Film review by Kevin Patterson
Shallow Grave *** (out of four) R, 1995 Directed by Danny Boyle. Written by John Hodge. Starring Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston.
While watching "Shallow Grave," I found myself periodically noticing thematic similarities to the Coens' "Blood Simple." Both are good films in which several characters, none of whom are the most conscientious to have walked the earth but still are not really evil, indulge in an act of deception that soon necessitates more serious crimes. The body count rises, and before long seemingly normal people have blood on their hands.
Both films are also flawed, but for different reasons. "Blood Simple" is unrelentingly dark and moody, but its characterizations were a little hollow. "Shallow Grave," on the other hand, is nearly flawless for an hour and twenty minutes, and then the filmmakers throw away much of what they'd accomplished for a more standard, audience-pleasing ending. The events of the film were sufficiently intense and disturbing that I honestly felt quite troubled by what I was witnessing on screen most of the time, yet there was a slight grin on my face at the end.
As the film begins, we are introduced to Alex (Ewan McGregor), Juliet (Kerry Fox), and David (Christopher Eccleston), a Scottish trio living in an apartment in Glasgow. They are all sarcastic and occasionally obnoxious, but other than that they seem like a fairly normal bunch. A man named Hugo moves into the apartment's remaining vacancy, and the next morning he is found dead of a drug overdose. Juliet is about to call the police when Alex discovers that Hugo had brought with him a suitcase filled to the brim with cash (presumably from criminal activities).
The three eventually decide to keep the money and cover up the death; after a drawing of straws, the particularly unenviable task of mutilating the body so as to make it unidentifiable and burying it falls to David, who had been the most reluctant to partake in the scheme from the beginning. All of this transpires in the first twenty minutes or so of the film, and part of what makes "Shallow Grave" so brilliant for a while is that I honestly had no idea what was coming next. Other than the obvious question of why they don't report the death and simply hide the cash, which is not addressed, the plotting and characterization, while sometimes predictable, worked in a way that kept my attention and, on more than one occasion, gave me chills.
I will, therefore, attempt to continue this review in a way that doesn't give away too much of the plot. Broadly, the trio are in danger due to Hugo's underworld connections, as two goons search for the money and kill several people in the process. A police inspector (Ken Stott) is clearly suspicious and visits the apartment, asking pointed questions and trying to unnerve the three suspects by exchanging banal and weirdly humorous bits of dialogue with a junior detective. David, meanwhile, becomes increasingly paranoid, moves into the attic, and develops an affinity for sharp objects. Director Danny Boyle effectively creates an atmosphere of mounting tension and suspicion in the apartment, and finally the three seem ready to turn against each other.
While I do not consider myself the "happy endings are automatically stupid" type, I thought that "Shallow Grave" really should have ended in tragedy - a realistic analysis of the story up to the last ten minutes of the film would indicate that all three characters were probably about to end up in prison, in the mental hospital, or in the morgue. This could have been accomplished, quite credibly, but then Boyle and screenwriter John Hodge seem to flinch and opt for a more conventional "caper" ending in which we get a kick out of seeing who outsmarted whom, and nothing more. Granted, this isn't really a "happy" ending, but it's still pretty light-hearted compared to what preceded it. I really shouldn't say anything more about the ending as far as details go, but let me add that it seemed not only shallow and lazy but also inconsistent with the rest of the film and not very believable.
Yes, this ending made me crack a smile for a couple of minutes, but ultimately it left me feeling as if I'd been cheated. Still, "Shallow Grave" was brilliant most of the way through, and it does at least meet the minimum requirements for an entertaining thriller, and I am therefore awarding it three stars. I guess I just can't help but think about that fourth star that Boyle and Hodge let slip away.
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