Shallow Grave (1994)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Mark W

  
  Before moving on to work with such lucrative film stars as Leonardo DiCaprio or reaching the Oscar winning heights of "Slumdog Millionaire", director Danny Boyle cut his teeth on this low-budget Scottish crime thriller - which still remains as one of his finest films to this… More
  Before moving on to work with such lucrative film stars as Leonardo DiCaprio or reaching the Oscar winning heights of "Slumdog Millionaire", director Danny Boyle cut his teeth on this low-budget Scottish crime thriller - which still remains as one of his finest films to this day. Juliet (Kerry Fox), David (Christopher Eccleston) and Alex (Ewan McGregor) are a sardonic trio of roommates in Edinburgh, who take in enigmatic lodger Hugo (Keith Allen). When they find him dead, and a suitcase full of money in his possession, their worst instincts rise to the surface and involve them in a snowballing scheme to keep the cash. A tightly constructed Hitchcockian thriller, that with a shoestring budget only serves to force the hand of the talented cast and crew. The script by John Hodge is vice-like, the music by Simon Boswell is perfectly pitched and Danny Boyle's direction is flawless. The performances from the three leads are also entirely convincing; Kerry Fox delivers a reserved and competent turn but she is overshadowed by an excellent Christopher Eccleston who, with ease, goes from mild mannered to dangerously psychotic. As good as Eccleston is, I would love to have seen Robert Carlyle's take on it (a role which was offered to him originally). The real heart and fun of the film though, is an irritating and energetic Ewan McGregor in his breakout role. With these committed and highly believable performances we are allowed to invest in the characters and the predicament they find themselves in. Identifying with the trio is the films hook and it works a treat. Of course, Boyle and Hodge know this and it's not long before they have the audience eating out of their hands, wringing out every bit of suspense they can. The budget may be low but it doesn't matter because everything else is in place. It has tension in spades and effortlessly shifts from black comedy to dark thriller. It's reminiscent of early Coen Brothers and their achievements in "Blood Simple". Also like that film, it's so good on such a cheap budget that it's a crime in itself.

• xGary X

  
  Three friends let a room out to a stranger who drops dead leaving behind a suitcase full of cash, so they decide to bury him in the woods and keep the money. Danny Boyle's first film was promptly eclipsed by the follow up Trainspotting, but Shallow Grave is certainly worth a… More
  Three friends let a room out to a stranger who drops dead leaving behind a suitcase full of cash, so they decide to bury him in the woods and keep the money. Danny Boyle's first film was promptly eclipsed by the follow up Trainspotting, but Shallow Grave is certainly worth a second look. The format is kind of like watching Ross, Chandler and Monica dismembering a corpse and the breezy opening belies the grim psychology that takes over once they start to unravel. It's a morality tale about the cost of greed and shares themes with classic The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre as the relationship between the three friends disintegrates once money enters the equation. It's quite amusing how dated it looks now and the character development is not 100% convincing, but solid performances and a nice twist in the tale makes it a cut above the average thriller.

• Unknown H

  
  Anyone who knew me when I was fifteen will probably tell you that my interest in Ewan McGregor bordered obsession and hence this movie is one in my collection, although I do not feel it is his strongest role by a long shot, it is definately one his most charming and entertaining to… More
  Anyone who knew me when I was fifteen will probably tell you that my interest in Ewan McGregor bordered obsession and hence this movie is one in my collection, although I do not feel it is his strongest role by a long shot, it is definately one his most charming and entertaining to watch. Carefully shot, although carelessly cast, I found myself torn between the characters. I could not warm to the female lead and I feel this shook the foundations of my enjoyment in this movie. It felt disjointed and quite random, but has one of the best endings of any film I have seen and for that it gets an extra half.

• Lady D

  
  Danny Boyle's Directional Debut and first Director/Actor pairing with Ewan McGregor. Shallow Grave, the 90's Cult Classic is the ultimate test of friendship, loyalty, paranoia and greed. Eccleson's progression of character was interestingly sinister and the… More
  Danny Boyle's Directional Debut and first Director/Actor pairing with Ewan McGregor. Shallow Grave, the 90's Cult Classic is the ultimate test of friendship, loyalty, paranoia and greed. Eccleson's progression of character was interestingly sinister and the outcome can't help but leave a little smile on your face. It is beginning to look a little dated now, but still a good watch and great to take a look at these stars as fresh faces.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Victory is the same as defeat. It's giving in to destructive competitive urges."</i> Three friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"Victory is the same as defeat. It's giving in to destructive competitive urges."</i> Three friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> This kind of film-making is so rote now (see: that ferocious opening sprint through the streets of Edinburgh to a pounding Leftfield soundtrack), it's tricky to recall how new and exciting it all seemed at the time. But when this brilliant black comedy burst out of the traps in 1994, it almost single-handedly became the spearhead for a new kind of British movie-making. Which was ironic, really, because the film that introduced a young Obi-Wan and a future Dr Who to audiences actually owed rather more to the then burgeoning US indie scene: the likes of Hal Hartley, Joel and Ethan Coen, and, especially, a certain gabby video store clerk with a hotline to Harvey Keitel. For writer John Hodge, and producer Andrew MacDonald, movies should be tight. Funny. Quirky. With no boring bits. Former TV drama director Danny Boyle was the perfect chap to realise their vision, bringing a much-missed element of pure 'fun' (remember that?) to proceedings, along with a few directorial calling cards that would soon become instantly recognisable: hyper-kinetic camera-work and a near-hallucinogenic ambiance, sexy Tarantino-style violence, a hipster soundtrack... and suitcases full of money. Sound familiar?

• Conner R

  
  A great first attempt from Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor. It's a little more heartless than some of their other team ups, but still really enjoyable as a comedy-thriller. It has Danny Boyle's great style in it, which is always great to see.

• Anthony L

  
  I liked Shallow Grave a lot when it came out but I saw it the other day and was disappointed. The acting is a bit questionable in places but it does have its fair share of thrilling moments and a great ending.

• Candy R

  
  Interesting movie about friends who discover their flatmate is dead and has a load of cash. What will they do?

• Arash X

  
  Vibrant & suspenseful, There are a few flaws but the movie has a great mood that you can totally forget about them, Not as great as Trainspotting & 28 Days Later but better than Boyle's other movies that I've seen I mean Sunshine, Millions & A Life Less Ordinary

• Ken S

  
  Strong directorial film debut by Danny Boyle makes the most of it's simple premise. 3 roommates, a bag of cash and a lot of paranoia spiral out of control.

• Bannan i

  
  This was so ludicrous!

• Pierluigi P

  
  Danny Boyle's debut. A cool, wicked, suspenseful, bloody tale about greed and reliance among friends. clever narration, wonderful performances.

• Film C

  
  i thikn ive seen this i think its where they have a dead lodger in there room and dunno wot to do then end up burying him i thoght it was really boring and pointless

• Drew S

  
  Shallow Grave is kind of like an Irish prototype A Simple Plan. It takes three decent people and corrupts them with the promise of money, if only they're willing to sell their souls to some dangerous force. Of course they choose to, because hell, there wouldn't be a movie if… More
  Shallow Grave is kind of like an Irish prototype A Simple Plan. It takes three decent people and corrupts them with the promise of money, if only they're willing to sell their souls to some dangerous force. Of course they choose to, because hell, there wouldn't be a movie if they didn't. Unfortunately, the glaring flaw of the movie is that these three decent people become incredibly annoying - especially David. Considering how intelligent they tout themselves at the beginning of the movie, they act and reason like eight-year-olds throughout the rest. It makes rooting for any of them kind of difficult. One thing I will say for Shallow Grave is that it is easily the strongest ending Danny Boyle has ever done. (Considering it's his first movie, that is saying something.) Most of his films, notably Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Sunshine, have incongruous third acts that aren't as good as the rest of the movie. Shallow Grave floats over this trap very gracefully with an exciting, clever ending. Good on it. Shallow Grave didn't set the film industry on fire for a reason, but it's a nice solid film. Perhaps it's even more valuable for inspiring A Simple Plan, which is a much stronger film.

• Lafe F

  
  Intense and hard to watch at times. Well-written about a case of money destroying a group of friends. Very well done.

• Dean !

  
  A great low budget thriller as a new flatmate causes a moral dilemma for the others when they find him dead in his room with stacks of cash!

• Kylie B

  
  Inspired tale of paranoia. Some of the shots (particularly the opening) look stunning.

• Emily A

  
  Danny Boyle makes great movies and he really cares about his characters. This movie's events are so utterly tragic when you go back and watch the first little bit of it and see how ahppy everyone was. I really think it's interesting the way Christopher Eccleston's… More
  Danny Boyle makes great movies and he really cares about his characters. This movie's events are so utterly tragic when you go back and watch the first little bit of it and see how ahppy everyone was. I really think it's interesting the way Christopher Eccleston's character's deeds stain him and change him for the rest of the movie. The humour that threads through this movie is realy dark and witty, but it reminds you of how human are the characters that disintegrate in this movie. I guess you'd have to watch it to see what I mean.

• Stuart B

  
  Was very unimpressed with this movie...

• Michael G

  
  It's so fun to watch things go downhill.

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