The Machinist
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Machinist (also known as El Maquinista) is an English-language Spanish psychological thriller film that was released in 2004. The film was written by Scott Kosar, directed by Brad Anderson, and starred Christian Bale and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It was produced by the Fantastic Factory label of Filmax and Castelao Productions (Spain).
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Influences
Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Scott Kosar stated in the DVD commentary that he was influenced by Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Double: A Petersburg Poem.
- Reznik is shown reading Dostoevsky's The Idiot early in the film.
- Reznik's physical appearance draws a distinct parallel to Hans Holbein's Christ in his Tomb; a painting that heavily influenced, and is often mentioned in the novel.
- Nicholas, the epileptic boy, may also have been a reference to the novel's protagonist, Prince Myshkin, or even a reference to Dostoevsky himself, both of whom suffered from epilepsy.
- A character named Ivan, is a possible reference to the character Ivan Karamazov, who is wracked with guilt, goes insane, and has nightmares of the devil in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.
- When Reznik is riding the 'Route 666' attraction one of the faux movie marquees reads Crime and Punishment.
- Reznik's relationship with the prostitute Stevie is reminiscent of the underground man's relationship with Liza in Notes from Underground.
- Reznik's behavior - paranoia, extreme, suppressed guilt and finally turning himself in to the police is also reminiscent of Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment.
Franz Kafka
When Reznik opens the door to a bathroom cabinet, there is a book which, though out of focus, appears to be Kafka's The Castle.
Nine Inch Nails
The name Trevor Reznik is derived from Trent Reznor, the founder and primary creative force behind the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, and the original script had NIN lyrics on the first page. Other tributes include the reversed N on the movie poster, early press articles describing Reznik as experiencing a "downward spiral". Reznik means "butcher" in Czech language, which could hint at his identity as a killer.
