Three friends and roommates, David Stevens (Christopher Eccleston of Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra), Juliet Miller (Kerry Fox) and Alex Law (Ewan McGregor - who needs no introduction) need another roommate to fill a vacant room in their spacious apartment. After numerous perspective tenants, Hugo (Keith Allen) shows up and seems suspiciously too good to be true, yet ultimately, they let him rent him the room anyway. After not hearing or seeing Hugo for a while, David, Juliet and Alex break down his door, stumble onto his corpse, the heroin he overdosed on. They also find a briefcase full of money...a lot of money. The three decide to keep the money and get rid of Hugo's corpse. David, a mild-mannered, but ill-tempered accountant is given the task of removing the arms, legs and teeth so the body cannot be identified, and burying the rest in the woods. David begins to suffer from depression and the guilt behind the body and the money. He then locks himself in the attic along with the case of money and becomes paranoid of anyone, including Alex and Juliet. Two gangsters looking for Hugo torture people until they find the apartment; they break in, assaulting Alex and Juliet. David gets the drop on them, killing them and eventually burying their bodies in the same fashion as Hugo. The police get involved and begin sniffing around the apartment, hinting that they know something is wrong.
As usual, I will only say that it's up to you to enjoy what follows, as I don't like spoiling movies for others. First off, you may think that this is a standard paint-by-numbers "People-Find-Lots-of-Money-and-Don't-Trust-Each-Other" film which it is, however it is done with such fine technique that it is very satisfying and often subtly funny. It is a mystery/thriller but it is also a black comedy and as most black comedies the humor ranges from being very conspicuous as well as being subtle. There are times where you, the viewer may think you know where the plot is going to go and sometimes it's right where you thought. Other times, a curveball will come out of nowhere, catching the confidant and most jaded of thriller fans off guard.
This was Ewan McGregor's second film and shows off his acting chops, proving that he knows what to do with a character. In this case, his character is young, obnoxious, ambitious and even naive. McGregor ends up with most of the comic relief mostly due to the fact that the other characters are more levelheaded. With simply a few stiff strides from the kitchen to the front door as he hurriedly leaves to go to work, Eccleston lets the viewer know how tense David is as he verbally fends off Alex's annoying, mundane questions with quick, sharp replies. His subtle facial expressions also do his character well, as he is one of those people who don't have to say anything to tell you that he is tense and constantly thinking and analyzing every option. Once he disposes of Hugo's body and hides away in the attic, Eccleston gives us plenty of character development to ponder what his true motives are and it is with him that a lot of the intrigue and suspense in the second and third act of the film come from. Kerry Fox plays her part with that of a mother figure, who is grounded in reality, yet wants to have fun and get David to relax a little. She often is the one who tries to diffuse the banter between David and Alex while trying to diffuse tense situations as the characters' situation becomes more complex.
Danny Boyle shows that even long ago before many knew whom he was, that he knew what he was doing behind the camera. Others have said that Shallow Grave is very Hitchcockian and I can say that I think that is exactly what Boyle wanted and what he produced. Written by John Hodge, who had the daunting task of turning Irvine Welsh's novel into the Trainspotting screenplay keeps us interested in his characters while making us like them, become annoyed by and ultimately doubt them. Dialogue (as well as the music and cinematography) in the first act is very up beat and enjoyable and by the second and third act, everything turns dismal and suspenseful.
The cinematography by Brian Tufano, who also gave Trainspotting its own unique look, gives us great standard angles as well as some different, refreshing takes on cinematography in the thriller genre. Lighting plays a key role in this film as well: When David, Juliet and Alex are drawing straws to determine who will get the job of chopping up Hugo, their hands (and straws) are lit by the simple glow of their van's headlights. In the same scene, there is an oversaturation of red light that comes from the rear brake lights of their van which is duplicated in the entire frame when David ends up doing the dirty work.
Overall, Shallow Grave ranks among my top 25 films of all-time and if you are sick of contrived thrillers and plot twists that involve split personalities, clones, double agents and the like, check this film out! It may not have an all-star cast, explosions or CGI but it does have a damn good plot and characters to guide you through it. Remember that this was an independent film that was shot in thirty days and I have even read that the budget was so tight that during filming, many of the props had to be auctioned off in order for the crew to afford film stock.
5 Shovels (Out of 5)
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