Short(ish) review #13

Shallow Grave (1994) - "What's a little murder among friends?"

Yep, another Danny Boyle film. The guy is a legend and can do nothing wrong in this country's eyes. And this is the film that started it all. Another example of his brilliance. This was the first film he made written John Hodge and so started a great partnership between them; the next film of course was Trainspotting.

In Shallow Grave, Kerry Fox, Ewan McGregor and Christopher Eccleston play three fairly ordinary friends who are looking for a new flatmate. They agree on one tenant, played by Keith Allen, who locks himself in his room upon arrival. The three of them break into his room, only to find him lying dead on his bed. They also discover a suitcase full of money and this leaves them with a dilemma - do they hand the money into the police or do they get rid of the body and keep the money? I think you can guess what they do...

What is so effective about the film is the set up. Even though these characters are meant to be friends all living under the same roof, they are fairly unlikeable. The first example of this is when they interview the possible tenants and the way they undermine them. After that, Danny Boyle adds the element of distrust to the film, the ideas that they are all working against each other. In this respect, this notion was mirrored in Danny Boyle's 2013 film Trance. However, the audience is interested by them.

It is very dark, yet stylish at the same time. The visual look of the film is also effective. The cinematography was done by Brian Tufano, who made a name of himself with Quadrophenia. Some of the tracking shots are so effective. The lighting is worthy of note as well, especially when Christopher Eccleston is in the loft and the only light is coming through the holes in the floor. He does get some very interesting shots in what is a pretty big apartment and of course he would go to work on Trainspotting. The colour of the apartment is very chilling as well, not just because it is a very cold blue.

Shallow Grave can be regarded as being influential, especially for films like Eli Roth's Cabin Fever, in the sense that you think you know who your friends are, but you don't. The best example of that is the development of Christopher Eccleston's character. The turning point for him is [SPOILER!!!] the scene where he is basically forced to dispose of the body by himself. He has to saw its limbs off and bash its head in with a hammer. It's such a powerful scene; what Danny Boyle is demonstrating is the horror of somebody selling their soul to the devil. This is followed by the scene where two men go up into the loft and they weren't expecting to find him up there. That's all I'm saying.

Even though the characters aren't likeable, you have to admire the performances given by the cast. These performances were just the beginning for Ewan McGregor and Christopher Eccleston. This was long before they became Obi-Wan Kenobi and Doctor Who. Because of their inexperience and unknown status at the time, Kerry Fox was the bankable star of the trio; Channel 4 and the Glasgow Film Fund invested £1 million because of her and her appearance in Jane Campion's An Angel at My Table. People often forget this and she was the first to be cast.

It does also feature one of the best uses of an Andy Williams song in a film ever. Just thought you should know. Shallow Grave is not specifically a horror film, but there are those chilling elements to it that make it stand out from the rest. The suspense is what makes up for the gore and blood you would expect instead. It does have some comedy to it as well. Just remember: "I believe in friends. I believe we need them. But if one day you can't trust them any more, well, what then... What then?"