A gem which you may have overlooked
Added 8/1/2009
Well, I surely missed this one in the theatres! This is probably one of Michael Caine's finest performances, and the screenplay by Andrew Klavan is superb as well. You could look on it as a modern riff on "Kind Hearts and Coronets." Black, black humor indeed! It's up there with "Gods & Monsters" as a film which deserves a wide viewing. And now DVDs and video downloads make it possible!!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Excellant black comedy!!!
Added 6/25/2009
A Shock To The System is one of my most fav black comedies!!! Michael Caine is top-notch in his performance of an executive who gets passed over for the position which is due him and then he just snaps!!Swoosie Kurtz who plays his nagging fish-wife just adds to this poor man's state.This film is done with such class,such panache! A must see for Michael Caine fans! I own a copy myself and think it is one of his best films.Entertaining and thought provoking to the end as Michael Caine narrates his views and maniacal plans for revenge!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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THIS Exec didn't get off at WILLOUGHBY
Added 4/18/2009
When Rod Serling wrote "A Stop at Willoughby", his character, Gart Williams was a 38 year old executive that could not compete anymore in the rat race, dreaming of an age when things moved slower. He eventually is accounted as a suicide off a homebound train. In "The Emperor's Club" a teacher of long standing at a private school is passed over for a younger person to become the Dean. He resigns immediately but is compelled once again to return at the bequest of the younger Dean in pursuit of an alumni donation, where Mr. Hundert's services as a teacher are once again required.
This is the same storyline but with a different approach. Our executive is Michael Caine and he, like Gart Williams is in the advertising business. In a great reverse effect, the main character becomes a murderer /hero as at first he executes an agressive and violence prone subway beggar by accident with a subtle push as a train just happens to come by.
He leaves the subway like Paul Kersey in "Death Wish", climbing the stairwell amid the chaos as the Police run down the steps. This chance event now twists his mind and he begins to consider murder as a final solution with everyone in his way. Interesting and in some ways oddly funny, because you always know what is going through his mind at all times. The theme negates the term "You can't always get what you want" and it is somewhat of a fantasy of course. If there is anything negative to say perhaps it is that Caine seems very out of place using foul language here and there in the film. If you can overlook this over indulgence, it is an entertaining work.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Crime: easy for the tidy
Added 3/11/2008
Following a curiously encouraging turn of events, an advertising executive (Caine) resorts to murder in order to deal with his unbearable wife (Kurtz) and a malicious fellow drone (Reigert) who's been unfairly promoted to a position reserved for our central antagonist.
This uncompromising black comedy boasts a slight, albeit ingenious script that's cleverly played by its' excellent principle cast. It's notable that this story of corporate murder was adapted from a novel by Simon Brett that predates both Bret Easton Ellis' notorious "American Psycho" and Helen Zahavi's "Dirty Weekend" by seven years. It's also very strange that this film remains so obscure, considering that its' famous leads are in top form here, and that everyone I've known who's viewed this movie has really enjoyed it.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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My review of A Shock to the System
Added 11/29/2007
Michael Caine is fantastic as Graham Marshall, a advertising exec who has been playing the game for many years, waiting his chance to be the big boss. When the company decides to go in a newer direction, they pass him over. One accident makes him realise that he can get away with murder. With wit and ingenuity he finally gets to where he belongs.
Michael Caine at his best.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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A gem which you may have overlooked
Added 8/1/2009
Well, I surely missed this one in the theatres! This is probably one of Michael Caine's finest performances, and the screenplay by Andrew Klavan is superb as well. You could look on it as a modern riff on "Kind Hearts and Coronets." Black, black humor indeed! It's up there with "Gods & Monsters" as a film which deserves a wide viewing. And now DVDs and video downloads make it possible!!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Excellant black comedy!!!
Added 6/25/2009
A Shock To The System is one of my most fav black comedies!!! Michael Caine is top-notch in his performance of an executive who gets passed over for the position which is due him and then he just snaps!!Swoosie Kurtz who plays his nagging fish-wife just adds to this poor man's state.This film is done with such class,such panache! A must see for Michael Caine fans! I own a copy myself and think it is one of his best films.Entertaining and thought provoking to the end as Michael Caine narrates his views and maniacal plans for revenge!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
THIS Exec didn't get off at WILLOUGHBY
Added 4/18/2009
When Rod Serling wrote "A Stop at Willoughby", his character, Gart Williams was a 38 year old executive that could not compete anymore in the rat race, dreaming of an age when things moved slower. He eventually is accounted as a suicide off a homebound train. In "The Emperor's Club" a teacher of long standing at a private school is passed over for a younger person to become the Dean. He resigns immediately but is compelled once again to return at the bequest of the younger Dean in pursuit of an alumni donation, where Mr. Hundert's services as a teacher are once again required.
This is the same storyline but with a different approach. Our executive is Michael Caine and he, like Gart Williams is in the advertising business. In a great reverse effect, the main character becomes a murderer /hero as at first he executes an agressive and violence prone subway beggar by accident with a subtle push as a train just happens to come by.
He leaves the subway like Paul Kersey in "Death Wish", climbing the stairwell amid the chaos as the Police run down the steps. This chance event now twists his mind and he begins to consider murder as a final solution with everyone in his way. Interesting and in some ways oddly funny, because you always know what is going through his mind at all times. The theme negates the term "You can't always get what you want" and it is somewhat of a fantasy of course. If there is anything negative to say perhaps it is that Caine seems very out of place using foul language here and there in the film. If you can overlook this over indulgence, it is an entertaining work.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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