69
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanThe movie is juicy fun, a high comedy about the personality of power.
- 100Orlando SentinelJay BoyarOrlando SentinelJay BoyarA Shock to the System, a dark comedy with the structure of a thriller, is delightfully hard-edged. [23 Apr 1990, p.C1]
- 90The Globe and Mail (Toronto)The Globe and Mail (Toronto)A Shock to the System is a beautiful, subtle satire of corporate America, providing a fresh slant on the visceral nastiness hovering beneath the glossy surface. The tension in the film is superb, swelling and receding with just the right degrees of intensity and the plot has enough unanticipated twists to provide thrills right until the end. [13 Oct 1990]
- 80Los Angeles TimesPeter RainerLos Angeles TimesPeter RainerWhat’s remarkable is that you come away from the movie laughing at Graham’s murderous indiscretions and yet you’re frightened by them too. Caine makes you taste the ashes in this black comedy.
- 80Time OutTime OutSeldom have Caine's cobra eyes been used to better effect; it's a chilling tale, cleanly directed.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertA Shock to the System confounds our expectations and keeps us intrigued, because there's no way to know, not even in the very last moments, exactly which way the plot is going to fall.
- 75Boston GlobeJay CarrBoston GlobeJay CarrWhen a tone is sustained as confidently and with as many delicious flourishes as A Shock to the System manages, and the screen is filled with characterful performances, it's a sign the director is doing something right. [23 Mar 1990, p.46p]
- 70Washington PostRita KempleyWashington PostRita KempleyAn amusing debut for both the writer and director, who benefit from Caine's tongue and cheeky turn as the unbuttoned-down Graham.
- 50The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyAndrew Klavan's screenplay, adapted from a novel by Simon Brett, comes up with funny lines now and then, but it never has any clear idea whether it is a black comedy, a satire or maybe even a psychological study of a serial killer.
- 40Tampa Bay TimesTampa Bay TimesLet's face it: Caine could do a lambada movie and it'd be worth seeing. His work in the new suspense thriller A Shock to the System carries us past the movie's bad direction and muddled script. [24 Mar 1990, p.2D]