Rating: 
Summary: One of the greatest
Review: "How would you react if I told you I was an antichrist?" - mocks David the prospective roommate during one of the fun interviews in the beginning of the movie. Well, what do you know? A little further into the plot and that question doesn't sound so comical anymore.
This film is not a simple betrayal and greed story, but rather deep exploration of the darker side of human nature, terrifying journey into the anti-world where love becomes hate, generosity turns into greed, friendship into betrayal, and even light comes from beneath.
Thus, it is no accident that Alex, who places less emphasis on moral issues than his roommates, is least affected by that transformation, and I would argue that his initial motive for replacing the contents of the suitcase was just a practical joke. And David's reason for taking control of the money and his later attempt to have it all is not really greed, but rather some warped sense of justice, the revenge on his former friends for pushing him into the abyss of inhumanity. And Juliet, also, can not escape destruction, although she realizes it at a later stage. Then, she does want the money badly, as the only possible compensation for the lost soul.
I saw this film first time few years ago on late night TV, starting about one-fifth into the feature, missing the title and credits. The story, the atmosphere, the detachment and subtle irony of the presentation, which made it even more powerful, its momentum and unflagging rhythm, the acting, - it was like a kick in the head. Next morning, I was calling my friends, describing the plot and asking for the title, until someone gave me the answer. "What an amazing film!" - my reply was.
Five stars are not enough to rate this film's virtues. IMHO, it is one of the greatest achievements in the history of cinema, a must for a serious viewer. "Black comedy"? Give me a break!
Rating:
Summary: Ravensong's Reviews: Shallow Grave
Review: "So, when you sacrifice a goat, and you rip its heart out with your bare hands, do you then summon hellfire?" This movie is set up like a bad joke: a doctor, an accountant, and a journalist are looking for a new flatmate... The line above is one of the questions asked of the applicants. But things suddenly get less and less funny, starting when they find their new roomie dead in his bed with a suitcase full of money under it. They keep the money and hide the body. The scales gradually tip away from comedy and toward suspense as we are drawn into the minds of the three friends trying to deal with what they've done, until there is no reason at all to laugh except that it isn't happening to you. This movie is not as blatantly warped as Trainspotting (same director); rather, it is subtly bizarre. I rented it more for the chance to stare at Ewan McGregor with long hair than anything else, but I found it was darn good too. I couldn't tear my eyes off the TV screen.
Rating:
Summary: Rarely do I give a movie 5 Stars
Review: 'Shallow Grave' will surprise you. At first, you might think 'what's all the fuss about', but when the movie starts developing it will steal all of your attention. Only since 'Black Christmas' has a movie captivated me with its sheer eeeriness and scare factor. Shallow Grave is edge of your seat suspense thriller which can be viewed over and over again. Despite it's violence and scare factor, it has some entertaining scenes - black comedy to be precise ... but I promise you one thing - you will love this movie. I dont want to give anything away - just buy it! Note though that the DVD version contains no extras but the movie enough is worth having. the art work on the USA version is much better than the Australian cover.
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Summary: Hitchcock-Bound
Review: 'Shallow Grave,' with Ewan McGregor, is the movie Danny Boyle made before he made 'Trainspotting.' This movie is nothing like 'Trainspotting.' Not even close. It's like Hitchcock. It's like 'Bound.' Actually, it's a lot like 'Bound.' No lesbians, though. It's about three British kids (two male, one female; the female played by the delicious Kerry Fox) who split the rent on an almost unbelievably spacious apartment and are looking for someone to make it a four-way split. Considering how they verbally abuse and torment everyone who comes to their door to interview for the room, it's obvious they're not really looking all that hard. Eventually, though, they do find the perfect 'flat-mate.' He moves in, locks himself in his room, and then... Well, that would be giving too much away. Highly recommended.
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Summary: I'll never look at a hardware store the same way again!
Review: A friend of mine recommended "Shallow Grave" to me, as he knows I have a taste for off beat, quirky movies. Little did I know what a great ride I was in for!Three boorish young Brits decide they need to find a new flat mate. They harry every poor sod who comes calling and finally decide on a rather quiet bloke. Gee, he seems perfect...shouldn't cause much fuss at all. Until they find him dead from a massive drug overdose! And let's not forget that satchel full of money! To say that they get creative with the disposal of the body is an understatement. From there, pure paranoia ensues. Not to mention a brilliantly scathing commentary on how money can ruin even the greatest of friendships. But the ending...what an ending! Honestly, I didn't see it coming!! (And here I thought I was fairly astute at catching things like this!) Enjoy! ;)
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Summary: This is how movies are supposed to be
Review: A good thriller that is fun from start to finish the ending isnt what makes a good film it is the yuppied out trip along the way that makes this a must
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Summary: Another brilliant film by director Danny Boyle!
Review: A movie about three Scottish flatmates who find their roomie dead; with a suitcase full of money stuffed under his bed. Then they have to decide what to do with it-- and if they keep it, how do they hide the body? A gruesomely well-written script and extraordinary acting by Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox, and Christopher Eccleson make this movie a definite must-see for psychotic thriller fans. Ewan McGregor stands out as Alex Law, the sarcastic and verbally abusive character who knows exactly how to get rid of a corpse. His dry sense of humor and bad timing will keep you laughing throughout the film.
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Summary: People will do a lot of things to keep a lot of money
Review: Although there is no room on the name plate at the front door to their flat, Juliet Miller (Kerry Fox), David Stephens (Christopher Eccleston), and Alex Law (Ewan McGregor) are interviewing for a fourth, to rent out the red bedroom. However, their way of interrogating prospective flat mates makes it seem that they will never find a fourth wheel. Alex, the reporter, asks most of the insulting questions, the nicest of which is probably asking "When was the last time you heard these exact words: 'You are the sunshine of my life'?" But Juliet, the doctor, asks things like, "This affair you're not having, is it not with a man, or not with a woman?" while David, the accountant, likes to inquire, "How would you react, then, if I told you I was the Antichrist?" There is no way that anybody is going to get a passing grade from all three of this trio.
In fact, Hugo (Keith Allen) talks to only Juliet before he makes it to a dinner with the boys, where Alex wants to know if Hugo can pay for the flat (a large wad of bills suggests that he can) and David just wants to know if Hugo has ever killed a man (Hugo lies on this point). These answers are sufficient for him to move in, although Hugo is clearly a bit older than they are and is not as amused by the trio's wit as they are. However, the next morning Hugo is lying naked and dead in the red bed, the victim of an overdose. Alex immediately starts checking out everything that Hugo left behind, apparently never thinking that the police might want to take a look at things first. Just as Juliet is about to report the corpse, Alex finds the proverbial suitcase filled with cash. Immediately, Juliet and the boys are reviewing the situation.
The key to keeping the money becomes eliminating Hugo's body and the title of the film gives you an indication of how the trio plan to accomplish that particular task, although Alex knows enough about how bodies are identified to suggest a few surgical procedures to go along with the burial. This requires the purchasing of necessary supplies, a trip into the forest, the drawing of a short straw, and then returning to the flat to endure the questions of Detective Inspector McCall (Ken Stott), who seems to think there should be four people living there. However, the trio have another problem, in that all that cash apparently did not really belong to Hugo either, and there are a couple of blokes looking for it, and therefore, for them as well.
The three flat mates are eccentric enough for us to be entertained by the way they treat most of the other human beings that they come into contact with, but when Alex makes a point of going to far with his treatment of poor Cameron (Colin McGredie), one of the failed applicants from the film's opening sequence, and Cameron offers a pointed rejoinder with the toe of his boot, we readily admit Alex deserves it. This becomes an important part of the dynamic for "Shallow Grave," because while we certainly expect the bad guys to get their hands on the three flat mates before the police can put everything together, we do not expect the sharp turn the film takes at that point.
These characters are entertaining, but they are not sympathetic, so in watching how this one plays out we do not really have a rooting interest in which, if any of them, get out of this film alive. Although I know it came out four years later, "A Simple Plan" tells a similar story but with much more sympathetic characters. The question is the same: if a whole lot of money fell into your lap, how far would you go to keep it? Of course such narratives beg the question as to whether you should or not, because the drama, and the attendant horror, comes from how far people will go.
The other thing that "Shallow Grave" reminds me about is the bit from one of Bill Cosby's routine where he is talking about people doing cocaine. Cosby explains that people have told him that cocaine enhances things so that you become more of what you were and his rejoinder is, "But what is you are an a**hole?" That question is a totally legitimate one to ask with regards to this story line because these are not good people, and when they are put in a bad situation that becomes increasingly worse, it is not like there are any angels representing their better natures. This one gets pretty bad and if you want another cinematic reference tossed at you then think of the three way gun fight at the end of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
Just do not be distracted by the sarcastic wit of the principles into thinking that they are good people or that this is a comedy. The "funny" stuff is all relative and just because you laugh at what people say is no reason to make the leap to thinking they are good people. Besides, the director is Danny Boyle, known for both "Trainspotting" and "28 Days Later," so you knew this 1994 was not going to be morally uplifting. This is just another example nice little example of bad people doing bad things to each other.
Rating:
Summary: A sordid look into the darkness of the human species:
Review: Better than "A Simple Plan" or "Heart of Darkness". This flick takes a look at just how bad human beings can be to one another when money is involved. Well acted, well directed, well shot. It doesn't get any better than this!
Rating:
Summary: Room Mates from Hades
Review: Black humor is a forte of the Brits and Shallow Grave is no exception. When three self-important room mates invite a fourth to share their oh so chic flat they have no idea their new found friend is a drug dealer with no-nonsense friends. Finding their new mate dead from a drug overdose and a suitcase filled with money under his bed, the flat mates must decide how to resolve splitting the tedious household chores like disposing of the body. Equitably they draw straws and the looser has the honor of cutting up the corpse. The first film outing of the successful trio of actor Ewan McGregor, director Andrew MacDonald, and producer Danny Boyle who later scored with Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary, this fast comedy is full of great music and is a bonus for any collector of British 90s films. With great supporting cast, Kerry Fox and Christopher Eccelson, Shallow Grave is humorously most irreverent toward all that yuppiedom holds dear -- a good address, professional job with lots of opportunity for career advancement, and tons of money to blow on AV equipment. How the three resolve their upwardly mobile quest for the ultimate lifestyle is a surprise.
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