For his portrayal of the villainous industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren inBrady Corbet’sThe Brutalist, the ever-brilliantGuy Pearcewas the well-deserving recipient of an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor earlier this year. As well as that, Pearce earned the best Rotten Tomatoes score of his career with his starring role alongsideShōgun’sCosmo JarvisinCharles Williams' feature-length debut,Inside, which has since dropped from 100% to 96% following its U.S. release.
Now, the year gets even better for Pearce, as one of his more forgotten filmography entries finds unlikely streaming success in the U.S. The mystery thrillerThe Infernal Machine, which stars Pearce alongside the likes ofAlice EveandJeremy Davies, is officiallyone of the ten most-streamed movies on Paramount+, as of August 26, 2025. The film joins an eye-catching lineup of other titles impressing on the platform at the time of writing, includingMatthew McConaughey’s 2011 legal thrillerThe Lincoln Lawyer,Tom Cruise’s critically acclaimedTop Gun: Maverick,Jack Quaid’s hit 2025 action filmNovocaine, and theBruce Willis-led action flickGasoline Alley. If you’re yet to see Pearce’sThe Infernal Machine, here’s a look at the synopsis:
“Bruce Cogburn, a reclusive and controversial author of the famed book “The Infernal Machine,” isdrawn out of hiding when he begins to receive endless letters from an obsessive fan.What ensues is a dangerous labyrinth as Bruce searches for the person behind the cryptic messages, forcing him to confront his past and ultimately reveal the truth behind the book.”
What Was the Critical Reception for ‘The Infernal Machine’ ?
Unlike the aforementionedInsideandThe Brutalist,The Infernal Machinestruggled to hit high critical heights.On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has adisappointing critics' score of just 37%, although a 61% audience score suggests general viewers were much more receptive to the movie based on a story byLouis Kornfeld. Reviews released at the time of the film’s debut were mixed, withone criticwriting, “Pearce impresses as a writer drawn out of tragedy-imposed hiding inan atmospheric thriller that ultimately blows hot air,” andanothercomplimenting Pearce, saying:
“The film’s unshakeable foundation is Guy Pearce,whose performance is not just the movie’s strongest asset but its very soul. His portrayal of Bruce Cogburn is a masterful study in decay and paranoia, a deep dive into the kind of character who could easily become a cliché.”
The Infernal Machineis streaming now on Paramount+.
The Infernal Machine
