Shock to the System (2006)

A gay detective tries to solve the murder of a college student.

Director:

Ron Oliver

Writers:

Richard Stevenson (based on the book by), Ron McGee

Stars:

Chad Allen, Sebastian Spence, Michael Woods

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chad Allen	...	Donald Strachey
Sebastian Spence	...	Timmy Callahan
Michael Woods	...	Dr. Cornell
Daryl Shuttleworth	...	Detective Bailey
Morgan Fairchild	...	Mrs. Hale
Anne Marie DeLuise	...	Lynne Cornell
Rikki Gagne	...	Katey Simmons (as Rikki Gange) (as Rikki Gagné)
Stephen Huszar	...	Grey
Nelson Wong	...	Kenny Kwan
Ryan Kennedy	...	Walter
Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman	...	Levon
Shawn Roberts	...	Larry
Gerry Morton	...	Jefferson
Morgan Brayton	...	Hannah
Leanne Adachi	...	Dr. Sung

Storyline

Because of a feature article on him in the Advocate, Albany based Donald Strachey has gained some notoriety as a gay private detective. His latest client, Paul Hale, a scared young man, provides Donald with a $5,000 retainer to find "someone", that person unspecified before Paul is scared off. Soon thereafter, Paul is found dead. The official cause of death is deemed suicide by the coroner's office, but Donald wants to do right by Paul by finding who killed him as the police unofficially believe he was murdered. Another person who believes Paul was murdered is his mother, Phyllis Hale. Donald learns that homophobic Mrs. Hale sent Paul to the Phoenix Foundation, run by Dr. Trevor Cornell and his wife Lynn Cornell and for which Paul was the poster child. The Foundation's raison d'etre is repairative therapy i.e. to help people turn from gay to straight. Donald believes Paul's death has something to do with the Foundation, whether it be a connection to one of the Cornells or one of the ...

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Plot Keywords:

male full frontal nudity | gay | death | office | suicide | 

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Taglines:

Some Secrets Kill.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content, nudity, language and a violent image

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Donald Strachey: Systemschock

Filming Locations:

Langley Plaza - 20289 56th Ave., Langley, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,750, 6 August 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,665, 20 August 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shavick Entertainment, Insight Film Studios, here! Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Black and White (opening sequence) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Second of four films in the "Donald Strachey Mystery" series.

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Goofs

In the scene where Strachey thinks Kenny is breaking into his office, Strachey is wearing sunglasses. As soon as he busts through the door after Kenny, his glasses are off, and then reappear on his very next shot.

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Connections

References The Maltese Falcon (1941)

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Soundtracks

Steam
written by Peter Allen
performed by Peter Allen

User Reviews

Entertaining

This film is about a private investigator who investigates the death of a young man who hired him to find someone shortly before the death.

I just watched "Third Man Out", so there is an inevitable comparison between the two. The mystery part is toned down compared to "Third Man Out", replaced with emotional elements about gay conversion. This makes the film melancholic and even saddening. To balance it off, there are more steamy scenes than "Third Man Out" to make "Shock to the System" more commercially appealing.

The mystery part of the plot is hurt by the fact that all the leads point to a single suspect. If there were more suspects, then the mystery would have been more thrilling and engaging. Nevertheless, "Shock to the System" is an interesting mystery film with a emotional commentary on societal attitudes towards homosexuality. I find "Shock to the System" entertaining to watch.