Review of Shallow Grave

Introduction

Shallow Grave was the film that introduced most of us to some new talent. This was director Danny Boyle`s first big screen outing, which was followed by the memorable Trainspotting, and another six films since.

Most people probably met Ewan McGregor for the first time here too. He too went on to bigger things such as Trainspotting and of course The Phantom Menace. Some viewers may remember Christopher Ecclestone from 1991`s Let Him Have It, but this film is probably his most memorable.

Last and not least we have Kerry Fox, who had worked with Boyle on a TV series, and had already been around for a few years. Again, this film is probably her most memorable, although she has been in the headlines recently with her performance in Intimacy, which has had many up in arms over its content and style.

If you`ve not seen the film, you can read the plot details up above.

Video

We are presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, which is average to good. At the begnning of the film there`s quite a lot of dirt and dust and it does look a little worn in places. Being a debut film it didn`t have a massive budget, so some of these flaws might be forgivable, except that it is being released by MGM who should be able to afford to clean it up where that`s possible.

Overall it is very watchable and the flaws don`t distract too much, it was just a shame not to see it looking better.

If you`ve not seen it, then you might want to know that there are some quite graphic and violent scenes in it, if that kind of thing offends you.

Audio

Another let down here as we only get a DD2.0 surround track. Well, that`s what the box says, but my amplifier and my ears would swear that this is just a stereo soundtrack as I heard no surround action whatsoever. And here`s the kick in the teeth - the region 2 German DVD has a DD5.1 soundtrack, although this is only in German. At least what we do get all sounds clean and crisp.

Although this is not a big action thriller, there are some scenes that would have enjoyed the benefits of a 5.1 soundtrack, and the music certainly would. That`s not to say that the music sounds bad, because it actually sounds very good indeed and is a highlight of the film, veering from Leftfield to Nina Simone to some X Files style piano music and back to Leftfield again.

Features

Oh dear. Just a poor quality full frame trailer. This film deserves so much more, particulary from the studio that brought us so many Bond DVDs stuffed with extras.

Conclusion

Shallow Grave was Danny Boyle`s first film, and many would say it`s still his best, ranking it above the more hyped Trainspotting. I would probably agree with those people. I`ve seen the film quite a few times, but haven`t watched it for a while. It was great to sit down and watch it again and still find it as interesting as it was in the cinema. A dark story, with violence, comic moments, and some good performances turn this into a very good film.

The DVD is not so impressive with a just above average transfer, ordinary sound, and a shocking lack of extras. The RRP of 15.99 makes up for that slightly, but it`s still a shame that a film that deserved more didn`t get more. I can probably just about recommend buying it if you don`t have a widescreen copy of it, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn`t yet seen it.