Burke & Hare

Genres are flexible, most films which are labeled with the title of “science fiction” are almost always group together with another classification, such as horror, drama, and thriller. The same goes for comedy, which can be broken down into further sub-genres such as parody, slapstick, or in the case of 2010's Burke and Hare, black comedy. Black comedies take a somber, or macabre setting and turns them on their head, with plots which sound as though they should be dramas or horror film, and instead makes light of a darker situation. Stanley Kubrick Dr. Strangelove is a prime example of this type of film, poking fun and making light of the ever-looming threat of nuclear war during the 1960's.

Directed by veteran comedy and horror director John Landis, Burke and Hare tells the semi-true story of two Irish con men in 19^th century Edinburgh. At the start of the film we are introduced by a narrator/hang-man (Bill Bailey) who tells the audience of the fact that in the 19^thcentury Edinburgh was the center of medical research in the world, and how one professor Monro (Tim Curry) forges an official letter which allows him to hold the monopoly on fresh hanging victims for medical research.

This prevents Dr. Knox (Tom Wilkinson) from having any subjects for his medical classes, until two down on their luck Irishmen Burke (Simon Pegg) and Hare (Andy Serkis) must dispose of the body of an elderly boarding house tenant, and find they can make a profit from murdering victims and selling the corpses to Dr. Knox. This leads to an investigation by Scottish militia and a series of hijinks from a cast of characters throughout Edinburgh.

This film benefits from great writing, which gives each character a unique voice allowing everyone to be funny in individual ways. Though the plot is based off of true events, as stated in the opening of the film not everything is historically accurate. Being upfront about this fact is both cheeky, but it also queues in the audience to not take the film seriously, which loosens up the atmosphere, allowing for it to appear historical, but not take itself seriously in the slightest. Full of witty quips, clever twists, silly caricatures, and had-hitting slapstick, Burke and Hare doesn't slow the flow of comedy from constantly filling screen time, and it does so without becoming tried.

Visually the film looks like a period-film, perhaps one discussing the politics of 19^th century Britain, or a film about a young medical student fighting against all odds to make some kind of miracle breakthrough in the field. While at first glance it looks like something which is perhaps meant to be serious, simply watching for a few moments will reveal its true nature. This juxtaposition makes for a very humorous look at what is historically seen as the serious story of two serial killers in Scotland.

All of the actors bring their A-game, every one with their own brand of comedic delivery and timing. With such a wide variety of comedy on display one can find at least one performance to tickle them in just the right way, leaving them with a memorable line, or visual gag stuck in their thoughts for the rest of the week.

There aren't very many problems with the film per-se, except perhaps the casting of the two main characters of William Burke, and William Hare. Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis do exceptional jobs as the two Irish con artist, but there therein lies the issue, why couldn't they cast two actual Irishmen to play these historical figures? There isn't a shortage of comedic Irish actors in the film industry, one could easily see the likes of Chris O'Dowd (The IT Crowd), Sean Hughes (The Last Detective), Dylan Morgan (Shawn of the Dead), or Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects) in the titular roles. Now, this isn't really a critique of Pegg and Serkis who both do an excellent job, but it does lead one to wonder if actual Irish actors might have brought something different to the roles.

In all, Burke and Hare is a great work of comedy which might have been overlooked for the last few years, but it worth giving a watch.