Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Shock to the System is the second film in the Donald Strachey mystery series and is based on the book of the same name by Richard Stevenson.
Gay private detective Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) meets Paul Hale (Jared Keeso) on a deserted street. Paul pays him a retainer to find somebody, but before he can say who, they’re interrupted by a speeding car. Both men jump out of harm’s way, and Paul runs off.
The following evening Donald is at a political event with his boyfriend, Timmy Callahan (Sebastian Spence), when he gets a call from the police telling him that Paul has been found dead. Donald leaves the event to investigate.
When Donald arrives at the scene of the crime, Paul’s mother, Phyllis (Morgan Fairchild), is there along with Detective Bailey (Daryl Shuttleworth). Bailey asks Donald why Paul had his card on him, and if he was a client or a boyfriend. Phyllis quickly chimes in that her son was not gay and that he’d been cured by Dr. Cornell (Michael Woods) from the Phoenix Foundation, a conversion therapy group.
Bailey and Donald go to Paul’s bedroom, where he tells Donald that Paul’s death has been ruled a suicide due to a bottle of Xanax found near the body and a suicide note. But Donald doesn’t believe it and decides to investigate.
Some Thoughts:
Shock to the System is the type of movie that works best when you have low expectations. This is obvious from the opening scene, where Strachey meets with Paul in the middle of a dark, deserted street. The writers try to reason it away, saying that they meet there because Paul refuses to do it in the open. So, when a car comes barreling towards them, nobody is surprised.
The rest of the movie plays out as a well-made network television movie. It also has the production values of something made for the small screen. Director Ron Oliver gives it a bit of a 1950s noir look and feel, which works well with the plot. There are also some slightly comic moments that help keep things light.
For a mystery to work, everything needs to stay in motion and there must be enough possible suspects to occupy the viewer, which this movie has. And if you pay attention, you can figure it out because all the clues are there. There’s never a dull moment, and the characters are developed enough to make you care about them.
Although this is the second movie in the Donald Strachey mystery series–I didn’t see the first–it works well as a stand-alone. Also, I enjoyed it enough to want to see another.
The Final Verdict:
Shock to the System is a sweet mystery with a cast of likeable characters and situations that aren’t entirely plausible. However, it’s still a good time if you’re looking for a light whodunit.
