63
Smart and unsentimental as it is, Shallow Grave is more than a little forbidding.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
100
This, the debut feature from acclaimed TV director Danny Boyle, is the best British thriller for years, a chilling and claustrophobic heart-stopper centring on a moral dilemma destined to fuel many a dinner party conversation.
50
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
This pitch-black comedy is less lurid than its title, but director Danny Boyle ultimately fritters away his psychologically rich story in a horror-flick finale.
100
San Francisco Chronicle by Edward Guthmann
In his big-screen directing debut, British film maker Danny Boyle demonstrates wit, intelligence and economy of style.
50
Boyle's characters, too, are young and fresh and promisingly rude - especially McGregor's Alex - but they become less and less interesting as the movie progresses.
75
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
Taken as a whole, Shallow Grave is a reasonably enjoyable (for those captivated by this sort of thing) black comedy/noir thriller that justifies at least a portion of the praise being heaped upon it from overseas.
80
Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum
This is a fairly accomplished first feature -perky, visually inventive, and unusually nast
50
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
All of the materials are in place for a film that might have pleased Orwell. But somehow they never come together.
67
Entertainment Weekly by Scott Brown
Danny Boyle's glittering, deadpan, nihilistic little thriller.
Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston, and Ewan McGregor (in his first leading role!) all give excellent performances, especially Eccleston, as his mild-mannered accountant descends into violent madness, but the film overall never seems to completely find its footing. Lots of good ideas, but half-baked and shoddily executed.