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")

"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. (***)

Since the movie was made in 1994, it's difficult to say that the plot was inspired by the brilliant movie "Face Off", made in 1997. Nevertheless, while you're watching the movie, you can't help thinking about the 1997 John Woo movie where the main character trade place with a dangerous killer. In both movies, the "bad guy" ends up sleeping with the "hero"'s wife, he threatens the "hero"'s wife and kid. They also switch lives where the hero ends up in jail (or asylum) and the bad guy enjoy a comfortable life in a beautiful house, next to the hero's wife and kid. "The Machine" doesn't have the juice of "Face Off" because they don't go deeply into everyone's personality and life. It seems like a shallow replicate of the John Woo movie without the special effects and cinematography. Good luck !

Dr. Lacroix (Depardieu) has constructed a machine which will allow him to exchange personalities with one of his patients, a misogynistic multiple murderer (Bourdon).This thriller is a variation on the Frankenstein theme with the monster as a serial killer's mind unleashed in a psychologist's body. The film is under-budgeted and reliant on dialogue as many French films are. It can all seem a little overwrought and contrived at times, but still it's fairly good.Depardieu is convincing in the different personalities he has to affect. He is united with his frequent costar Nathalie Baye, although her role is a small one this time. There is even a very faint echo of the "What makes a marriage?" theme from their earlier film Le retour de Martin Guerre. So faint you probably won't notice.