Corky1984 Review of Burke and Hare

Burke and Hare (2010)

Disappointing, but still had a few good moments

[5 November 2010]

I tend to go and see any new Simon Pegg movie when it comes out at the pictures and Burke and Hare was no exception. Given Pegg's past form, I was expecting a really good laugh, but sadly this film just didn't hit the spot in the same way that some of his earlier movies did. The plot was ripe for comedy: two hard-on-their-luck chancers become body snatchers in 19th century Edinburgh and come up against a motley crew of militiamen and local gangsters. Yet the film seemed to drag despite being around an hour and a half, which is hardly lengthy. I think the major problem was that the main stars spoke with unconvincing Irish accents. It just distracted me and I couldn't believe in the characters as a result. There were some decent set-pieces now and then, but the romance between Pegg and his actress girlfriend was a bit dull and predictable. Maybe this is a film that I'll give another go when it pops up on TV, but I wouldn't recommend paying to see it at the cinema, sadly.....