69%User score 69 percent
Phone Booth
2003 · Thriller · Crime
User Score
149 votes
Climbing the corporate ladder can be murder.
When experienced advertising executive Graham Marshall loses out on a promotion to a young man, he goes down in a path of vengeance.
Recommendations based on this film
John Chard
November 15, 2014
Graham has had enough of getting the shaft… A Shock to the System is directed by Jan Egleson and adapted to screenplay by Andrew Klavan from the novel written by Simon Brett. It stars Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern, Peter Riegert, Will Patton and Swoosie Kurtz. Music is by Gary Chang and cinematography by Paul Goldsmith. Graham Marshall (Caine) is once again overlooked for promotion and once again his harpy wife (…
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CinemaSerf
August 26, 2023
I enjoyed this. "Graham" (Michael Caine) gets a bit narked when he is overlooked for promotion at work. When he heads home, he realises that that is just the beginning of his irritations - his wife "Leslie" (Swoosie Kurtz) nags him relentlessly! What to do? Well, his house has some dodgy electrics and whilst trying to restore the lights, he gets a mild electric shock. His "Eureka" moment is upon him - he can just eli…
Read the full review on TMDBkevin2019
March 2, 2026
"A Shock to the System" is one of those films where you eventually find yourself rooting for the character - in this case Graham Marshall - who would ordinarily be considered the bad guy, especially in light of the fact he proceeds to murder all the key figures in his life who have gradually become obstacles frustrating his efforts at every turn to achieve his full professional potential. This excellent film has been…
Read the full review on TMDBReviews are written by the TMDB community, not by A Shock to the System's publisher.
