Film Review: Burke And Hare

Another film that wasn't exactly enticing me to watch it (but thanks to me exploiting a LoveFilm trial, I'm catching some of these films now) was Burke And Hare. I'm not going to lie to you, the only reason I wanted to see it was because it was the return of the legendary John Landis (Animal House, American Werewolf In London, Trading Places, The Blues Brothers to name just some of his work) to the directors chair for the first time since the disastrous Blues Brothers 2000 (which, bizarrely came out in 1998.)

Burke and Hare is based loosely on the true story of Irish immigrants turned body snatchers William's Burke (Simon Pegg) and Hare (Andy Serkis) who supplied dead bodies to a medical school in Edinburgh run by Dr. Robert Knox (Tom Wilkinson) for money.

It doesn't really sound like a comedy but that's how it seems how writers Piers Ashworth and Nick Moorcroft (best known for the recent St. Trinians remakes) wanted it portrayed. Sadly the film is so badly written it doesn't know what it wants to be. A comedy? A horror? It fails on every level.

I'm not saying you can't make a dark comedy about the subject matter, but this is just woeful. It's just all so lazy, 90% of the jokes miss their target, and you know things are bad when you have those dreadful 'This is how [insert invention here] got it's name!' (this time being funeral parlours and photographs). Even if this were true, I wouldn't want the cringe inducing 'nudge nudge, wink wink' joke in a film. It's not smart, and it's not clever.

Thank god then for the direction of John Landis, the film looks great thanks to him, but he is not given much to work with. It's very well shot throughout. Although, there's not a 'See You Next Wednesday' in sight which was a shame. Hopefully Landis will be a bit more prolific after this.

Also the cast save this from being a one star affair. Whilst not being the best actors around, Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis have enough charisma and likability to keep the viewer watching and there is a great English cast who all do good jobs, as well as Tom Wilkinson, Tim Curry, Ronnie Corbett, Bill Bailey (who we should have seen more of somehow), Jessica Hynes, Christopher Lee, Reece Shearsmith all feature, as well as Isla Fisher who is routinely entertaining in every film I have seen her in.

Sadly though, it's just not enough. It's a shame because everything else about the film is good except, arguably, the most important element. The writing. And without that, you have a film that needs to be buried, and left that way.

*1/2
Extra marks given to the good direction, and the charismatic cast, but the script is an utter mess, and not even they can save it. A shambles and a shame.