Where to watch A Shock to the System (1990) tonight

A Shock to the System (1990) runs 1 h 31 min, is rated R in the US and averages 6.5 from 155 TMDB members. When experienced advertising executive Graham Marshall loses out on a promotion to a young man, he goes down in a path of vengeance.

Runtime

1 h 31 min — ends 9:31 pm if you start at 8:00 pm

Rated

R (US)

Genres

Crime, Comedy

Released

March 23, 1990

TMDB rating

6.5 / 10 from 155 votes

Director

Jan Egleson

Starring

Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern, Peter Riegert, Swoosie Kurtz

Language

English

Where to watch it tonight

Streaming availability by JustWatch. In the US, as of 2026-11-05: Philo (subscription), Fandor (subscription), Fandor Amazon Channel (subscription), Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel (subscription), Shout! Factory Amazon Channel (subscription), Cineverse Amazon Channel (subscription), Kanopy (free), Fawesome (free), The Roku Channel (free with ads), Pluto TV (free with ads), Shout! Factory TV (free with ads), Cineverse (free with ads), Midnight Pulp (free with ads), Tubi TV (free with ads).

Questions people ask

How long is A Shock to the System?

A Shock to the System is 1 h 31 min long (91 minutes). If you start it at 8:00 pm it ends at 9:31 pm; add about 20 minutes if you watch trailers first.

What is A Shock to the System rated?

A Shock to the System is rated R in the US.

Is A Shock to the System a good movie to watch with a group?

Yes — a crowd movie. Crime and Comedy hold a room: people can talk, laugh or scream over it and still follow what is going on. Rated R in the US — check who is in the room.

Where can I stream A Shock to the System?

In the US, as of 2026-11-05: Philo (subscription), Fandor (subscription), Fandor Amazon Channel (subscription), Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel (subscription), Shout! Factory Amazon Channel (subscription), Cineverse Amazon Channel (subscription), Kanopy (free), Fawesome (free), The Roku Channel (free with ads), Pluto TV (free with ads), Shout! Factory TV (free with ads), Cineverse (free with ads), Midnight Pulp (free with ads), Tubi TV (free with ads). Availability changes often; this page loads the live list for your country (streaming availability by JustWatch).

Lists it could be on

• Comedies under 100 minutes
• Crime movies under 2 hours
• Movies from the 90s
• Movies for a group
• Date night movies
• The most-rated movies on TMDB

If you like A Shock to the System

• Phone Booth (2003)
• The Woman in the Window (2021)
• The Killer (2023)
• Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer (2025)
• Q & A (1990)
• Killing Them Softly (2012)
• The Big Heat (1953)
• Reasonable Doubt (2014)

A Shock to the System on TMDB · This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.