Shock to the System: A Donald Strachey Mystery
Some secrets kill.
Some secrets kill.
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
-
2006
Available on
Country
When hard boiled private eye Donald Strachey finds his latest client dead, an apparent suicide, Albany’s favorite gay detective smells a rat and decides to take matters into his own hands. With the help of his straight-laced but adoring husband Tim and his occasionally too-eager assistant Kenny, Strachey’s investigation leads him on a dark and dangerous trail into the world of "gay conversion therapy".
Cast:
Similar
Details
Rated:
R
Runtime:
91 min
Release date:
4 Aug 2006
Country:
US, CA
Languages:
English
Budget:
$0
Revenue:
$0
Awards:
N/A
Top Critics Reviews
rotten:
While the idea would certainly seem to hold promise for interesting social commentary, the script by Ron McGee lacks the necessary bite, as does the rote direction of Ron Oliver.
– Frank Scheck,
Hollywood Reporter,
14 Aug 2006
fresh:
This is a sly, refreshingly grown-up gay entertainment, though rather less satisfying as a thriller.
– Nathan Lee,
New York Times,
4 Aug 2006
rotten:
Where film noir is often punch-drunk with a jab of snappy patter and a left hook of world-weary cynicism, Shock tries to clinch with understanding.
– Michael Ordona,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Aug 2006
rotten:
... director Ron Oliver applies a thin veneer of straight-to-cable pseudo-gloss without finding a workable tone, and the cast lacks the charisma and chemistry to make the genre and gender-bending register as more than novelty.
– Jim Ridley,
Village Voice,
2 Aug 2006
fresh:
A perfectly respectable second entry in the saga of gay private eye Donald Strachey.
– Robert Koehler,
Variety,
27 Jul 2006