Every time a new Simon Pegg film comes along, a gaggle of geeks get all excited.
The sitcom Spaced was the vehicle that brought Pegg to the attention of the majority of the country’s nerd population thanks to its offbeat wit and being peppered with enough movie quotes and references to make fan boys salivate.
As a result, his many fans wait with eager anticipation for his next project in the hope it will be the next Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz.
Sadly, since reaching the dizzying heights of Hollywood stardom, Pegg’s output has been laced with a far greater number of misses than hits.
After damp squibs like Run Fatboy Run, How To Lose Friends and Influence People and now the lame (yes, lame) Burke and Hare, he dilutes his value as a commodity and, importantly, his credibility even further.
In Burke and Hare, Pegg plays Irishman William Burke, one half of the notorious real-life 19th century body-snatching duo who not only sold deceased bodies to Edinburgh-based anatomical scientist Dr Robert Knox (Tom Wilkinson) but also resorted to murder as a method of purloining cadavers to offload for a handsome profit.
As the death toll rises and the money starts to roll in, eyebrows are raised, not least because Burke has taken up with a local floozy named Ginny (Isla Fisher), an aspiring actress who lives on his promise of funding an all-female production of Macbeth.
Surely it’s just a matter of time before the long arm of the law, led by the short arm of Ronnie Corbett as militia man Captain McLintock, catches up with him and fellow partner-in-crime William Hare (Andy Serkis)?
Although director John Landis is more than adept at artfully blending comedy with horror – think Innocent Blood and classic comic horror masterpiece An American Werewolf in London – the balance here is off.
But it isn’t his fault. Burke and Hare is disappointing – largely because of its uninspired screenplay.
Humour is frequently obvious, with bursts of broad slapstick mixed with moments of uncomfortable comedy. You’re often not sure whether to laugh, cringe or recoil. The ‘comedy’ sex scenes between Andy Serkis and Jessica Hynes, who plays Hare’s wife, are particularly awkward and disconcerting.
The subject matter – a real story about actual grisly killings – is also odd material for a comedy such as this and adds to our discomfort.
Landis indulges his penchant for gore which elicits a degree of repulsion from the audience and sits uncomfortably with the film’s broad humour.
Had they utilised the writing skills of League of Gentlemen alumnus Reece Shearsmith, who has a role in the film, Burke and Hare may well have had the right blend of off-the-wall humour, horror and way-out weirdness to make this work.
Cameos from an array of British talent including Christopher Lee, Stephen Merchant, Bill Bailey, Hugh Bonneville, Jenny Agutter and Tim Curry – not forgetting Paul Whitehouse who is responsible for the film’s standout moment – are a strong draw.
You’ll most likely leave the cinema willing for Simon Pegg to make a return to his successful partnership with Edgar Wright and Nick Frost for something to really get your laughing gear round
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