Burke & Hare

"OK"

Burke & Hare Review


You can see what Landis was trying to do here: recapture the funny-scary tone of one of his biggest hits, 1981's An American Werewolf in London. But the mix of comedy and grisliness in this comical take on a true story is off the mark.

In 1828 Edinburgh, friends William Burke (Pegg) and William Hare (Serkis) realise they can make good money supplying cadavers to world-class surgeon Dr Knox (Wilkinson). But when they can't find a dead body, they kill someone instead. Hare's wife (Hynes) finds out and wants in on it, but Burke can't tell his aspiring actress girlfriend (Fisher) how he makes his living. Meanwhile, Knox is battling a rival surgeon (Curry) for the King's seal. And the local militia captain (Corbett) is closing in.

Landis strikes a jolly tone from the start, with Bailey's lively narration setting the scene and performances that are fairly broad across the board. Some of the characters are just short of cartoonish, and some scenes cross the line into corny farce. In contrast to this silliness, there's detailed period-movie production design and genuinely grisly violence. Not to mention the serial killer plot itself, which is rather difficult to imagine as a comedy.

So to make it funny, the screenwriters both rewrite history and weave in a series of gags that are amusing but never hilarious. There's a subplot about Knox's assistant (Corduner) inventing photography, a couple of thuggish mobsters (Hayman and Shearsmith) and an all-female version of Macbeth. Not to mention a constant flow of cameos - from Werewolf star Jenny Agutter and the iconic Christopher Lee to filmmakers Ray Harryhausen and Costa-Gavras.

The cast members dive into their roles with gusto, and they make the film watchable even when it gets increasingly ridiculous. Pegg and Fisher almost make their cute romantic plotline work, but it's hard not to feel like all of the actors are wasted in underwritten roles. And Burke's emotional crisis of conscience sits at awkward odds with the merry string of murders most foul.

It's great to see Landis working again, and he assembles this with skill. But clearly serial killers aren't as funny as werewolves.



Burke & Hare

Facts and Figures

Genre: Comedies

Run time: 91 mins

In Theaters: Thursday 3rd February 1972

Box Office Worldwide: $4.3M

Budget: $10M

Production compaines: Aegis Film Fund, Ealing Studios, Fragile Films

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 2.5 / 5

IMDB: 5.5 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director:

Starring: as William Burke, as William Hare, as Ginny, as Dr. Knox, as Dr. Monroe, as Old Joseph, as Lucky, as Angus, as Footman, as Lord Harrington, as Emma, as Fergus, as Nicephore, as Mary, as Captain Tam McLintoch

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews