La machine

Nov 30 1994 N/A 1h 36m
Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

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?

Plot

The psychiatrist Marc Laxroix is a studious scientist of the brains of criminals. He has an unhappy and loveless marriage with his wife Marie Lacroix and they have a boy, Léonard Lacroix. Marc has also a mistress, Marianne, 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 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?

Written by

René Belletto, François Dupeyron

Directed by

François Dupeyron

Cast

Gérard Depardieu, Nathalie Baye, Didier Bourdon

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

Germany, France

Languages

Français

Awards

1 nomination

Trailers
La machine
La Machine Trailer
Scores
# of Votes
779
Average Rating
5.4 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA