Parents' Guide to The Infernal Machine

Parents need to know that The Infernal Machine is a psychological thriller with threat, violence, strong language, and plenty of drinking and smoking. Guy Pearce stars as Bruce Cogburn, a reclusive author who becomes stalked by an obsessive fan. Bruce is traumatized by an event in his past and much of the movie is about him still struggling to cope with this. He lives in seclusion partly to avoid doing any harm to others, but this has little effect as his psychological state deteriorates. While the violence is mostly threatened rather than shown, guns are fired and there is shooting and stabbing off-camera, resulting in bloody injury and death. Swearing is strong and frequent, with multiple variations on "f--k" and one use of "c--t," as Bruce becomes more anxious and angry at the hidden identity of the stalker. Bruce is shown drinking and smoking often, and is shown blacking out from drunkenness at one point. Because most of the movie revolves around an isolated Bruce, there is very little diversity, although there is one main female character, and some gender and ethnic diversity among the supporting cast.

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