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A Shock to the System

"Climbing the corporate ladder can be murder."

1990-03-23 Crime 1hr 31m

Madison Avenue executive Graham Marshall has paid his dues. A talented and devoted worker, he has suffered through mounting bills and a nagging wife with one thing to look forward to: a well-deserved promotion. But when the promotion is given to a loud-mouthed yuppie associate, Graham unleashes his rage on an overly aggressive panhandler, who he accidently kills by pushing him into the path of an oncoming subway train. He re-thinks his problems with an entirely new solution. First, he arranges an "accident" for his annoying wife. Then he creates another "mishap" for his boss. It seems like the world is once more Graham's oyster…but a missing cigarette lighter and a prying police detective may change all that.

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Storyline

Madison Avenue executive Graham Marshall has paid his dues. A talented and devoted worker, he has suffered through mounting bills and a nagging wife with one thing to look forward to: a well-deserved promotion. But when the promotion is given to a loud-mouthed yuppie associate, Graham unleashes his rage on an overly aggressive panhandler, who he accidently kills by pushing him into the path of an oncoming subway train. He re-thinks his problems with an entirely new solution. First, he arranges an "accident" for his annoying wife. Then he creates another "mishap" for his boss. It seems like the world is once more Graham's oyster…but a missing cigarette lighter and a prying police detective may change all that.

  • Released
    1990-03-23
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 31m
  • Genre
    Crime, Comedy
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    6.6
  • Production
    Brigand Films

Crew

Jan Egleson
Director
Simon Brett
Novel

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Cast

Michael Caine

Michael Caine

Graham Marshall
Elizabeth McGovern

Elizabeth McGovern

Stella Anderson
Peter Riegert

Peter Riegert

Robert Benham
Swoosie Kurtz

Swoosie Kurtz

Leslie Marshall
Will Patton

Will Patton

Lt. Laker
Jenny Wright

Jenny Wright

Melanie O'Conner
John McMartin

John McMartin

George Brewster
Haviland Morris

Haviland Morris

Tara Liston
Philip Moon

Philip Moon

Henry Park
Kent Broadhurst

Kent Broadhurst

Executive #1
Zach Grenier

Zach Grenier

Executive #2
David Schramm

David Schramm

Executive #3
Sam Schacht

Sam Schacht

David Jones
Christopher Durang

Christopher Durang

Convention Speaker
Mia Dillon

Mia Dillon

Graham's Secretary
Alice Haining

Alice Haining

Benham's Secretary
Patience Moore

Patience Moore

Wanda Maas
Scotty Bloch

Scotty Bloch

Secretary #1
Kim Staunton

Kim Staunton

Secretary #2
Alicia Hoge

Alicia Hoge

Secretary #3
Miguel Pérez

Miguel Pérez

Transit Cop
John Finn

John Finn

Motorman
Jonathan Freeman

Jonathan Freeman

Decorator in Bob's Office
Joe Zaloom

Joe Zaloom

Hot Dog Vendor
Socorro Santiago

Socorro Santiago

Rental Car Attendant / Additional Dialogue
Welker White

Welker White

Kennel Driver
Frank Ferrara

Frank Ferrara

Off Duty Cab Driver
Sheila Stainback

Sheila Stainback

News Anchor Woman
Jim Dratfield

Jim Dratfield

Additional Dialogue
Fred Ephraim

Fred Ephraim

Additional Dialogue
Garry Goodrow

Garry Goodrow

Additional Dialogue
David H. Kramer

David H. Kramer

Additional Dialogue
Angela Pietropinto

Angela Pietropinto

Additional Dialogue
Craig Sechler

Craig Sechler

Additional Dialogue
Louise Williams

Louise Williams

Additional Dialogue

Videos and Photos

A Shock to the System
A Shock to the System
A Shock to the System
A Shock to the System
A Shock to the System
A Shock to the System
A Shock to the System

Movie Reviews

Reviews for A Shock to the System
reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 9

Written by John Chard on 2014-11-15

Graham has had enough of getting the shaft… A Shock to the System is directed by Jan Egleson and adapted to screenplay by Andrew Klavan f... read more

Graham has had enough of getting the shaft… A Shock to the System is directed by Jan Egleson and adapted to screenplay by Andrew Klavan from the novel written by Simon Brett. It stars Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern, Peter Riegert, Will Patton and Swoosie Kurtz. Music is by Gary Chang and cinematography by Paul Goldsmith. Graham Marshall (Caine) is once again overlooked for promotion and once again his harpy wife (Kurtz) belittles him.Then a heated exchange at the train station results in the accidental death of a beggar, and he gets away with it, something which gives Graham some devilish thoughts, one of Satan's light bulbs ignited above his head. By his own admission Michael Caine has readily done films just to pay the bills or build a new house. His success ratio as per great films and performances to bad films and tired performances probably stacks up as 1 in 10, consider this, in this same year he made Bullseye! What we do know though, is that when he gets it right he knocks it out the park and thus makes all his bad films easy to forgive. A Shock to the System is an under valued film on his CV, a brilliantly constructed black comedy that finds Caine effortlessly shifting through the emotional gears. From beat down Milquetoast to ruthless killer with a glint in his eye, Caine plays it to perfection. There's stabs of humour along the way, Caine a natural at this of course, and he even gets a young love interest in the form of the unbelievably cute Lizzie McGovern. Interesting to note that Graham's sex life improves greatly once the killing begins! Driven by an antagonist who toys with the audiences sympathies and moral repulsions, this is a film that's deserving of greater exposure and is ripe for re-evaluation. Great film, great Caine. 9/10

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-08-26

I enjoyed this. "Graham" (Michael Caine) gets a bit narked when he is overlooked for promotion at work. When he heads home, he realises that... read more

I enjoyed this. "Graham" (Michael Caine) gets a bit narked when he is overlooked for promotion at work. When he heads home, he realises that that is just the beginning of his irritations - his wife "Leslie" (Swoosie Kurtz) nags him relentlessly! What to do? Well, his house has some dodgy electrics and whilst trying to restore the lights, he gets a mild electric shock. His "Eureka" moment is upon him - he can just eliminate those who stand in his way, or annoy the hell out of him... What now ensues is a short series of cleverly thought out, well, "accidents" that enable him to rid himself of his wife and to occupy that all important corner office at work. Can he get away with it? The thing about Caine's performance here is that it engenders sympathy. You feel for the man - and I was certainly egging him on as his shenanigans start to attract the attentions of others - not least the insurance company inspector who is looking at their domestic wiring. Not even 90 minutes long, this flies by - good efforts from Caine, the usually rather bland Elizabeth McGovern, Kurtz and Peter Riegert as the smarmy, corporate man who stole his chair in the first place. Not laugh a minute, no - but it does raise a smile and make you wonder just how far you might go, if opportunity presented itself.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by John Chard

Graham has had enough of getting the shaft… A Shock to the System is directed by Jan Egleson and adapted to screenplay by Andrew Klavan from the novel written by Simon Brett. It stars Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern, Peter Riegert, Wil...

reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 9

Written by John Chard on 2014-11-15

Graham has had enough of getting the shaft… A Shock to the System is directed by Jan Egleson and adapted to screenplay by Andrew Klavan from the novel written by Simon Brett. It stars Michael Caine...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-08-26

I enjoyed this. "Graham" (Michael Caine) gets a bit narked when he is overlooked for promotion at work. When he heads home, he realises that that is just the beginning of his irritations - his wife "L...

read more