The Movie
Life is good for three young professionals, flatmates and best pals enjoying each day as it comes. Right now they are looking for a new body to occupy their empty bedroom, and their search concludes with Hugo, a mysterious new roomie. But then they make a shocking discovery, and another shortly after, and before they know it they are digging a Shallow Grave to hide a corpse that has suddenly been foisted upon them.
The story might have wrapped up there but for some haunting procedures they need to follow, and for the fear of being caught. Paranoia and emotional instability set in, and with good reason, as some very bad men come looking for Hugo and his luggage. Trust is pushed past the breaking point, friendships are obliterated and lives unravel and even end before it's all sorted out in this lean, taut thriller.
The Picture
I can't help but love these extensive restorations of recent films, here with the original camera negative scanned at 6K resolution and digitally scrubbed for a remarkably pure 1.85:1 image. The extensive shadows are deep and inky if not necessarily detailed, while the complexions are often palpable in their pastiness, with various pores and razor stubble in evidence.
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Surround soundtrack was mastered from the original Dolby Spectral Recording mix, and Criterion recommends engaging Dolby Pro Logic on our receiver to accurately reproduce the intended effect. The track is mostly dialogue--the accents aren't too difficult--and catchy pop music and some incidental effects, although certain sounds made while prepping the body for burial will likely stick with us. It's not too flashy but it certainly serves to draw us even further into this tense world.
The Extras
Director Danny Boyle provides the first of two audio commentaries (his recorded in 2009), the second from screenwriter John Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald, recorded individually just this past February. Both are indexed by topic. Also from 2012 are a series of interviews with the three stars: Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston and Ewan McGregor (29 minutes, in HD).
Andrew and Kevin Macdonald's video diaries (nine minutes) from their experiences shopping around the Shallow Grave script at the 1992 Edinburgh Film Festival are presented here in high-def, but the quality is somewhat poor. Ditto the 30-minute "making of" documentary "Digging Your Own Grave," directed by Kevin, who would go on to helm Touching the Void and The Last King of Scotland.
Final Thoughts
A low-budget thriller with a small cast and very few sets, Shallow Grave remains an auspicious big-screen debut from Danny Boyle, who would go on to give us Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours. Criterion gives the movie A-list treatment with remastered picture and sound, and bonus features that are anything but shallow.
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