6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When advertising executive Graham Marshall is passed over in favor of a younger and more ruthless colleague, he realizes that his days are numbered. After accidentally causing the death of a man on the subway, however, Graham finds out just how easy it is to kill, and begins to employ his new-found skill to regain control of his life.
Starring: Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern, Peter Riegert, Swoosie Kurtz, Will PattonThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
5.1: 2793 kbps; 2.0: 1574 kbps
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
"Here's a film for anyone who ever muttered, "DIE YUPPIE SCUM!" So the headline screamed at the top of promotional posters for Jan Egleson's American feature-film debut, A Shock to the System. (Corsair Pictures, the movie's distributor, plastered this large quote from critic Eleanor Ringel's review that originally appeared in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.) It speaks to all the backstabbing and one-upmanship that corporate yuppies had engaged in with each other both figuratively and literally since the early eighties. Michael Caine's Graham Marshall is the embodiment of this outcry in the film. Marshall has worked hard over the years as an advertising executive on Wall Street and is eager to hear if he will receive a promotion to head of the ad agency's department. When he learns that the position has gone to upstart yuppie Robert Benham (Peter Riegert), Marshall becomes flabbergasted and enraged at the decision. Benham has replaced the beleaguered George Brewster (John McMartin), who is forced into retirement. A reason for Brewster's exit is a corporate takeover (a hint of the fledgling multinationals). A despondent Marshall heads for the subway but is harried by a panhandler who he inadvertently pushes under a train. When Marshall discovers that the death is ruled a suicide rather than manslaughter, he feels the same jolt of energy that he first got when trying to fix the electricity in the basement at the beginning. Marshall hence ponders how he can create more "accidents" for not only his business colleagues (who have become his competitors), but also his wife, Leslie (Swoosie Kurtz). The Marshalls have apparently been in a loveless marriage for a while and Leslie shows no emotion after her husband fails to get the promotion (she rubs it in).
Graham gets a laugh out of killing.
A Shock to the System makes its global debut on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Select (#25 in the sub-label's series) on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-25. Shout has encoded the main feature with a standard bitrate of 25928 kbps and a cumulative bitrate of 32.52 Mbps for the entire disc. The transfer has been struck from an older master, perhaps Millennium Entertainment's 2004 DVD, which promised "HD digitally re-mastered" picture. The various UK DVDs of the film presumably sourced the same dated master. However, Milennium opened the frame to 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen while this BD maintains the film's native ratio of 1.85:1. According to Egleson, this movie was shot using the Panaflex Platinum Camera and his camera crew also often employed a Lumicrane and Steadicam to track action, particularly the bustle on Madison Avenue and the elevator rush. As a result, there is some blurriness in the shots. The main titles and first reel show blips and other markings (see just to the left of the light switch in Screenshot #16.) In his audio commentary, Egleson states that he had Nunnally Johnson's The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) in mind for the color scheme. Grays and a desaturated palette predominant the look of this 1990 film. Some colors are washed out such as in #17. There is heavy coarse grain and I admire Shout for refusing to wipe it out. However, there is also some dirt on the print and a lack of detail is missing from the backgrounds of wider shots in the film. On the plus side, the greens on bushes, shrubs, and trees are rich and nicely stand out (see #s 12-15).
Shout gives A Shock to the System twelve scene selections. (The US DVD had twenty-three chapters.)
Shout Select has supplied a DTS-HD Master 5.1 Surround track (2793 kbps, 24-bit) and the film's original DTS-HD Master 2.0 Stereo mix (1574 kbps, 24-bit). The American DVD only provided the 5.1 remix. Voice-overs and dialogue are front heavy and sound pretty clear and crisp. The notes emanating from Gary Chang's quirky score provide most of the surround channels' coverage. The lossless audio doesn't over-impress but it does an adequate job of conveying the sound track, albeit with limited range.
English SDH are available on the main menu and via remote control for the movie only.
A Shock to the System features a maniacal and deliciously wicked performance by Michael Cain that makes the picture worth seeing for that reason alone. Shout Select delivers acceptable video and serviceable audio presentations. Jan Egleson's commentary is terrific and he even explains why he pauses (which is just a couple times): i.e., because he's so mesmerized by Cain's character. The rest of the extras are basically holdovers from the DVD. The film's interpositive could use a new scan and remastering but this transfer is likely the best we'll get for some time. A SOLID RECOMMENDATION for the Blu-ray.
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