Business oblige

Little-noticed on release and little-seen thereafter, the annoying thing is that this has to rate as one of Caine's better films; yet trying to find a copy of/transmission of it (at least in the UK) can be quite difficult.

Caine's portrayal of the central character, Graham Marshall, an advertising executive sidelined and humiliated during a corporate restructuring, is deliciously wicked (even down to his devilish facial expressions), both in its comedy and thriller components. Elizabeth McGovern, playing the role of Stella, Marshall's PA, is sweetly convincing as the innocent dupe in Marshall's subsequent plotting.

Part of the (admittedly dark) fun with this film is that, thanks to the monumental unpleasantness of the characters which Marshall comes up against, you really want him to do terrible things and to get away with them. Enjoy!!

Who says Michael Caine is a so-so actor? He plays the perfect combination of a truly nice guy ground down by his shrewish wife, his slimy peer-then-boss, and corporate life, in general. Movies like this give us corporate slaves a little relief from the utter amoral depravity of the 'civilized' world we inhabit in these rabbit warrens, otherwise known as 'Cubical Hell'.

This man makes you completely sympathize with every one of his murders, all nicely planned to look like accidents. In fact, I am amazed that some lawyer hasn't pulled the 'Shock to the System' defense. Certainly, it has as much attraction for the frustrated as the films usually blamed. It's just more subtle, more high-brow and takes a little more finesse.

The detective is wonderfully nosy, but how he can walk up to Caine in the middle of New York City is quite amazing to me. A little too much dramatic license, too much coincidence to be believable but you tend to forget your logical approach to life.

Reality is easily suspended as Caine gets in his licks for all the humuliations we nice people have suffered in the corporate world, where the rapacious are rewarded by CEO salaries. The laughs are fast and furious, all delivered in that great understated British fashion.

Mr. Downtrodden gets his licks in and when the new boss talks about his Cessna, you've already fixed the engine. There are traces of 'The Ruling Class' in here, as Mr. Nice Guy becomes king of the mountain by firing everyone 'who is not a contributor', thus ingratiating himself with Mr. Cessna. McGovern gives her Basset hound, soulful looks all through the film, and you feel her conflict about turning this wonderful guy in. She is promoted out and away, and all is well, which is usual for corporate shenanigans. They just usually don't involve murder.

Buy it and love it. Forget the professional reviewers for once on this. It's not meant to be 'Hamlet'.

Watch this gem along with KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS. This is the kind of film which nourishes a starving mind. It never makes me laugh, rather the way that Python did not, when I watched them debut in the 70s here: I just sat there, mouth agape, at the intelligence.

My review was written in March 1990 after watching the film at a Manhattan screening room.

"A Shock to the System" is a very dark comedy about escaping the current rat race via murder. Unsympathetic, poorly motivated central character and flat direction nullify Michael Caine's reliable thesping, spelling tepid box office for fledgling distributor Corsair's first release since "Miss Firecracker" a year ago.

Caine is cast as a Britisher working for a New York firm who's passed over for the post of marketing department head when John McMartin (in an affecting performance) is forced to take early retirement. Upstart Peter Riegert (way too sympathetic for the role) gets the job instead and starts throwing his weight around.

Caine is also fed up with his wife Swoosie Kurtz' habits, but Andrew Klavan's script (based on Simon Brett's novel) fails to motivate Caine's sudden turn to cold-blooded monster.

After doing away with Kurtz by rigging faulty electric wiring in the basement, he blows up Riegert (and obnoxious assistant Philip Moon) on his sailboat. Plodding Connecticut cop Will Patton discovers plenty of clues (a cigarette lighter lost by Caine is given inordinate screen time in a vain attempt to drum up suspense), but inexplicably is unable to nail the obviously guilty antihero.

Film's easy targets allow an undemanding audience to vicariously enjoy killing one's boss or nagging spouse, but events are unbelievable and thereby uninvolving. A key early scene of7 a beggar seemingly killed in the subway by Caine is clumsily staged and confusingly resolved. Jan Eagleson's direction slos to a snail's pace during the middle reels and lacks the style of the classics in the genre: "Monsieur Verdoux" by Charles Chaplin and "Kind Hearts and Coronets" by Robert Hamer.

Despite script deficiencies, Caine almost pulls it off with a nasty turn (replete with James Cagney-isms) reminiscent of his early '70s "Get Carter" persona. His third-person voice-over narration further distances the already cold action, acting in an opposite manner to his "Alfie" intimate asides. Elizabeth McGoven is effective as his romantic interest, with Jenny Wright appealing in an underwritten role as her roommate.

Paul Goldsmith's lensing of New York locations is functional and the pic is punched up considerably by the catchy use of amplified acoustic bass in Gary Chang's scoe.

Graham Marshall (Michael Caine) already celebrates his anxiously awaited promotion in an advertising company, when he learns that Roger Benham (Peter Riegert), one of his subordinates, will be promoted instead of him. Frustrated that his hated life will never change, he starts a cunning ploy to take bloody revenge on everyone who humiliated him -- starting with his unnerving wife.

I think if you had anyone but Michael Caine in the starring role and this film would have failed. The story is very good, but seems hollow or flat for much of the film. Caine just commands any scene he is in, so what could have been a lackluster film becomes something better. Probably nothing great, but at least a good show of his talents.

The only other person who seems to try is Elizabeth McGovern. Peter Riegert is alright, but his character is not deep enough to allow him much range.