Shallow Grave

The first few minutes make it clear that the whole film is going to be in a rather kinky and perverted vein, which is of course not unreasonable considering the central trio. Shallow Grave is a wonderfully playful film, whose greatest strength is in the gradation, the perfect directing of the actors, and the occasional "lightening", or rather black humor, which is scarce here, but even in a few moments it is excellent (carrying a body down a staircase, for example). This is the Danny Boyle I like. His early work is almost an affair of the heart for me, and along with Trainspotting I rank Shallow Grave as one of the best, if not the best, Boyle has ever made. It doesn't yet have a fat budget or Hollywood stars par excellence, it's all so "pure" and honest and you can feel how lovingly it's made. I really, really liked it. (19/06/2011)

"Is he still here?" - "Yeah, he couldn't start the car." I've had the DVDs of Danny Boyle's films at home for a while, but I've been putting them off for a long time. Why, you ask? I can't get my head around that now after the amazing Shallow Grave. Wow, that was something! I don't think I was breathing for the last quarter of an hour. A truly unforgettable film - a brilliantly filmed spectacle of perhaps every possible human emotion that swallows you, chews you up, spits you out, and lets you go about your business. (11/05/2011)

The film has a good idea in the exposed body of a junkie who left behind a lot of money. However, Boyle had to break the whole plot mightily over his knee twice to get to the end. Thankfully, he showed how much talent he has and very skillfully skated through both a regular psycho-thriller and a distinctive variation of Dostoevsky’s "Crime and Punishment." Admittedly, the film eventually ended up being shallowly cheap, but that made the point all the more entertaining. Genius or incompetence? I got caught up in it and had fun at the same time, so thanks, Danny! (12/05/2007)

Shallow Grave is exactly the type of thriller I'm not too fond of, and there are plenty of them made on this subject, but I have to say in Danny Boyle's rendition this one worked very well for me! A hell of a black-humoured, energetic and suspenseful ride from start to finish! I had a lot more fun than I did with A Simple Plan. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.75% (09/02/2014)

Danny Boyle is a great director, as long as you get accustomed to his style. The same goes for Shallow Grave. It took me a while to get into the film and get on the same wavelength with it. Shallow Grave was Boyle's directorial debut, and I have to say, it was a successful first effort. The film stands on two major strengths. The first is the three main actors, each with a very different character, yet all of them delivering amazing performances. I was probably most impressed by Christopher Eccleston, who initially seemed like a bit of a pushover, but in the end, he turned out to be the biggest killer. The second strength is the flawless plot, which has no holes, and the story here is truly solid. Where I’d be more critical in my evaluation is with some of the long stretches without a single cut. I understand that this helps build a great atmosphere, but at times, I felt it unnecessarily dragged the film down. I’ll definitely remember the scene where two gang members fell from the attic, dead, after being beaten with a hammer. And especially that ending, which wasn’t disappointing and gave the film a dignified conclusion. Ewan McGregor simply outsmarted everyone :). I give it 83%. (23/06/2017)