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:

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 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Danny Boyle made a specific point of avoiding guns in the film, because "We didn't want to Americanize the society."

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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

David Stephens: Normally I don't usually meet people, unless I already know them.

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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

References Vertigo (1958)

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Soundtracks

My Baby Just Cares for Me
Written by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn
Performed by Nina Simone

User Reviews

House Of Straw, Ton Of Bricks

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.