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

The new flatmate of three preexisting roommates turns up mysteriously dead but in possession of a large sum of money. When the roommates decide to keep it for themselves, their action sets in motion a destructive chain of events that spiral out of control.

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Plot Keywords:

stabbed in the neck | roommate | money | friend | holding head underwater | 

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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

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Petits meurtres entre amis

Filming Locations:

Tyne Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£734,340 (United Kingdom), 20 January 1995

Gross USA:

$2,881,508

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,500,000

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Carlyle was offered the part of David. Carlyle would go on to play the part of Daffy in a future film by Danny Boyle, The Beach (2000), another character that was extremely paranoid and lives in isolation for a good portion of the story.

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Goofs

On the name plate on the door David's last name is spelled "Stevens" but in the credits it's spelled "Stephens".

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Quotes

Juliet Miller: It's about me and David.
Alex Law: Oh, the perfect couple, I should say.
Juliet Miller: You mustn't take it so badly.
Alex Law: Oh, don't worry. I'd do exactly the same thing, only I don't think I'm his type.

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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 At the Movies: Gattaca/The House of Yes/A Life Less Ordinary/FairyTale: A True Story/Sunday (1997)

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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