As a fan of director Danny Boyle, I've always been excited to see "Shallow Grave," his debut feature. But while I found the visual style impressive, the story and characters are run of the mill and not interesting. To be fair, the central cast puts a lot of effort into their performances and the basic premise is intriguing. Boyle's camera zooms through each scene and many of the film's images are truly inspired. However I found the main characters irritating and bland, and the overall story lacks tonal consistency or dramatic momentum. By the end of the first act I'd almost completely lost interest in watching the movie. I can't care about the events of a movie if I don't care about the story and characters, which I didn't while watching "Shallow Grave."
I won't give away the ending, but for me it was disappointing. The climax is so silly I actually laughed - it felt more like a parody of a slasher movie than a Hitchcockian thriller, which I don't think is what Boyle intended. Ultimately I was let down by "Shallow Grave." I liked elements of it, but not the movie as a whole. 6/10.
I won't give away the ending, but for me it was disappointing. The climax is so silly I actually laughed - it felt more like a parody of a slasher movie than a Hitchcockian thriller, which I don't think is what Boyle intended. Ultimately I was let down by "Shallow Grave." I liked elements of it, but not the movie as a whole. 6/10.