Day 138 - Shallow Grave

Day 138          Shallow Grave [1994]

                          

Screenplay                    John Hodge

Director                         Danny Boyle

Cinematography            Brian Tufano

Music                            Simon Boswell

Leads                            Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, Kerry Fox

Production                     Film4

IMDb                                7.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes                69%

A win for simplicity in Danny Boyle’s film debut where he gets close to the edge of glory but doesn’t quite have the cojones to match his later work. This is so often the case in a director’s first film, they often lack the budget or the confidence to go all out. Debuts regularly only give a taste of what is to come, and Shallow Grave is an aperitif to Trainspotting, in the same way Bottle Rocket is the mess before Wes the perfectionist, and Hard Eight was a moody warm-up to PTA’s incredible film-making. It’s the chaotic story of three flat mates in Edinburgh who run into some trouble after they choose a new flat mate. It’s a solid performance from McGregor, Eccleston and Cox, all relatively unknown when this came out. All three of them play assholes, Scottish yuppies who seem to turn their nose up at almost everyone. I’m surprised the budget was as big as it was considering they stuck to a couple of locations, had a small cast and did nothing too inventive with regard to props or special effects, however, an entertaining storyline drew me in within fifteen minutes and I was hooked right the way through. I couldn’t quite grasp how they had such an incredible flat and yet still seemed to be struggling financially, perhaps that’s just the 90s, or Scotland. Either way I want their flat.

Acting                           3.5 / 4

Writing                             3 / 4

Cinematography            3.5 / 4

Music                               3 / 4

HWF rating                  3 / 4