Thursday, November 29, 2012

Shallow Grave

8.0
Danny Boyle's feature debut oozes with style and weighty substance. It is an excellent thriller with engaging performances by all three leads working off a good script. The friendship between the three feels genuine, as does the descent into horror in the third act. Sequences such as Alex and Juliet's shopping spree breathe frantic bursts of life into the film and show off the filmmaker's trademark camerawork. David's descent into madness is the hardest sell of the film but actor Christopher Eccleston pulls it off beautifully.

The film's voyeuristic sequences are slick high-points and off set the 90's tone dominating the running time. It never seems dated but rather feels like a product of a specific time period. The action/thriller tidbits in the third act are letdowns, in terms of both story and style. The psychological tension lovingly built over the course of an hour is released fairly quickly and haphazardly. Thus the ending is a bit of a disappointment but ultimately speaks to the film's underlaying theme of the fragility of both the human spirit and body.

No comments:

Post a Comment