Story of movie A Shock To The System 1990 Film : A Shock to the System is a 1990 American dark comedy crime thriller film directed by Jan Egleson and starring Michael Caine, Swoosie Kurtz, Elizabeth McGovern, and Peter Riegert. It is based on the 1984 novel A Shock to the System by British author Simon Brett.
| A Shock to the System | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jan Egleson |
| Produced by | Patrick McCormick |
| Written by | Andrew Klavan |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Gary Chang |
| Cinematography | Paul Goldsmith |
| Edited by | William M. Anderson Peter C. Frank |
| Distributed by | Corsair Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3,417,056 |
Screenplay
Family man Graham Marshall, a long-time executive in a large advertising company, is unexpectedly passed over for promotion. Marshall is angry and disappointed. His wife, Leslie, is devastated and continually reproaches her husband for his apparent lack of ambition and willpower.
An unfortunate accident occurs in the subway, caused by Marshall, in which a panhandler is killed. Marshall is able to leave unobserved, which gives him a whole new set of ideas as far as his future life is concerned.
Deciding to take revenge on the people who have caused him problems in his life, Marshall starts meticulously planning their deaths. This includes his wife, whom he electrocutes, and his young rival at the office, Bob Benham, who received the promotion that Marshall believed was his.
Marshall becomes much better acquainted with an office colleague, Stella Henderson and narrowly averts being caught even after it is clear that Stella has figured out his guilt and has the evidence to denounce him. However, by keeping his cool, he is able through a newfound ability to cajole and intimidate to recover the evidence before the police do. When none of the murders is linked to him, Graham feels vindicated in his belief that murder is an effective way to get what he wants in life and embraces his method to climb higher up the corporate ladder.
The movie plot differs from the novel in its ending. In the novel, the protagonist is caught but, ironically, not for the murder he had committed.
- Michael Caine as Graham Marshall
- Elizabeth McGovern as Stella Henderson
- Peter Riegert as Bob Benham
- Swoosie Kurtz as Leslie Marshall
- Will Patton as Lt. Laker
- John McMartin as George Brewster
- Jenny Wright as Melanie O'Conner
- Philip Moon as Henry Park
- Barbara Baxley as Lillian
- Haviland Morris as Tara Liston
- Samuel L. Jackson as Ulysses
- Helen Zahavi's novel Dirty Weekend (1991) for a story with a similar subject matter.
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