Shopping (1996)

Pretty boy Billy (Jude Law) is an amoral rebel without a cause. His anarchic response to a bleak London existence is to steal cars and drive them through shop windows: "crash and carry," as one fellow "shopper" terms it. But he and his tough, video-game obsessed gal-pal Jo (Sadie Frost) are no Bonnie and Clyde. Their shopping trips are merely a pretext for the adrenaline rush of destruction and the thrill of playing high-speed tag with the cops, a game that starts to wear thin on Jo. "Why don't you grow up, eh?" she finally asks. "And do what?" he helplessly replies.

The feature debut of Brit stylist Paul Anderson (Event Horizon) is a sleek film of misty alleys, blue-lit underground garages, and slick city streets. It's a dystopian London of the near future through the lens of Blade Runner driven almost single-handedly by Law's reckless charm and wild energy. It's hard to tell if the film is about the nihilism of sensation-hunting lost youth or simply a sensational melodrama of aimless rebellion, but there's nonetheless something irresponsibly appealing in Billy's anti-establishment rampage. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

A tasty tonic compared to the dearth of Hollywood tripe

This film understands something that 99% of Hollywood films dont. Its the journey not the destination that matters. Most films are like inanimate objects these days, skeletal building frames carefully joined together to get to the pre-determined and cliched ending. Boring. Most Hollywood movies make me want to shoot myself in the head they're so trite.
If you breathe life into the characters, setting, and film itself you dont need a destination, you dont need black and white. Everything speaks for itself.
Thats why theres so much hostility towards this film, it doesnt fit in a box.
The hero is an immoral thief, yet his humanity shines through and you cant help but like him. This film is reminscent of Menace II Society in the way you excuse the criminals to some degree for their crimes.
I deduct a point because the film is a bit glossy and the characters sexed up a bit for the screen.
Great film for those who dont need to be spoonfed. July 30, 2007

Good but not great...

This film about big city boredom could have been written about any young people in any industrialized nation in the world. Jude Law plays an angst ridden young man, recently out of jail, dogged by bad decisions, an embarrassment to his family, who chooses the thrill of stealing cars and crashing them into shopping malls to "shop" as a way to add a missing something to his life. He's at odds with a gang of vicious thugs that are bent on his destruction. The film is well done for the most part, but it feels like there's something missing - some critical piece just around the corner, hovering just out of sight - that will make it all come together. Jude Law does well, but even then it's only good, not great. December 16, 2006

This version is cut up!

This is actually the edited version of Shopping. I taped an uncut version off of a network here in Canada called Show Case that runs unknown smaller films like this. I also own this DVD and thats how I know this DVD is edited. My taped movies run time is about 1 hour and 42 minutes (102 min). This DVD is only 89 minutes. The uncut version is a bit better as a couple of key scenes were left out of this DVD. December 13, 2005

Brilliant

This was an amazing piece of cinema. Soundtrack, acting, and cinematography was wonderful. It is a bit dated now, but otherwise well done. It never tries to justify what these people do and how they live, but merely make us understand why they do it, and maybe have some sympathy as well. They treat life like ride and they have to face the consequences: it shows we eventually have to take responsibility for our actions, no matter how fast we run (or drive) away from them.
Sean Pertwee's performance as a drug-addicted, crime tycoon was especially good. He had a constant flow of energy just under the surface, making him seem unpredictable and dangerous, which he is. October 25, 2005

STUPID, STUPID MOVIE!

What a waste of time. I feel like the producers owe me 90 minutes of my life which I'll never get back.

You read the back cover about guys "shopping" that is, crashing cars into stores and stealing. Sounds interesting, right?

IT NEVER HAPPENS IN THE MOVIE.

There is one scene where the main characters crash into a huge department store and one takes a teapot, the other a tshirt.

WOW! THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING.

Cult hit? Cult crap.

Don't buy this, don't even rent it.

It's horribly edited, obviously pieces are missing from the story.

Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) is listed as one of the actors. He has about a 2 minute role.

Save your money and your time. The ad copy only serves to trick people into buying. June 23, 2005

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