Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘Shock to the System’?

Shock to the System (2006)

tomatometer

40

Average Rating: 4.5/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 3

No consensus yet.

audience

33

liked it
Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 15,260

My Rating

Movie Info

The traditional crime thriller gets a modern twist with this sequel to Third Man Out following the further adventures of gay detective Donald Strachey (Chad Allen). Hard boiled private investigator Donald Strachey has just found the lifeless body of his latest client, and now in order to catch the killer he'll be forced to rely on his straight-laced husband Tim and overenthusiastic assistant Kenny. As the investigation leads Strachey straight into Dr. Trevor Cornell's dark world of "conversion

R, 1 hr. 31 min.

Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Gay & Lesbian

Feb 13, 2007

Regent Releasing

Cast

All Critics (8) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (4)

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.

August 14, 2006 Comment
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic IconTop Critic

This is a sly, refreshingly grown-up gay entertainment, though rather less satisfying as a thriller.

August 4, 2006 Comment
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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.

August 3, 2006 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | Comment
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

... 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.

August 2, 2006 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comment
Village Voice
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A perfectly respectable second entry in the saga of gay private eye Donald Strachey.

July 27, 2006 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's certainly a pleasant enough way to kill 90 minutes.

August 5, 2006 Comment
Reel.com

Were it not for the fact that the hero and many of the major supporting characters are gay... this breezy, disposable film could as easily have been a mainstream network pilot for a McMillan and Wife-style series.

August 4, 2006 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Pity there was no room for Phyllis Diller or Carol Channing here, because then the film might have had a leg up on Scooby-Doo and the Creepy Castle.

July 16, 2006 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | Comment
Slant Magazine
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Shock to the System

This does not have a lot of "viewers". Sad. It's a very good story very well done and has dozens of things going for it. Insights into being gay? a handfull ! And the detective and his lover are NOT from any broken mountain.

January 6, 2008
gms1yygy
Glen Shrope

**1/2 (out of four) Not bad, but an unsatisfactory ending hampers a film that attempts to raise some interesting questions, but then drops them for plot melodrama. Chad Allen plays an openly gay private detective who is hired by a scared young man just a day before he is murdered. The P.I.'s investigation leads back

July 21, 2009
Zeppo1
Steve Smith

Shock to the System Quotes

No quotes approved yet for Shock to the System. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Latest News for Shock to the System

What's Hot On RT

Critics Consensus
Critics Consensus

Journey 2 Not Worth the Trip

Luis Guzman
Luis Guzman

What are his 10 best movies ever?

<em>Amazing Spider-Man</em>
Amazing Spider-Man

See the all-new action-packed trailer!

The Avengers!
The Avengers!

Five new Marvelous pictures

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 18,571 taken
created 12 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 44,464 taken
created 15 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 27,165 taken
created 15 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 27,659 taken
created 15 months ago
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Blog | Developers | Mobile