‘The Infernal Machine’ Review – Underwritten Like A Forgettable Dime Store Novel

Directed By: Andrew Hunt

Starring: Guy Pearce, Alice Eve

Plot Summary: 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.

The Infernal Machine feels like a one-page, rejected Stephen King outline that was rescued from the dust bin, then re-worked to death into a hacky thriller. With its grizzled and drunk author Bruce Cogburn (played to the hilt by Guy Pearce) existing in this sunbaked desert nightmare world, getting toyed with and getting ever more paranoid and plastered, this felt like a delightfully dog-eared pulp paperback. Sure, the first act is corny as hell, but damned if it didn’t have enough engaging plot to keep me invested. Then, sadly, things start to quickly unravel as it sloppily rushes towards its totally bonkers finale.

The best way to sum up The Infernal Machine is, it badly wants to be a razor-sharp David Fincher thriller, yet it only manages to reach the level of a straight-to-video knock off. This is really a shame, because I actually think on the face of it the movie brings up some interesting topics, such as, what credit, if any, should an author take for others twisting and perverting their words around to justify horrible actions? Clearly, the fictional book “The Infernal Machine” is loosely based on a few real-world examples of so-called “deadly fiction,” most infamously The Catcher in the Rye. The book penned by J.D. Salinger was supposedly the inspiration for several killings including that of John Lennon.

Whilst we are on the King comparison, even the famed horror writer had a short story entitled Rage, which was cited as inspiration for a few school shootings. On a personal note, as an author myself, it is kind of terrifying to spend sometimes years of your life crafting something and then having to let it out into the world fully formed and have it no longer be yours. You really never know how exactly it is going to be received. Hell, you also have the entire creator intent aspect, which again could offer up some very interesting story avenue and interpersonal conflict.

Sadly, writer/director Andrew Hunt only offers the broadest of cliff notes when it comes to these themes. Instead of giving us some weighty substance, Hunt seems only interested in copying other better movies without ever offering anything remotely original or challenging. Moreover, to make matters worse, it hits the audience over the head with a not-so-subtle and painfully blunt religious message that isn’t as deep or compelling as the filmmakers seem to think. There are some aspects about this film I did like such as a shadow agency bent on causing chaos and a Lovecraftian concept of words actually making one mad, however all of this is utterly wasted and buried under a ton of mediocrity. Had this been given a fresh re-write and a more experienced director, this could easily have been at least a memorable movie, if not chilling one.

Now, if I’m being very generous here, I think that this movie is almost watchable on a purely so-bad-it’s-enjoyable level. I say almost because the movie never really fully commits to its lunacy and just starts to become a slog to get through. Admittedly, the movie does have a last act twist that I think is actually pretty clever. But, it’s a case of too little, too late. Most of the audience will most likely be checked out at this point. Guy Pearce gives maybe one of his best performances, which is such a shame that it’s wasted on this film.

The Infernal Machine draws from a deep dark well of really compelling and thought-provoking ideas. Though, what we get is shallow and underwritten like a forgettable dime store novel.

The Infernal Machine is currently playing in select theaters and is available on Digital platforms courtesy of Paramount. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0vrecpxXZU]