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Shopping (1993)

Director: Paul WS Anderson

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2 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Poised precariously between raw, 'realist' social comment and neon-lit, American-influenced genre-riffing, Anderson's directorial debut is praiseworthy for its high-octane, unsentimental look at the contemporary phenomena of joyriding and ram-raiding. Billy (Law, photogenic but expressively limited) is a 19-year-old nihilist who finally cares only for the speedy glee of stealing a car - usually in company with Jo (Frost), a feisty but marginally more cautious Irish girl in her early 20s - racing down empty streets with cops in pursuit, and crashing through any suitable shopfront that presents itself. The film is impressively energetic and for the most part appropriately amoral, although motivation rarely rises above 'There must be more than this' or 'I want to be somebody' variety.

Author: GA

Time Out Film Guide


User reviews of this film

  • Superoir thinking demonst said...
    Posted on Nov 09 2011 02:46 Superoir thinking demonstrated above. Thanks!
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  • Tom said...
    Posted on Aug 30 2010 02:02 Angsty, anarchistic amoral teens steal cars and wreak havoc. As an action pic it is strictly for genre aficionados, as social commentary it's pretty thin, and as entertainment it is fairly boring. Trainspotting or Clockwork Orange, this is not. The gang scenes and lighting owe something to Escape From New York, which has a lot more to offer.
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