I need something that will make me feel joy. Something that can bring a smile to my face and put me in the mindset of someone who doesn't dread hitting the "play" button after they put the next disc in their PS3. I need...ENGLISH TALENT.
Enter the master.
Oh thank Crom for Simon Pegg. Simon is one of those guys who can just put a smile on my face from a thousand yards away, and I consider him to be one of my 3 Funniest People in The Universe (in No Particular Order). And even though I feel that his comedies are lacking since he came across The Pond and don't do any justice to him at all, he still has a better track record than most. I mean, he made a movie headlining Seth Rogen, The Unfunny Himself, tolerable. That's pretty impressive.
I had not heard of "Burke & Hare," and after doing a little research, I have a sneaking suspicion why. Here in the US, it played on 1 screen. For two weeks. It made a little over $6,000. True story.
You know, if you want to have a movie not exist, just don't make the damn thing. Now, granted, it made more money in the UK, where it ended up making about $5 million since it actually got a proper release, but I still don't see why it wasn't advertised and widely released in the US. "Burke & Hare," despite its Englishness, is sporting some pretty prestigious talent:
Simon Pegg is a known star now. He was in "Star Trek" and the last two "Mission: Impossible" movies for crying out loud. Co-star Andy Serkis, while being hidden by CGI in most movies he's in, is also thankfully becoming a recognizable figure. I mean, he was only Gollum in "Lord of The Rings." No big deal, right? Isla Fisher was arguably the most memorable character in "Wedding Crashers." Tom Wilkinson has two Oscar nominations! Tim Curry is in it! The Dark Lord himself, Christopher-freaking-Lee has a cameo! IT'S DIRECTED BY JOHN LANDIS! Do I even need to remind you of what's he's done? He only directed "The Blues Brothers," "An American Werewolf in London," "¡Three Amigos!" and "Animal House." Nothing special, really.
Add to the fact that this is the first real movie Landis has directed in about 12 years, and it really does seem like something they would have tried to make a big deal of. Hey, movie studios! Get your priorities straight! John Landis films starring this much talent should not be little-known IFC films.
I guess at some point I should actually talk about the movie, right? "Burke & Hare" is the true-ish story of William Burke and William Hare, two mass murders back in the early 19th century who killed 17 people, all so that they could make a living. You see, the medical field was really getting going then, and doctors needed cadavers to dissect and study. So grave-robbing was a pretty lucrative business, but the freshness was important. So in order to supply demand, these two guys, Burke and Hare, decided to create a product. And the product happened to be bodies.
It's the beginnings of capitalism, really.
What was interesting about the film is that at no point does it try and say that these guys aren't scum. You're never meant to sympathize with their actions, but at the same time, you sympathize with them as people. And as weird as that sounds, I think it's because they're shown as just that: people. There's nothing wrong with them in the head. They're not serial killers. They're not taking perverse pleasure in doing what they're doing. To them, it's just a job. And while you're not exactly cheering for them to kill people, you are cheering for them to "make it."
If anyone is meant to look worse than the other, it would be Andy Serkis as Hare. He's kind of the mastermind of the plan, and Simon Pegg's Burke is seen as more of a victim of circumstances of having to need money to eat, although at no point does he really put his foot down and say "no." It's more like he says "I'm not sure..." for a bit and then Hare flashes some money in front of him and Burke says "Well, I hadn't considered it that way."
So before you wonder too much about what kind of movie "Burke & Hare" is, it's totally a comedy. One would think it would be more in line with a horror flick, and in fact, there have been a couple of those made about these guys, one of them starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. But dark subject matter aside, "Burke & Hare" goes for the comedy angle of the story, and actually does a bang-up job of it, and manages to do something that I don't get often: It made me laugh. Quite a bit.
Mark this occasion down, students, because I tell you, this is a rare feat for a movie to pull off. I don't laugh at comedies often, but I found myself laughing out loud on numerous occasions. Sometimes it didn't even take a line, but merely an incredulous look on Simon Pegg's always straight-man face. I swear, that man's face has the greatest range of "frustrated," "shocked," and "offended" looks that I've ever seen.
I swear, all he has to do is make this face and I laugh. It's insane.
"Burke & Hare" was also notable for two other things. First was an historic event which marked the first time in Christopher Lee's prodigious career that his character died by being smothered by someone's butt. I'm serious. Andy Serkis kills Christopher Lee by sitting on his face while reassuring Simon Pegg's misgivings, waxing philosophical about how it's the way he would have wanted to go. It's hysterical.
The second is one of the best, overly sarcastic and cynical lines I've ever heard in a film, and I hope one day I will be able to use it in a conversation. It involves Simon Pegg talking about confidence and farts. I refuse to repeat it here, because it would lose all impact. You'll have to watch it.
If I had any complaints about the film, I would say it's probably the beginning and end. It's book ended by this forth wall obliterating executioner who directly talks the the audience about the story, and it doesn't really work too well, and it's pretty jarring. This is especially noticeable at the end, when we go back to him after having forgot about him about an hour and twenty minutes ago. He gives a little "Animal House"-esque casting call about where everyone in the story ended up afterwards, and while there are some surprises involving historical figures, it really feels out of place.
There's also a sidestory involving an all-female production of "Macbeth" which doesn't add too much to the plot, but it did bring about character motivations and development, so we can let it slide. It was just another thing that felt slightly out of place.
But you do get to look at this the whole time, though.
Other than that, this was a welcome vacation from the crap I've had to deal with lately. Thank you, English humor. Oh, I'm sorry. I meant humour.
THE BOTTOM LINE - "Burke & Hare," won't make anyone's list of favorite movies of all time, but it's a surprisingly good comedy which has a ridiculous amount of talent. Heads above Simon Pegg's American comedies, and more in the style of his Edgar Wright collaborations, as told by the guy who did "Spies Like Us." And Andy Serkis isn't CG! Hooray! Not bad at all. Recommended.
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