Shopping

This movie is an interesting debut from Paul (WS) Anderson. Dark sets and cool visuals teamed with techno music really get you going. You can see the visual style from the director Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil.

Speaking of MK, that Orbital song is used in this movie too.

I think this is the first film were Jude Law actually looks prettier than his female co-star.

This movie is really lacking a point. What kind of story were they trying to tell? Was there even a purpose or message to this all?

Paul W.S. Anderson always has sort of been the king of mediocre movies. I have yet to see a Paul W.S. Anderson movie that is above the level of average. Not that his movies are horrible either, some of them are quite enjoyable but they just fail to make an impact in any way.

All that this story is about are a bunch of rebellious teens being lazy and act as if the police are the biggest scum and villains on the Earth, while they are the ones breaking about ever law and causing mayhem, by stealing and wrecking stuff. It could had been a good or at least interesting story if it tried to make a statement about anything but the movie never does. At least I didn't get anything out of the story at all.

It also doesn't exactly make any of the characters likable or compelling ones to watch and follow throughout this movie, despite that they are being played by some big name actors. Not that they were being big at the time yet. The movie features a still very young Jude Law and Sadie Frost and a supporting cast that among other consist out of Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce and Jason Isaacs. Most of the characters however also make a pretty redundant impression. It tries to be a simple movie with a simple story but yet in throws in all these many pointless characters.

It's not the worst movie you'll ever see but it's such a pointless and redundant movie to watch that there is no reason why you really should ever watch it in the first place.

5/10

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Brilliant if slightly flawed - one for the gutter kids of the 90s.

I didn't think I'd like this film after all these years. Boy was I wrong! Billy is actually much more sympathetic than his role suggests, compared to the criminals of today anyway. He's a loser adrenalin junkie, true, but there's something pure, almost artistic about his love of the chase and addiction to capturing and destroying high powered automobiles.

He doesn't attack people and he isn't in it to make money - he just loves shopping! By which I mean ram-raiding high class shopping malls and stealing odd bits of crap. Billy isn't antisocial, he loves his father (who has given up on him) and has a great platonic love for his girl, whom he doesn't shag but prefers to stay best friends with. All in all, a very sympathetic character that just couldn't exist today. Bit silly, but then I think you had to be around in the 90s to really appreciate what this film's about - there was that time when nobody had any money and car thieves had the edge on the cops, and all their crimes only involved cars and shops anyway, and who cares about some stupid machine? It reminds me a lot of "Crash" - the JG Ballard novel and the late-nineties film - in that it has that Ballardian acknowlegement that we all secretly want the bomb to drop, we want the bad guy to win, and that's what's so great about Shopping. Considering that he's a posh kid Jude Law's performance is stellar.

So if you like the 80s and 90s, like the "industrial" asthetic, love to see cars destroyed, hate (or have hated) authority, watch this film. It's the cools.

For kicks, young and beautiful Jude Law (as Billy) and disaffected tough Sadie Frost (as Jo) steal cars, drive them into stores, and trash the places. They call it "Shopping". A rivalry develops between the two joy-riders and smarmy Sean Pertwee (as Tommy), who is the best store thrasher in the English neighborhood. Director Paul Anderson's star displays only a fraction of his later acting success; surprisingly, most of the spark occurs between Ms. Frost and Mr. Pertwee. "Shopping" seems meant to be compared with "A Clockwork Orange" - a certain musical interlude drives that point home - but, neither Mr. Law nor the film approach Malcolm McDowell or Stanley Kubrick. Not that it doesn't have style, mind you. And, Jonathan Pryce, Sean Bean, and Marianne Faithful help make the trip. Anderson should have ended with Law being thrown from the car into a bloody display with the store mannequin; instead, he blinked...

***** Shopping (6/24/94) Paul W.S. Anderson ~ Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Sean Pertwee

A low-budget crime film! This movie marks the first major leading role for actor Jude Law as Billy, who surprisingly just got off jail and with his girlfriend Jo (Sadie Frost), are getting ready for new adventures. Steal cars and ram-raid them into shop windows,However, as time passes, the rush fades with Jo wanting out of their hectic lifestyle. With newcomer Tommy (sean Pertwee) on the scene, Billy is pushed into taking on ever riskier targets which could spell the end of all. The story, about Billy's seething self-hate and unwillingness to love and be loved. This movie has something unique that makes it stand out. The plot line, the pulsating soundtrack ,and the good cast in Jude Law, Sadie Frost ,Sean Pertwee, Jonathan Pryce and Sean Bean. Jude law was a good actor and is easy to identify as a rising star.sadie frost is such a babe but can't act. Shopping is the one movie which directs by Paul Andersons,if you are interested,then check it out.