Burke & Hare DVD Review

Burke & Hare is the sort of film you want to like more than you do. After all, it's directed by John Landis, a renowned filmmaker known for his classics like Animal House, The Blues Brothers and An American Werewolf in London. And the film stars a slew of fan favorites like Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher, Tim Curry and Tom Wilkinson, not to mention a token cameo appearance from the legendary Christopher Lee. Even the story is interesting – a comedic retelling of the shockingly true story of William Burke and William Hare, two out-of-work laborers in the late 1800s who end up murdering random citizens and selling their bodies to a sketchy professor at the University of Edinburgh.

There are some good performances throughout, especially from Pegg and Fisher, two young actors who seem to get better and better with each film they're in. Serkis feels a bit subdued and downplayed. His performance is a fine balance to Pegg, but it's not quite as spirited or emotionally grounded. And while the film is based on the true story, there's a striking amount of creative liberty taken here. While this is common among "based on a true story" narratives, it's particularly peculiar here because of the circumstances. The real story itself was rather strange, and ripe with comedic material on its own. It honestly didn't need much fibbing to make things interesting. But, as the film draws to a close, the narrative grows more and more fictional, and the performances and tone of the film seem to be aware of it, and not in a good way.

Alas, despite some genuinely great performances from our leads, witty dialogue and the occasionally effective grim set piece, the film is a misfire of epic proportions. It's hard to point the finger here. The cast does seem invested in the material. And the story is often quite funny, playing like a true life version of Sweeney Todd. But if I had to guess, it would seem that a combination of stale direction and equally flat editing were the true culprit.

Landis, who hasn't directed a theatrical feature since 1998, stages scenes like he's making a TV movie, which is what he's been doing this past decade. Shots are static and dull, with little life whatsoever. Even subtle movements fail to be captured here. And editing is off by just one step, with gags often feeling off-center, and not in the traditional manner. The result is a period piece that feels like a tired, old made-for-TV movie. Burke & Hare is certainly enjoyable throughout, even though it all feels a bit off, but don't expect the film to stay with you very long, unfortunately.


Burke & Hare comes to DVD presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen, mixed in 5.1 Dolby Digital. Be prepared for a fairly murky looking film. Draped in moody shadows, gray and blue hues and milky contrast all of which appear to be emulating the look of Sweeney Todd, the print isn't exactly appealing. The encode is relatively spotless, though some compression is noted, and artificial brightening forces blacks to have an evergreen appearance instead, especially indoor shots. The audio mix is pretty front-centric, with only a smattering of surround cues every now and then. Dialogue succumbs to quite a bit of high-end crackles, and even some hiss on occasion. Not the world's finest mix, not by a long shot.

Extras are pretty explorative. There's a 23-minute fly-on-wall, behind-the-scenes featurette, not to mention nearly one hour of interviews (11 total), featuring both the cast and the crew. In addition to these behind-the-scenes features, there's also a trailer, a 3-minute outtakes reel and a collection of 10 deleted scenes. Unfortunately, the interview feature and the deleted scenes do not boast a "Play All" function. Annoying.


Burke & Hare isn't a great film, but if you like the men and women involved, it's worth a rental, at least. If only it were a little sharper, a little wittier and a touch more focused. Still, this is the sort of film that's likely to find a cult audience at some point. So give it a shot and see if you're a fan.

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