The Machinist (2004)

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

Director:

Brad Anderson

Writer:

Scott Kosar

Stars:

Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón

7 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Bale	...	Trevor Reznik
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Stevie
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón	...	Marie
John Sharian	...	Ivan
Michael Ironside	...	Miller
Lawrence 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

Storyline

Trevor Reznik is a machinist in a factory. An extreme case of insomnia has led to him not sleeping in a year, and his body withering away to almost nothing. He has an obsessive compulsion to write himself reminder notes and keep track of his dwindling weight, both scribbled on yellow stickies in his apartment. The only person he lets into his life in an emotional sense is Stevie, a prostitute, although he has an infatuation with Maria, a single mother waitress working in an airport diner. His co-workers don't associate with and mistrust him because of not knowing what is going on in his life that has led to his emaciated physical appearance. A workplace incident further alienates him with his coworkers, and in conjunction with some unfamiliar pieces of paper he finds in his apartment, Trevor believes that someone or some people - probably one or some of his coworkers - are out to get him, using a phantom employee named Ivan as their front. As Trevor goes on a search for evidence as to...

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Plot Keywords:

insomnia | hallucination | mental breakdown | single mother | waitress | 

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Taglines:

How can you wake up from a nightmare if you are not asleep?

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and disturbing images, sexuality and language

Details

Country:

Spain France UK USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

3 December 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

El maquinista

Filming Locations:

Hospital del Torax. Terrassa. Barcelona, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$64,661, 24 October 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,082,715, 7 April 2005

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,203,235, 31 December 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmax Group,Castelao Producciones,Canal+ España

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 94 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

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

When Trevor is digging for the picture of Ivan in his wallet at work and yelling at his coworker, Christian Bale's native accent can be heard.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ivan: Who are you?

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Connections

References La monja (2005)

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Soundtracks

After Hours
Written by Tommy Carter
(c) British Audio Cathalogue
Authorised by Konga Music, S.L., exclusive subpublisher for Spain
All rights reserved

User Reviews

Haunting and Incredible!

Saw this incredible movie tonight and all I can say is WOW!! This movie is one you should definitely see if you enjoy such quality films like Vertigo, Psycho and most recently Identity. Massive kudos to Christian Bale who turned himself into a skeleton for the role and the wonderfully articulate pace of the director! As you watched it, you knew that there were answers at the end and the journey was simply captivating! Also fine, fine work by Michael Ironside and the absolutely gorgeous Jennifer Jason-Leigh who to this day looks just as hot as she did in Fast Times! If you have a chance to see this film and an open mind, make the trip to the ciniplex! Fantastic film!