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Shallow Grave

6.6

7,586

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Original title

Shallow Grave

Year

1994

Running time

91 min.

Country

United Kingdom

Director

Danny Boyle

Screenwriter

John Hodge

Cast

Music

Simon Boswell

Cinematography

Brian Tufano

Producer

Film4 Productions, The Glasgow Film Fund, Figment Film

Genre

Thriller. Mystery | Black Comedy. Crime. Friendship

Synopsis

To avoid spoiling the movie this plot summary is very brief. It starts when three people living together in a four bedroom flat are looking for a house mate. The interviews they conduct are very unorthodox and very funny. Eventually the three agree on one prospective tenant. He moves in, locks his door, and is not seen again. After a couple of days the three become curious and break in to his room. What follows is an amazing piece of cinema and to say more would ruin it.

Awards: 1994: San Sebastián: Silver Shell for Best Director

1994: BAFTA Awards: Best British Film

1995: Fantasporto Film Festival: Best Film Award.

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Critics' reviews

"Danny Boyle does wonders with a small budget, and the suave, dense-hued look of his movie stays with you long after the horror has evaporated."

Anthony Lane: The New Yorker
"Since no reasonable person can remotely hope to identity with Juliet, David or Alex, the whole case drops through (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"A sky-high level of misanthropy overwhelms his film in ways that prove more sour than droll, despite the presence of skillful actors and a bizarrely enveloping plot."

Janet Maslin: The New York Times
"So good that it's scary (...) A tight little thriller, filled with exhilarating twists, that quickly establishes its artistic contract with the audience."

Edward Guthmann: SFGATE
"There's something in Shallow Grave that is admirable, beyond its obvious display of youthful talent."

Michael Wilmington: Los Angeles Times
"Boyle's characters, too, are young and fresh and promisingly rude - especially McGregor's Alex - but they become less and less interesting as the movie progresses"

Hal Hinson: The Washington Post
"A savagely entertaining neo-film noir."

Neil Smith: BBC
"Brilliantly implicit, relentlessly paced, hilariously dark and underpinned by a central moral dilemma guaranteed to tease long after lights out."

Mark Dinning: Empire

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User history

Shallow Grave

1994

Danny Boyle

6.6

(7,586)