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Shallow Grave (1994) 7.3
Ratings:
7.3/10 from 32,630 users
Metascore: 67/100
Reviews: 127 user | 66 critic | 20 from Metacritic.com Three friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash. Director:Danny BoyleWriter:John Hodge |
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Title: Shallow Grave (1994)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kerry Fox | ... | ||
| Christopher Eccleston | ... | ||
| Ewan McGregor | ... | ||
| Ken Stott | ... | ||
| Keith Allen | ... | ||
| Colin McCredie | ... | ||
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Victoria Nairn | ... |
Visitor
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| Gary Lewis | ... |
Visitor
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| Jean Marie Coffey | ... |
Goth
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| Peter Mullan | ... |
Andy
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Leonard O'Malley | ... |
Tim
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David Scoular | ... |
Cash Machine Victim
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Grant Glendinning | ... |
Bath Victim
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Victor Eadie | ... |
Freezer victim
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Robert David MacDonald | ... | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
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. Written by <djm@sinope.kbs.citri.edu.au>
Taglines:
What's a little murder among friends? See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for scenes of strong grisly violence, and for some language and nudity | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
10 February 1995 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Petits meurtres entre amis See more »Box Office
Budget:
$2,500,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
£734,340 (UK) (20 January 1995)Gross:
£4,923,439 (UK) (17 March 1995)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby SRColor:
Color (Eastmancolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
David Stephens: Not any real sneering as such, no.
Lumsden: There's a whole wide world out there, and it all needs to be accounted for, does it not?
David Stephens: Well, I...
Lumsden: But they sneer, do they not?
David Stephens: I'm not sure.
Lumsden: Oh, it's unfashionable, I know, but yes, we're methodical, yes, we're diligent, yes, we're serious, and where's the crime in that? Why not shout it from the rooftops? Yes, maybe sometimes we're a wee bit boring, but by God we get the job done.
David Stephens: Yes, sir...
Lumsden:
David Stephens:
[...]
See more »
Written by James Last and Jackie Rae
Performed by Andy Williams
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The color scheme for the flat was based on Edward Hopper's painting Hotel Lobby. See more »Goofs
When Juliet, David, and Alex are removing the body from their flat, Juliet puts on a pair of latex gloves. The next shot after that, when Juliet pushes the body off of the bed, she is not wearing them. See more »Quotes
Lumsden: Chartered accounting. It's often sneered at. Were you aware of that?David Stephens: Not any real sneering as such, no.
Lumsden: There's a whole wide world out there, and it all needs to be accounted for, does it not?
David Stephens: Well, I...
Lumsden: But they sneer, do they not?
David Stephens: I'm not sure.
Lumsden: Oh, it's unfashionable, I know, but yes, we're methodical, yes, we're diligent, yes, we're serious, and where's the crime in that? Why not shout it from the rooftops? Yes, maybe sometimes we're a wee bit boring, but by God we get the job done.
David Stephens: Yes, sir...
Lumsden:
David Stephens:
[...]
See more »
Crazy Credits
The closing credits appear over images of the three main characters in happier times, ironically all laughing hysterically. See more »Soundtracks
"Happy Heart"Written by James Last and Jackie Rae
Performed by Andy Williams
See more »
See, there's these three little piggies (Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox and Christopher Eccleston) who live together as flatmates in Glasgow. The one thing that ties them together more than the genial contempt they have for one another, is the DOUBLE amount of contempt they have for everyone else. To take in extra rent money, they decide to let a spare room in their place. After having a lot of fun at the expense of many 'unsuitable' candidates, they decide to award the spot to a very dodgy looking character named Hugo, (Keith Allen), who has a shady demeanor and a rather large suitcase.
This situation is ripe for betrayal, deceit, coercion and oh, let's not leave out murder, shall we? It's dynamite with an unlit fuse, just missing a match. And that 'match' is finally struck when the three roommates find a nude Hugo dead the next morning in his room, and that in his mysterious suitcase is more cash than the three of them combined will make in a year.
Anybody hear a sizzling noise in the background? That's nothing. The explosion is coming, and it is a DOOZY! Director Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge certainly know their noir thrillers, and they skilfully weave the strands of this twisted story together like a Hitchcock chamber piece, filtered through the gimlet-eyed gaze of the Coen Brothers. With a Glaswegan accent, of course.
The acting is top notch, especially Ewan in his first major movie role. The realistic outcome of each nerve-wracking situation ratchets up the suspense and the tension without a single false note, as the 'straw' friendships of these three not-so-likable characters goes up in a puff of spontaneous combustion...all for, as the O'Jays put it so aptly, "the love of money."
And speaking of classic songs, a great director knows how to infuse a scene with just the right touch of irony, comedy or even downright horror, such as what Quentin Tarantino did with the confectionery pop standard from Stealer's Wheel, "Stuck In The Middle With You." I could tell from the word 'go' that Danny Boyle would be one artist to watch, just through the way he took a gooey retro classic like Andy Williams' "Happy Heart," and infused it with chillingly fitting gallows humor for GRAVE'S jaw-dropping ending, that will stay with you long after you've seen it...even after the second or third time! No matter how many times I watch it, it still hits me like a ton of...well, you know...
Highly recommended, with great scoring work from artists like Simon Boswell, Leftfield and Tomandandy.