I just re-watched A Shock to the System , a 1990 film featuring Michael Caine, Peter Riegert, Swoosie Kurtz, Will Patton,and Elizabeth McGovern.

The movie tells the story of a somewhat decent midlevel ad exec named Graham Marshall (Caine) who is in debt, not quite where he wants to be in his career and trapped in a sexless and loveless marriage with a nagging wife (Kurtz). His only daily release is a mild flirtation with an office assistant (McGovern) who really seems to feel sorry for him more than she's attracted to him.

Nevertheless he's grinning and bearing it because as he sees it he's up for promotion to office head , which will not only tremendously increase his salary but stop his wife from nagging him and allow him to run the office in a more humane way.

Of course he doesn't get the promotion. The job goes to Bob Benham (Riegert), an obnoxious and soulless yuppie half Graham's age who finds all sorts of sneaky and blatant ways to embarrass and humiliate Graham. Benham speaks and dresses in the stereotypical power style of a Gordon Gekko. He's young, in shape and with a hot wife. The powers that be didn't think Graham had the fire in the belly or was tough enough to lead. Quite sarcastically Graham's wife "forgives him for failing".

And then the movie takes a very morbidly humorous turn.

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Dejectedly returning home one night Graham finds himself in a position where quite by accident he pushes an aggressive panhandler into the path of an oncoming train, killing him. No one sees him do this.

After this shock to the system it's literally game on for Graham as he is more than energized to deal with all threats to his career or his self-worth in quite decisive terms. His self-confidence goes through the roof. The Will Patton character asks Graham about someone at his workplace, saying "Now he was your superior, is that right?" And Caine coolly responds "No. He was my boss."


The movie is fun because no matter how outrageous the events become Graham has a plan to deal with them and will no longer back down from anyone. It's a funny and effective satire of 80's consumerist culture and business practices.

"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."
Winter is Coming

Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.