Word: shallower
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Although "Shallow Grave" is very much an interior drama, Boyle's breezy direction fails to convey the characters' psychological domestic claustrophobia...
...Much of "Shallow Grave" consists of the roommates' attempts to outdo each other with perverse sexual propositions. Early on, when Juliet sticks her shoe in Alex's mouth, prompting him to kiss her ankle, it becomes obvious that they are more than just housemates. The mechanics of their friendship seem believable, but it's harder to accept their lusty rapport. Eccleston and Fox lack chemistry; their sexual interactions are stiff and unnatural...
...Shallow Grave" is most original in its depiction of violence, sadism and torture. The thugs, who are thugs' thugs, do not use guns. They smash and stab with clubs and knives. But they are not alone, even the milque-toast David becomes barbaric, sawing up bodies with mad concentration. David's dramatic character change signals the flatmates' descent into a predictable spiral of paranoia...
This may not be entirely their fault. The film's fast pace precludes extensive characterization, but supplies enough suspense to almost make up for it. Boyle opens with a time-lapse sequence, heightening its effect with adrenaline-pumping disco music. He maintains "Shallow Grave's" suspenseful pace by frequently skipping several days in the roommates' increasingly chaotic lives. This disorienting technique keeps the viewer as unprepared as the conspirators for the next bout of violence...
...Shallow Grave" seeks to describe greed, but contains no real character analysis, and no profound insights into why ordinary people would behave like animals in the pursuit of a suitcase full of money. Boyle's final shot is haunted by the maniacal laughter of a flatmate as blood runs over the image of Queen Elizabeth's face on a bank note. It makes the viewer wonder if "Shallow Grave's" gory pandemonium is a big, shallow joke...