The Infernal Machine
Portugal
3496 people rated A reclusive and controversial author is drawn out of hiding when he begins to receive endless letters from an obsessive fan. What ensues is a dangerous labyrinth as he searches for the person behind the cryptic messages.
Mystery
Thriller
Cast (29)
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User Reviews
kendra
24/12/2025 10:12
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M9cydS
10/10/2023 04:05
good
DJZinhle
29/05/2023 11:42
source: The Infernal Machine
lasizwe
23/05/2023 04:29
This could have been a superb, suspenseful film. I don't want to give a way anything though. The part with the then kid open fire on students in a mass shooting didn't not fit into the main plot whatsoever.
Scenes with the female police officer were a waste of time in terms of developing the story. Unrealistic things take place when she is involved.
Acting by Guy Pearce and the rest of the supporting cast is superb. Directing was well done as was the musical score.
The main theme which is wrapped up in the end of the film would have been enough.
Since I live in southern California and the location is supposed to be SoCal was awesome until I learned it was shot in South America. Oh well.
Brehneh🇵🇭🏳️🌈
23/05/2023 04:29
As the course of the story progresses, it diverts your perception and shakes you like a slap, the mystery, the acting, the depth of the story,Without a doubt, it is a masterpiece to be compared with Guy Pearce's Memento. One of the best mystery thrillers of the last 15 years. The story progresses tremendously through the eyes of the main character, you put yourself in Bruce's place and question yourself, injecting it into its atmosphere from the very first minutes, its cinematography, coloring, close-ups, and flashback memories many more beautiful points, A masterpiece that will push the lists...
Sarah.family
23/05/2023 04:29
The film tells the story of a one-hit-wonder writer, Bruce Cogburn, who now lives as a recluse in southern California following a mass-shooting incident where the shooter "blamed" his motive for the crime on Cogburn's book. Now 25 years on from the incident, Cogburn begins to receive a barrage of letters from an unknown source, leading to the question that carries the film; "who is sending all these letters?".
The answer isn't an obvious one and you are genuinely wondering right 'til the last act of the film, as it leads you down various different potential "suspects". You think the film is going to take you one way, then it takes a sharp turn in another, unexpected direction. The final twist is a good one...but the execution is a little laboured and indulgent.
The film has a relatively slow pace - don't expect big shoot outs and car chases, but keeps you gripped right through. Guy Pearce is on top form as usual, playing an alcoholic, paranoid hermit. How he manages to nail all these different accents is beyond me! He's accompanied by Alice Eve and Alex Pettyfer who give solid performances as well.
This is an intelligent thriller that is well written , well acted and well shot. Think along the lines of Stephen King's "Secret Window" with less psychopathy.
Watch the movie if you like the following:
Great acting from the lead
Clever writing
Good cinematography
Compelling plot
Twists and turns
Don't watch if you're expecting:
Gun shoot outs
Car chases
Fast pace
Over edited, over-choreographed fight scenes
The only downside is the very end, which I shan't spoil. It feels a little extravagant and is perhaps trying too hard to be prodigious.
The film certainly doesn't deserve the low ratings it has received, so don't be put off by it. Overall it is definitely worth a watch if you're in the mood for a good thriller that keeps you gripped, and if you're a fan of Guy Pearce - which you should be!
Allu Sirish
23/05/2023 04:29
I was in for an alternate Secret Window, or something like it. This was even more contrived, and somehow snagged Guy Pearce and that guy from Lost who is usually alright. How? No idea. This script is just plain old not good.
A reclusive author of a book that supposedly revealed secrets to a man who became an active shooter and was sent to prison, is stalked, many years later, which subsequently unravels a thread bare plot about secrets kept by said author, and having to face new obstacles related to the secrets revealed.
Except... it is so contrived all the time because, well for one, he was a teacher of a writing class that hinged on a principle of writing that is so prosaic that it is only helpful for commercial fiction, basically. Which becomes quite ironic because it's a story that is about writing, specifically the conceit that when a person is understood well enough they can become as a character is situated in a story by the author. But there's no due diligence at all, the conceit is just offered and things spiral out from nonsense that isn't even attempted to be explained away, culminating in an even even more massively contrived finale than the inciting incident for this supposed arc.
It just doesn't work. I'm not sure it tries that hard to work, to be honest. All around it feels like a weak effort. Certainly none of the actors best performance. A throwaway effort on all fronts.
Elsie ❤️
23/05/2023 04:29
Frankly, if this man called me up and spouted his inebriated internal diatribe at me for hours on end, I'd probably write to him everyday as well. Mr Cogburn, take a bow good sir, for you are a marvel.
As all of us writers know only too well, the pen is mightier than the sword. You can shoot someone with a gun, even a group of people if they're unfortunate enough to have gathered in the same place when you get trigger happy, but the pen can incite nations. It helps if you have something of a suggestable nature and a sometime furtive imagination as recipient, but really, I have forgotten the number of times I have reduced people to tears by something I've written, and frankly, I'm not even that good at it.
Guy Pearce provides one of his best performances as the writer and protagonist that does indeed learn something about himself along the way, as we're told is a pre-requisite for such an individual. When this reclusive author of some note and infamy begins to receive letters from an enthusiastic fan, he is at first annoyed by the unwanted attention. As time goes on and the letters don't stop coming, he uses the nearest payphone to call the fan, advising them quite definitely to stop their harassment.
Although they don't pick up, he leaves a message that can't really be misconstrued. Yet the letters still keep arriving, and so begins an intricate, well-crafted tale of mystery and intrigue unlike many that we have been presented with for some time. It is far from a hurried tale of one mans' unravelling and the pursuit of what he first believes is righteous justice. Alice Eve ably supports as the local law enforcement who is keener than average to help him get to the bottom of the problem, but to say she likely knows more than she is letting on is something of an understatement.
Personally, I was enraptured with the whole thing and was genuinely sad to see it end. Pearce is outstanding, even if he does, at times, sound like he was born and spent a good portion of his existence in Wigan. His accent leapt about all over the place to begin with, but he apparently settled on Lancashire after a while. The denouement is quite predictable if you're really looking for the clues to tie this up before it's laid out in front of you, but no less satisfying for its reveal.
Gloria_Kakudji
23/05/2023 04:29
I feel sorry for the reviewers who didn't enjoy this.
Guy Pearce is like a wine that just gets better with age. Right now, I'd watch anything with him in it.
I enjoyed the cinematography, the music and - heaven forbid - the story. Yes this is a slow burn and if you have the attention of a meerkat, give it a miss. But, if like me, you like it slow, it's worth the wait for the reveal at the end. For those who figured it out half way through, well done. Someone called the rest 'silliness' - well it wasn't in my book.
I enjoyed not overthinking the who and why and liked how the story played out.
Tida Jobe
23/05/2023 04:29
I was intrigued the first fifteen minutes or so. Guy Pearce is an extraordinary actor, but sloppy writing can destroy even the best of performances.
It truly is a mystery but you don't know what answer you are seeking. Also I could tell right from the beginning the location they filmed is not California desert. I assumed it was probably Australian outback but was surprised to learn it was Portugal. It's really distracting to watch a movie that is supposed to take in California, USA and can notice so many nuances that differ otherwise.
I don't mind a slow burn if it actually leads to something exciting. Kudos to Jeremy Davies, his performance was probably one of his best.