Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- sardonic
- paranoid
- late night thriller viewing
- dark comedy marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an intriguing dark comedy about cutthroat corporate life, elevated by Michael Caine's layered performance despite some plot holes.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Graham's pursuit of the corner office turns workplace frustration and corporate hierarchy into bleakly comic material.
After being denied promotion, Graham deliberately removes people who obstruct his professional rise.
The film makes Graham's success increasingly absorbing despite his transformation into an egocentric murderer.
The advertising agency and corporate ladder frame Graham's resentment within late-century New York business culture.
Films like A Shock to the System, and why
Swimming with Sharks
darkly comic corporate crime, moral inversion, and an increasingly ruthless professional protagonist
The King of Comedy
black comedy built around an unlikable killer whose schemes expose social and professional hypocrisy
Wall Street
corporate ambition, cynical manipulation, and morally compromised success in an urban professional world
Falling Down
stylized crime satire centered on an ordinary person using calculated violence to overturn humiliation
Movie Details
- Director
- Jan Egleson
- Release Date
- 1990-03-23
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (154)
Cast
- Michael Caine
- Elizabeth McGovern
- Peter Riegert
- Swoosie Kurtz
- Will Patton
- Jenny Wright
- John McMartin
- Barbara Baxley
- Haviland Morris
- Philip Moon
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Shock to the System about?
- A humiliated Madison Avenue executive turns workplace resentment into a darkly comic campaign of calculated murder.
- What is A Shock to the System like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Shock to the System as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is A Shock to the System violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A Shock to the System as moderate.
- What did critics think of A Shock to the System?
- Critics broadly found the film an intriguing dark comedy about cutthroat corporate life, elevated by Michael Caine's layered performance despite some plot holes.
- Which films are like A Shock to the System?
- Films with a similar feel include Swimming with Sharks, The King of Comedy, Wall Street, and Falling Down.
- How long is A Shock to the System?
- A Shock to the System runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Shock to the System?
- In United States, A Shock to the System streams on Philo, Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
