A Shock to the System (1990)
Genre: Comedy / Crime
Duration: 91 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Jan Egleson
Stars: Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern and Peter Riegert
IMDb score:
6,6 (6.503)
Releasedate: 23 March 1990
A Shock to the System plot
"Climbing the corporate ladder can be murder."
An ambitious advertising executive sees murder as the fastest way to the top. As the death toll steadily rises, a detective and a colleague are on his tail.
Actors and actresses
Graham Marshall
Stella Anderson
Robert Benham
Leslie Marshall
Lt. Laker
Melanie O'Conner
George Brewster
Lillian
Tara Liston
Henry Park
Reviews & comments
IceTigerGhost
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- 673 messages
- 2761 votes
Caine single-handedly carries this relatively unknown film about the coldness in the corporate world. The execution is austere but efficient, reminiscent of an episode of some British crime series. Patton's character is very similar to Columbo. Consciously?
It's nice to know that Samuel L Jackson also appears for a few seconds in the film. His career had yet to begin.
Translated from Dutch · View original
wihu61
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- 1032 messages
- 557 votes
Hmm... that went well, for a "black comedy" with such a premise, I didn't think it was black and not funny enough. Dripped along a bit without any real highlights. I also found that detective quite unconvincing in terms of role and person. I think it would have been more. Maybe something for the Coen brothers?
Translated from Dutch · View original
Moviestar1979
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- 1748 messages
- 1014 votes
Michael Caine commented in 2002 that it was a nice little film, but too small for its own good. Roger Ebert described it as a cross between Crimes and Misdemeanors and Wall Street. Although it was a theatrical film, it was released straight to video in some countries. The film is often wrongly seen as Jan Egleson's directorial debut. The director was previously responsible for Billy in the Lowlands and "The Dark End of the Street" from 1981. This was also the last film for Barbara Baxley. The actress died on June 7, 1990 at the age of 67. Finally, we see Samuel L. Jackson appear in a brief cameo.
A reasonable black comedy with a few nice fragments. Most viewers probably thought it was too dark, and the film was forgotten.
2.5 *
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