Review of Shopping (1994) by Ola G — 08 Aug 2015

When the bored adolescent and adrenalin junkie Billy McKenzie (Jude Law) gets released from prison for joyriding and ram-raiding, his rival and petty criminal Tommy (Sean Pertwee) has taken over the streets of the gritty post-industrial city they live in. Billy hooks up with his usual partner in crime and platonic girlfriend, Jo (Sadie Frost) and they get back to joyriding and ram-raiding as soon as they can. They´re not in it for the money, but to entertain and support themselves with worldly things. A fight for power commences as Billy starts hitting shops before Tommy had planned to. Jo wants Billy to change his lifestyle and move away, instead of fighting Tommy, a fight which will hurt them both in the end. He agrees, but he wants to take on a big shopping mall on a final hit. Something that has never been done before, which will make him a hero among the other joyriders. A plan that ultimately has tragic consequences...

Paul W.S. Anderson gained a fair bit of notoriety in his native England when he directed "Shopping" (1994) (which he also wrote). The film was banned in some cinemas in England, and became a direct-to-video slightly edited release in the United States. The anarchic and slightly nihilistic view of the main characters makes them hardly likeable as they do as they please in their own little world within the society. Jude Law´s Billy just wants to be someone and by doing greater and greater hits he can become king in this group of joyriders. Jo is more balanced and knows that their kicks will eventually hurt them, but yet she continues with the joyriding and ram-raiding. The kicks and the fuck you to society attitude is her petrol. But, to me there´s important layers in "Shopping" pointing out the problem with the youth for not being able to become part of society. They can´t get a job, they are on a collision course with parents, the search for kicks, the lost faith in themselves, the lost faith in society etc. The same issues we continue to have and we seem to struggle to solve these global problems. Something we truly need to take care of. I don´t think that "Shopping" is glamourising joyriding and ram-raiding as the consequences are quite clear in the film and I reckon that was hardly the main point from Paul W.S. Anderson. "Shopping" has something unique that makes it stand out. The plot line, the pulsating soundtrack (excellent theme song from The Sabres of Paradise), the visual elements and the great cast in Jude Law, Sadie Frost (lovely actress), Sean Pertwee, Jonathan Pryce and Sean Bean. Yes, it´s not spot on acting wise or direction wise all they way through. But, the unbalanced indie feeling of it only enhances the film and fits the film as well in my mind. I enjoyed re-seeing this one.