This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's not simply well-done, it's terribly clever and, dare I say - original! A good thriller is hard to find these days, most are just thinly disguised action flicks with somber dialogue and dimly lit sex-scenes. Shallow Grave is classical and very witty, picking up the Hitchcockian gauntlet by focusing not on the murder or the mystery, but on the aftermath of a death and the suspense created when the audience knows more than the characters. That being said, there are some brilliant surprises in this film, including what is quite simply my favorite ending of any movie, ever. And one of my favorite things about the film is that none of the characters are particularly likable, though they are far more complex than some critics have given them credit for.
Who else out there is sick to death of critics, especially professional critics, knocking films because they don't have a hero in a white hat to cheer for? They lambast films with happy "hollywood endings" but if the featured characters are less than fully admirable (and aren't redeemed or destroyed), critics complain that they can't "identify" with them. Moral ambiguity makes things interesting! It boggles the mind that people criticize fiction when they don't like the personality of the characters. So you don't *like* the characters, how does that negate the quality of the work? It's like dismissing Van Goghs "Sunflowers" because you don't like the color yellow. OK, finished ranting. SEE THE FILM!
Who else out there is sick to death of critics, especially professional critics, knocking films because they don't have a hero in a white hat to cheer for? They lambast films with happy "hollywood endings" but if the featured characters are less than fully admirable (and aren't redeemed or destroyed), critics complain that they can't "identify" with them. Moral ambiguity makes things interesting! It boggles the mind that people criticize fiction when they don't like the personality of the characters. So you don't *like* the characters, how does that negate the quality of the work? It's like dismissing Van Goghs "Sunflowers" because you don't like the color yellow. OK, finished ranting. SEE THE FILM!
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