The Machinist

"How do you wake up from a nightmare if you’re not asleep?"

2004 1h 42m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

🍅

77%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.6

IMDB

★7.5TMDB · 6,393🍅77%Rotten Tomatoes●61Metacritic★7.6IMDB · 439,507

ThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Trevor, an insomniac lathe operator, experiences unusual occurrences at work and home. A strange man follows him everywhere, but no one else seems to notice him.

“How do you wake up from a nightmare if you’re not asleep?”

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Cast

Christian Bale
Trevor Reznik
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Stevie
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
Marie
John Sharian
Ivan
Michael Ironside
Miller
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Jackson
Reg E. Cathey
Jones
Anna Massey
Mrs. Shike

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Brad Anderson
Writers: Scott Kosar, Jordi Huguet
Languages: English
Countries: Spain

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Brad Anderson, shot by Xavi Giménez. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Roque Baños. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Luis de la Madrid shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Christian Bale and Jennifer Jason Leigh and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "How do you wake up from a nightmare if you’re not asleep?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0361862 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Brad Anderson directs. Xavi Giménez behind the camera. Roque Baños scores. Luis de la Madrid cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Spain. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 22 years ago.
2Directed by Brad Anderson, shot by Xavi Giménez. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Roque Baños. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Luis de la Madrid shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Christian Bale and Jennifer Jason Leigh and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "How do you wake up from a nightmare if you’re not asleep?".
7IMDB entry: tt0361862 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 14 themes, including "factory", "insomnia", "post it", "machinist".