18 / 1hr 32mins / Crime
Though us Brits are used to Hollywood nabbing our best talents, Danny Boyle is one it's quite easy to overlook. Most of his films have been a bit naff (not bad; just average), aside from the notable exceptions of his debut films, Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. Both mark a different style of filmmaking to the type that would go on to net him the Best Director award at the 2008 Academy Awards and show a more down-to-Earth style than grandiose efforts like Slumdog Millionaire or Steve Jobs.
Many might argue for Trainspotting, but for my money Shallow Grave that represents the best of what Boyle offers. A grim satirical farce, it sheds light on the dark psychological drives that consume us when money makes an appearance and its witty script represents a poignant study of how people act when each is trying to achieve the same thing. Simply concerned with getting one over on each other for the sake of money, none of its morally challenged characters comes across well but the result is a richly cathartic comeuppance.
Many might argue for Trainspotting, but for my money Shallow Grave that represents the best of what Boyle offers. A grim satirical farce, it sheds light on the dark psychological drives that consume us when money makes an appearance and its witty script represents a poignant study of how people act when each is trying to achieve the same thing. Simply concerned with getting one over on each other for the sake of money, none of its morally challenged characters comes across well but the result is a richly cathartic comeuppance.
Plot
David (Christopher Eccleston), Juliet (Kerry Fox) and Alex (Ewan McGregor) are three Edinburghians hunting for a fourth flatmate, even though any rational person would see them as the sort of mildly obnoxious people you wouldn't want to share fridge space with. They eventually settle on the mysterious Hugo (Keith Allen), a decision which swiftly turns out to be a big mistake, for the next day he turns up dead in his bedroom with a suitcase full of cash under the bed.
Why Should You Watch It?
Because it's a comedy about well-off people getting their comeuppance and that's always a great subject.
Because it's a comedy about well-off people getting their comeuppance and that's always a great subject.
Don't Listen To Us
"While Shallow Grave is unquestionably dark, it’s never nihilistic. Partly it’s the performances, lively and venomous by turn; partly it’s Hodge’s wit; and partly it’s Danny Boyle’s direction, which uses the rock-solid plot as an excuse for all kinds of gleeful visual flourishes. It’s like watching a cartoon full of punchlines and violence, only here the wounds don’t vanish between frames." - (Zack Handlen, A.V. Club)
"The filmmakers’ unsentimental take on their characters is refreshing; no facile excuses are offered. The movie, Boyle emphasized at the time of its release, “is not about class or society, or people being crushed by forces they can’t control. Everybody takes responsibility for their decisions. We didn’t want this film soaked in British social realism.” - (Philip Kemp, Criterion)
Did You Know?
In order to aid the realism, Danny Boyle had the three main actors live together for several weeks inside a similar apartment to the Scottish tenement building where the film is set.
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