A Shock to the System

a 1990 comedy-thriller,is easily overlooked because its triumphs aren’t obvious

and neither are its flaws. The film, which has a 50% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes,

is polarizing with critics who found Caine’s flat affect confusing,

despite its importance to the narrative framework Of the critics who did “get it”,

Roger Ebert provides the best analysis of Caine’s nuanced performance.

 

 

 

 

Tout semble réussir à Graham, cadre d'une importante agence de publicité new-yorkaise et pourtant sa vie va basculer . Sa femme lui devient insupportable, il croule sous les factures et une promotion attendue depuis des années lui échappe au profit d'un jeune loup aux dents longues.

 

Dans le métro, il repousse un clochard qui accidentellement tombe sous une rame. D'abord horrifié, Graham s'enfuit. Mais nullement inquiété par la police, il envisage d'avoir recours à de semblables «accidents» pour donner un sérieux coup de pouce à sa promotion sociale

 

Michael Caine as Graham Marshall

Elizabeth McGovern as Stella Anderson

Peter Riegert as Robert Benham

Swoosie Kurtz as Leslie Marshall

 

Directed byJan Egleson

Produced byPatrick McCormick

Written byAndrew Klavan

Photographed byPaul Goldsmith

Edited byPeter C. Frank -William A. Anderson

Music byGary Chang

Comedy, Drama, Thriller

Rated R

91 minutes

 

Caine is a splendid movie actor, a consummate professional who is fun to watch in any film, because there is always a layer of irony and fun right there below the surface. That makes him especially entertaining as a villain; his charm makes his sins seem permissible, or at least understandable. He rarely plays villains we hate.

 

More often, we want him to get away with his sins. Since the sins he commits in “A Shock to the System” are wicked ones, that sets up a nice tension inside the movie. We see things from his point of view, we are invited to identify with him and yet when the Connecticut detective comes calling, we think it’s about time.

Ebert is bang on in his assessment of why I found the film so darn enjoyable. Much like his American cohort Gene Hackman,Caine’s screen persona is littered with lovable scamps(Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)affable cads (Alfie) and noble douchebags (Get Carter). It is Caine’s ability to encourage audiences to identify with even his most deplorable character, which proves the most satisfying aspect of A Shock to the System.

 

The titular “shock to the system” awakens Graham Marshall’s sleeping dog who then spends the rest of the film looking for bones to gnaw on and then subsequently bury. Mild mannered white guys who go off the rails – I see you, Falling Down – are certainly no novelty.Heck, many of Caine’s films embody this trope.