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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A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.
The Experiment
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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.
Natural Born Killers
Crime · 1994
Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.
The Good Neighbor
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Two high school filmmakers decide to create the illusion of a haunting on an unsuspecting neighbor.
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.