The Machine (1994)
This deftly made French psychological thriller terrifies with its exploration of an experiment gone horribly wrong. Dr. Marc Lacroix, a psychiatrist specializing in brain functions, is obsessed with the link between mind and spirit. To find his link he studies the criminally insane. He builds a secret machine, known only to his mistress Marianne, in which he hopes to exchange minds between humans. He simultaneously wants to help the mentally ill recover, and he wants to experience their madness. He chooses the psychotic killer, Zyto, a man who stabbed at least three women, for his experiment. The initial experiment is successful and the two exchange minds. But trouble ensues when Zyto refuses to reverse the switch. There is little Marc can do when Zyto takes over Marc's life, and more ominously his wife and child whom are unknowingly in mortal danger. Marc, encased in Zyto's body, is returned to the asylum. Will Marc's wife recognize the danger? Will Zyto kill again?
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I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
The psychiatrist Marc Laxroix (Gérard Depardieu) is a studious scientist of the brains of criminals. He has an unhappy and loveless marriage with his wife Marie Lacroix (Nathalie Baye) and they have a boy, Léonard Lacroix (Erwan Baynaud). Marc has also a mistress, Marianne (Natalia Wörner), who is also his confidante. Marc has secretly built a machine to study the mind of a person to another one in his old house, but he has not tested it yet, and Marianne is the only person who knows. When the serial-killer Michel Zyto (Didier Bourdon) is sentenced to life in the institution where Marc works, he decides to study the mind of the psychopath. Then he brings Zyto to use the machine and their minds are exchanged. When Marc asks Zyto to press a green button to restore their minds, Zyto refuses and uses Marc's body to lock up Marc trapped in his body in the institution. Further, he goes to Marc's house to stay with his family. Will Marc retrieve his body?"La Machine" is a dark film with a creepy and tense story that could be darker with a different and less commercial conclusion. The plot holds the attention of the viewer until the ending and the direction and performances are top notch, highlighting Gérard Depardieu. Unfortunately this film was only released on VHS. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Memórias do Mal" ("Memories from Evil")
this film is superb. I found the idea excellent and do not remember having seen something like it. Depardieu is brilliant as usual one would say; he deserves very special acknowledgment for this film where his talent is more than useful and very well utilized. Didier Bourdon is also very good in a part quite different from what he usually does; he shows in this film that he can be much more of an actor than what he has be doing for years with Les Inconnus on the funny side (although this was very good too); Nathalie Baye is a good an actor as she is beautiful, and the little boy (Erwan Baynaud) should not be forgotten; he was only 11 when he played this film. This film should be much more famous and appreciated. I first saw it around 1995 when it first came out, and saw it again today (feb 2005) with the same pleasure. It definitely is one of the 12 best films I know.
"La Machine" is a violent, very well-made thriller, which proves that when the French aren't too preoccupied with "art" or "social shock", they can make a genre movie just as good as any similar American product. The director shows remarkable attention to detail, and the performances are versatile enough to help you "buy" the various transformations of the characters. Not an exceptional movie, but a gripping one. (***)
It's my first day on IMDb and my first move here will be to say to the world how awful is this movie. The worst i have ever seen in my life (and i used to be an horror picture fan so you can believe me, i have seen real Z movies). In La Machine, Depardieu plays like a puppet and Didier Bourdon is so ridiculous i felt ashamed for him, I really felt the Chill of Shame. Thanks God, the scenario worth nothing so nothing is wasted.