The defence The Prestige Tourist
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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The Machinist
Thriller · Drama · 2004
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.
Movie details
The Machinist
“How do you wake up from a nightmare if you’re not asleep?”
2004 Thriller · Drama 1h 42m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.5 / 10
Community rating
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.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Machinist?
For the defence
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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The Double
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Will arrives for his last year at Military Academy, in the Deep South USA, in the 1960's. A black student, Pearce, has been accepted, for the first time and Will is asked to keep an eye out for the inevitable racism. The racists come in the form of The Ten, a secret group of the elite students. They want Pearce to leave on his own free will, but are prepared to torture him to make it 'his free will'. Will is forced to help Pearce and he is prepared to risk his own career to do so.
The Experiment
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20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
Promising Young Woman
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A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path.
The Hummingbird Project
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A pair of high-frequency traders go up against their old boss in an effort to make millions in a fiber-optic cable deal.
Night Always Comes
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Facing eviction in a city her family can no longer afford, a woman plunges into a desperate and increasingly dangerous all-night search to raise $25,000.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Brad Anderson
Written by
Scott Kosar
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
Court is in session
Put The Machinist on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.