The Machinist (2004)

NEUTRAL

Various

81%

2004, Mystery & thriller, 1h 41m

RT Critics’ Score: 77% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: 7 wins & 15 nominations

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Critics Consensus

Brad Anderson’s dark psychological thriller about a sleepless factory worker is elevated by Christian Bale astonishingly committed performance

Audience Consensus

The Machinist is a movie that will make you question your own sanity. Christian Bale’s performance is so convincing that you’ll start to wonder if you’re the one losing your mind. The plot is a bit predictable, but the twist at the end will leave you reeling. It’s not a feel-good movie, but it’s definitely worth watching if you’re in the mood for something dark and twisted. Just don’t watch it alone at night.

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 Ivan’s schemes and whereabouts, Trevor may come to a true understanding of what has caused his insomnia.

Production Company(ies)
CNN Films, HBO Max Tremolo Productions,

Distributor
Paramount Pictures

Release Type
Theatrical

Filming Location(s)
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence and disturbing images, sexuality and language

Year of Release
2004

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby Digital DTS
Aspect ratio:

2.35 : 1
Runtime:

1h 41m
Language(s):

English, Spanish
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Oct 22, 2004 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 7, 2005

Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller

Keyword(s)
starring Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, John Sharian, Michael Ironside, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., directed by Brad Anderson, written by Scott Kosar, mystery, thriller, R-rated, box office gross $1.1M, reviewed by Andrea Gronvall, Ian Nathan, Geoff Andrew, Paul Byrnes, Nick Schager, Ben Walters, Emanuel Levy, Victoria Alexander, Kevin Carr, Ryan Cracknell, psychological thriller, insomnia, factory worker, weight loss, mental health, on-the-job accident, paranoia, prostitute, enigmatic figure, sleeplessness, disturbing images, sexuality, violence, English, Julio Fernández, Paramount Pictures, surround sound

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $8,203,235
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $12,940,492
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,883
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,411,177

US/Canada gross: $1,082,715
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,707,968
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,076
US/Canada opening weekend: $64,661
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $102,002
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,924

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $5,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $7,887,432
Production budget ranking: 1,756
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,247,382
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $805,678
ROI to date (est.): 7%
ROI ranking: 1,367

Cast & Crew

Christian Bale

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Aitana Sánchez-Gijón

John Sharian

Michael Ironside

Trevor Reznik

Stevie

Marie

Ivan

Miller

Christian Bale – Trevor Reznik
Jennifer Jason Leigh – Stevie
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón – Marie
John Sharian – Ivan
Michael Ironside – Miller
Lawrence Gilliard Jr. – Jackson

Brad Anderson

Scott Kosar

Julio Fernández

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Brad Anderson

Writer(s)
Scott Kosar

Producer(s)
Julio Fernández

Film Festivals

Awards & Nominations
7 wins & 15 nominations

Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Andrea Gronvall

Ian Nathan

Geoff Andrew

Paul Byrnes

Nick Schager

Chicago Reader

Empire Magazine

Time Out

Sydney Morning Herald

Lessons of Darkness

THE MACHINIST
All Critics (143) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (110) | Rotten (33)
Until now Bale’s screen persona has been defined by a graceful athleticism; here his physicality is repellent, yet he carries the occasionally creaky plot of Scott Kosar’s unsettling screenplay to a resonant finish.

October 24, 2011

Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
A few scenes into the gloom and you’ll have a good idea what is generally up, if not the specifics, making the journey toward the eventual, inevitable twist fairly one-dimensional.

April 1, 2006 | Rating: 3/5

Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
One can’t deny the dubious appeal of the spectacle of the skin-and-bone Bale, quite possibly endangering his health for the sake of his art.

February 9, 2006

Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Some people will pick up the clues early in The Machinist and some won’t. I got some, not all, but I remained unengaged throughout, largely because of the film’s deliberateness, which feels like lack of passion.

June 10, 2005

Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
A gimmick with no real payoff.

May 4, 2005 | Rating: C

Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
Bale’s performance has the emotional weight to substantiate this body-art spectacle, ranging from prickly self-righteousness through panicked self-doubt to morbid self-pity…

March 1, 2005

Ben Walters
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
March 12, 2013 | Rating: B+

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
If Nine Inch Nails, Swans and Ministry ever loomed large in the landscape of your imagination, Anderson’s gloomy aesthetic may exert a sour but lingering pull.

October 24, 2011 | Rating: 3/5

Film4 Staff
Film4
A brilliant, harrowing performance by Bale.

October 24, 2011

Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com
It’s not necessarily a fun or loveable picture, but it is interesting and entertaining.

January 9, 2010 | Rating: 3/5

Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
With time as a buffer, it’s now easier to see The Machinist for what it is: a labyrinthine leap down the rabbit hole into a nightmarish wonderland.

May 18, 2009

Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views
A brilliant psychological horror story, and excellent direction…

April 29, 2009

Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed…

Plot
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 Ivan’s schemes and whereabouts, Trevor may come to a true understanding of what has caused his insomnia.

Trivia