"Shallow Grave" is very dark British satire with a great setup - three arrogant yuppie roommates in a Scottish apartment take in a fourth boarder, and when he kills himself with a drug overdose, they find themselves in a dilemma. Do they call the police, or do they dispose of the body themselves so they can keep a suitcase full of money?
It's a plot worthy of Hitchcock, and there are elements that seem to be paying homage to the Master of Suspense . . . perhaps crossed with Quentin Tarantino ("Pulp Fiction"). But "Shallow Grave" is also quite eccentric - and disturbing in places - which would seem to limit its appreciative audience.
As you can easily guess, they decide to keep the money, which leads to myriad complications - not the least of which are the police who link them to the death of their roommate and the vicious drug-dealers who want their money back.
As the film progresses, two of the platonic roomies (Kerry Fox and Ewan McGregor) get careless and begin spending too much. And the third (Christopher Eccleston) goes nuts, sequestering himself in the attic with Rambo delusions.
Stylish, wacky and a bit shocking in places, "Shallow Grave" is entertaining on a certain level, but be prepared for graphic violence, some of it rather gleefully portrayed.
"Shallow Grave" is rated R for violence, gore, profanity and nudity.