107 - Shallow Grave

    Three roommates, seeking a fourth, wind up with a guy who promptly dies, leaving behind a suitcase with a lot of money in it.  They decide to dispose of his body.  The roommates start getting paranoid, and plotting against each other.  This gets worse as two thugs come looking for the deceased.
    I saw this once, around four years ago.  While the story is memorable, the problem with the movie is the title.  I think there are a few other horror movies with the same title, and none of them have the same level of class as this one.
    This was directed by Danny Boyle, who went on to do Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and a few other ones that I've seen.  He has a noteworthy style.  He's a bit frantic, almost like Joe Dante, but toned down, and more focused on emotional resonance and tension.  Dante's usually more cartoony.
    The story moves faster than I remembered.  And the direction is solid.  Boyle shows off a little, mostly at the beginning, but he restrains himself during the story.  There are some interesting colors, but the characters, and not the direction, are moving the story forward.  There's a bit of gore, but it's also very restrained.
    It's also a difficult movie to write about, because so many of the developments need to be seen for yourself.  What's remarkable is how close the script comes to revealing the ending early on, but it never feels like foreshadowing.
    To be honest, the movie isn't as great as it could be, but it's remarkably great for a first effort.  Boyle went on to earn further indie credit with Trainspotting, but he hit his commercial stride with 28 Days Later and Sunshine.  Not to mention Slumdog Millionaire, which I actually didn't care for.