Mord mit System (1990)

Mord mit System: Directed by Jan Egleson. With Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern, Peter Riegert, Swoosie Kurtz. When electrocuted by the fuse box at home, Graham gets ideas concerning his nagging wife and the guy, who got Graham’s promotion at the office.

“Who says Michael Caine is a so-so actor? He plays the perfect combination of a truly nice guy ground down by his shrewish wife, his slimy peer-then-boss, and corporate life, in general. Movies like this give us corporate slaves a little relief from the utter amoral depravity of the u0026#39;civilizedu0026#39; world we inhabit in these rabbit warrens, otherwise known as u0026#39;Cubical Hellu0026#39;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis man makes you completely sympathize with every one of his murders, all nicely planned to look like accidents. In fact, I am amazed that some lawyer hasnu0026#39;t pulled the u0026#39;Shock to the Systemu0026#39; defense. Certainly, it has as much attraction for the frustrated as the films usually blamed. Itu0026#39;s just more subtle, more high-brow and takes a little more finesse.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe detective is wonderfully nosy, but how he can walk up to Caine in the middle of New York City is quite amazing to me. A little too much dramatic license, too much coincidence to be believable but you tend to forget your logical approach to life. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eReality is easily suspended as Caine gets in his licks for all the humuliations we nice people have suffered in the corporate world, where the rapacious are rewarded by CEO salaries. The laughs are fast and furious, all delivered in that great understated British fashion.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003enMr. Downtrodden gets his licks in and when the new boss talks about his Cessna, youu0026#39;ve already fixed the engine. There are traces of u0026#39;The Ruling Classu0026#39; in here, as Mr. Nice Guy becomes king of the mountain by firing everyone u0026#39;who is not a contributoru0026#39;, thus ingratiating himself with Mr. Cessna. McGovern gives her Basset hound, soulful looks all through the film, and you feel her conflict about turning this wonderful guy in. She is promoted out and away, and all is well, which is usual for corporate shenanigans. They just usually donu0026#39;t involve murder.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBuy it and love it. Forget the professional reviewers for once on this. Itu0026#39;s not meant to be u0026#39;Hamletu0026#39;.”