Shallow Grave (1994)

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

Director:

Danny Boyle

Writer:

John Hodge

Stars:

Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston, Ewan McGregor

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	...	Woman Visitor
Gary Lewis	...	Male 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

Storyline

Three friends in Edinburgh, Scotland, interview and select a new flatmate. He's hardly moved in than they discover him dead in his room. An ethical dilemma ensues when they discover that he possessed a large amount of cash. Things get worse as the men whose money it was search for it, and the three friends start to turn on each other.

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Plot Keywords:

directorial debut | stabbed in the neck | scotland | male full frontal nudity | psycho thriller | 

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Taglines:

What's a little murder among friends?

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ewan McGregor's mother, Carol McGregor, has a cameo in the film as one of the prospective flatmates.

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Goofs

When Alex and David are struggling on the floor near the end, one shot shows the refrigerator door shutting, yet in the next it is wide open.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits appear over images of the three main characters in happier times, ironically all laughing hysterically.

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Connections

Referenced in Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere: Episode #1.1 (2004)

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Soundtracks

Release the Dub
Written by Neil Barnes and Paul Daley
Performed by Leftfield

User Reviews

Well-done approach to classic suspense plot.

Good first feature film from director Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge. A good, solid thriller with a healthy dose of dark humor.

Interesting dynamic among the three principle characters, though their motivations toward each other could have been made more clear.

The age-old plot of ordinary people getting mixed up in an unexpected acquisition of dirty money and finding their worst tendencies coming to light is done with style and clever wit, with a couple of nice twists that I doubt anyone will see coming. (Although, I'm a little hazy on just HOW it ends up that way.)

Boyle is definitely one of the great, stand-out directors of the 90s-and-beyond crowd, in the upper ranks with Tarantino, Fincher, Ritchie, and a few others.

7/10 stars

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shallow Grave

Filming Locations:

Tyne Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$105,614, 12 February 1995

Gross USA:

$2,079,569

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,079,569

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, The Glasgow Film Fund, Figment Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1