Ive had some pretty dodgy flatmates over the years. There was one bloke who wore his clothes in the shower to save time on washing them. And another who used to ask people to pay him to dump with the bathroom door open. But its fair to say the collection of Edinburgh roomies in Shallow Grave go right off the weirdness scale.
Theres patient-hating doctor Juliet (Kerry Fox), her nerdy accountant boyfriend David (Christopher Eccleston), obnoxious up-himself journo Alex (Ewan McGregor) and, the most recent addition to the group, stubble-headed bug-eyed liberal Hugo (Keith Allen). When they find the reclusive Hugo lying dead on his bed (the reclusiveness and the fact that hes dead arent mutually exclusive), and a stash of cash alongside him, the first three decide to keep the loot, bury the stiff in the woods, and hope for the best. What was it Rabbie Burns said about the best laid plans going tits up?
Danny Boyles big screen directorial debut is a nicely put-together little thriller, oozing that certain low-budget style that lesser helmsmen generally find impossible to get right. He increases the mystery and tension with near-Hitchcockian skill, turning whats essentially a fairly contrived story into an impressive and highly-watchable slice of film noir.
The films only significant downfall, plotline aside, is its characters. Each of them are either dislikeable (McGregor, playing a complete bumwit), unbelievable (Eccleston turns from mild-mannered sack of nerves to murderous loft-dwelling lunatic) or both. It means that as viewers were left with nobody to relate to, side with, or even just not want to see bludgeoned to death.
Taken in context with how good the film is as a whole, though, such flaws are excusable. It’s hardly surprising Boyle went on to hit the big time with the likes of Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary and 28 Days Later.