A Shock to the System (1990 film)
| A Shock to the System | |
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| 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 |
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Release date
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Running time
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91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3,417,056 |
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.
Family man Graham Marshall, a long-time executive in a large advertising company, is unexpectedly passed over for promotion. Marshall himself can live with it, but his nagging 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. It goes unnoticed, 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 violent deaths. This includes his wife, whom he eventually electrocutes, and his young rival at the office, Bob Benham.
Marshall becomes much better acquainted with an office colleague, Stella Anderson and narrowly averts being caught even after it is clear that Stella has figured out his complicity and has the evidence to destroy him. However, by keeping his cool he is able through a newfound ability to cajole and intimidate, to recover the evidence before the police. When none of the murders is linked to him, Graham feels vindicated in his belief that murder is a justifiable way to get what he wants in life. He passes the point of no return and embraces his method to climb higher up the corporate ladder.
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