Shallow Grave (1994)

Director:

Danny Boyle

Writer:

John Hodge (written by)

Release Date:

10 February 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The award winning thriller that'll bury you with laughs.

Plot:

Three friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash.

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Interview | Robbery | Priest | Hospital

Awards:

14 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Kerry Fox	...	Juliet Miller
Christopher Eccleston	...	David Stephens
Ewan McGregor	...	Alex Law
Ken Stott	...	Detective Inspector McCall
Keith Allen	...	Hugo
Colin McCredie	...	Cameron
Victoria Nairn	...	Visitor
Gary Lewis	...	Visitor
Jean Marie Coffey	...	Goth
Peter Mullan	...	Andy
Leonard O'Malley	...	Tim
David Scoular	...	Cash Machine Victim
Grant Glendinning	...	Bath Victim
Victor Eadie	...	Freezer victim
Robert David MacDonald	...	Lumsden

MPAA:

Rated R for scenes of strong grisly violence, and for some language and nudity.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 | UK:18 | USA:R | South Korea:18 | France:-12 | Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

6 North East Circus Place, New Town, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

According to director Danny Boyle there's a sly connection between this film and his next film, Trainspotting (1996). Keith Allen portrays a drug dealer in both films leading us to believe he may be the same character in featured in both, as Trainspotting was suppose to take place in the late 80s before the occurrences in Shallow Grave.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Reflected the car window when Alex pushes Hugo's car into the lake.

Quotes:

[Alex is watching TV]
Juliet Miller: Have you seen Hugo?
Alex Law: No. Any idea which channel he's on?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 100 Mile Rule (2002)

Soundtrack:

Happy Heart

Vibrant and suspenseful

A great modern thriller containing all the necessary ingredients of a decent suspense story: constantly growing tension, sly humor, and genuinely surprising plot twists. It's kind of like a 90s version of a Hitchcock flick (think "Rope"), and like somebody here wrote, once you start watching it you can't stop.

The plot is deliciously wicked. Just how far are you going to go for money? Will you kill for it? Are you willing to share it? Will you give up your best friends for it? How insane will a large amount of cash drive you? And in the end, and this is the most important question "Shallow Grave" rises, will it make you happy?

If there was any more violence in this movie it would turn disgusting, but Danny Boyle knows how to measure it just right. Though he doesn't quite reach the virtuosity of "Trainspotting" here, his trademarks are all present: the fast pace, the urban background beats, the enthralling camera angles and so forth.

The three leads are all great, but there's no question about who the movie belongs to: Ewan McGregor is energetic, powerful and photogenic in his portrayal of a young journalist. No wonder he became such a star.