more (373 total)
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THE MACHINST (2004) ***1/2 Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, John Sharian, Michael Ironside, Reg E. Cathey.
'Thinner' meets 'Memento' by way of 'Angel Heart' a la Hitchcock
There are a few select actors who have gained or shed weight to make a true transformation on screen but the one that will probably remain imprinted for years to come is the truly shocking display by Christian Bale who lost a whopping 63 lbs. to a skeletal shell of 120 for his portrayal of dank creepy perfection.
Bale stars as the afflicted Trevor Reznik, a shell of a man who works in a machine factory and apparently is nursing some horrible demon that has led to his astonishing appearance, ghostly pallor and paranoia soaked delusions that call to question his amazing confession: How can a man not sleep for an entire year and waste away to a shadow of his being and keep his sanity?
The answer isn't so transparent as Reznik becomes submerged in some sort of dreamscape nightmare of conspiracy theories and the innate distrust of his own mind playing tricks on him one night when he encounters the perpetually grinning Ivan (Sharian sporting the sharkiest Cheshire Cat smile in recent film memory) an apparently new shift employee who distracts him to the point of a horrific accident that causes his employer and co-worker to mistrust him and suspect his deteriorating looks as something a tad more sinister.
Reznik's only solace is in literally a mother-whore relationship he shares with a well-meaning lovely waitress (Sanchez-Gizon) at the airport diner he frequents as much as the hooker he lies with to express his thoughts and odd happenings (Leigh in her umpteenth whore role that must have filled her quota by now).
After the accident Reznik is plagued with a series of Post-Its sporting a game of hangman that leads to a few clues to his rationale and ultimately to his fate of 'Who Am I?'
Directed by Anderson who helmed the criminally underrated spooky horror flick 'Session 9' a few years back returns to a dark story of a man clearly unraveling and destroying himself in the process that echoes Stephen King's 'Thinner' by way of the identity crises of 'Memento' and the psychological thriller 'Angel Heart' yet invokes a sharply executed script by Scott Kosar (who penned the worthy remake of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' last year) that recalls David Fincher meets David Lynch paroxysms of fate and the build up to a discovery that is all too recognizable to the thriller genre in recent years of identity masked as phobic reality with its latter day Hitchcock everyman skewed nicely. Kudos to cinematographers Xavi Gimenez and Charlie Jiminez for its bleak, green/grey drudgery and the Herrmannesque score by Roque Banos mixes perfectly to the dread at hand displays.
Bale went above and beyond the call of duty in his somewhat controversial display of Holocaust invoking demeanor yet it works shockingly well as it delves into the troubled soul of a man who is wasting away not only as a metaphor but as a penance for some hell to pay.