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United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Deleted Scenes, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Burke And Hare is a comedic take on the true story of the Edinburgh body-snatchers William Burke (Simon Pegg) and William Hare (Andy Serkis). These two Irish entrepreneurs, spurred on by a chance meeting with a gorgeous actress (Isla Fisher), discover that a dead body can fetch a hefty price when the demands of the leading medical professors Dr. Knox (Tom Wilkinson) and Dr. Monroe (Tim Curry) reach beyond that of the local supply. ...Burke and Hare (2010) ( Burke & Hare )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Wow. The reviews on this film are such a mixed bag and each one in turn has its point to make. I really enjoyed it myself. Simon Pegg's slightly self-conscious contrast to Andy Serkiss's more businesslike and cold attitude to their unorthodox enterprise of providing cadavers to anatomy lecturer Dr Knox (Tom Wilkinson)was a great dynamic. Serkis frequently pulls off a sinister role with such finesse (e.g Ian Brady in Longford - disturbing!) and this is no exception. There are slight inaccuracies to the true story (which I won't bore you with - Crime and Investigation channel frequently do a B&H rerun!), but altogether this was watchable and funny. OK, so it's not a laugh a minute, as many were critical of, but the nature of black comedy is that the humour is subtle, understated and a little unsavoury. There are lots of familiar faces in this, including Tim Curry as Knox's rival, Dr Munro, Jessica Stevenson as the ever drunk but equally malicious Mrs Hare, and Ronnie Corbett as McLintock, the chief of the militia hell bent on getting his man. Dilemmas with rigor mortis, grave robbing and arterial blood spurt made this wickedly delicious. Brief cameos by Bill Bailey (as the part-time narrator cum hangman), Paul Whitehouse (as a drunkard toff who narrowly escapes B&Hs clutches), Christopher Lee and Michael Winner make this an enjoyable romp to watch. The best thing to do is watch it for yourself, as I think it's a matter of taste but it's 4 stars in this corner. xxx
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is an enjoyable romp detailing the adventurers of two Irish rogues who would go on to be two of the most infamous murderers in Scottish history, the body snatchers Burke and Hare. This is, from the off, a comedy, so don't expect any grim realities. Burke and Hare have been reimagined from the evil low life of reality into Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis's loveable Irish rogues out to make a living and being sucked into the easy money to be made supplying corpses to eminent surgeon Dr. Knox.
On paper the film should be great - 2 talented leads, a good idea to base the film around and a host of cameos from well known faces old and new (including Ronnie Corbett and Christopher Lee, not names you often see alongside each other!) which provide pleasing links to the great horror and comedy films of the past. The use of the real life Edinburgh locations where the two real villains would have lurked is a nice touch, as are the little details such as an appearance from Greyfriars Bobby. But while the whole thing is ok, it never really seems to really take off.
Some of the jokes are a bit laboured, and some of the performances lacklustre (especially, and it pains me to say this about someone whose work I have enjoyed so much in the past, Tim Curry). The romantic subplot, which is necessary to give the film its noble ending, never really gets off the ground due to a lack of chemistry between Pegg and Fisher. The film does often take off and provide genuine laughs, and some scenes are hilarious. But it just isn't consistent, so 3 stars only. It's worth seeing, and enjoyable enough, but not a classic.
The guest appearance from the real William Burke was a great touch, and shows some real imagination on the part of the film makers. And any film in which a certain annoying insurance salesman is treated in such a fashion is worth a look.
I would recommend a look at Flesh & The Fiends [DVD] [1959] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] for a somewhat different take on the legend.
On paper the film should be great - 2 talented leads, a good idea to base the film around and a host of cameos from well known faces old and new (including Ronnie Corbett and Christopher Lee, not names you often see alongside each other!) which provide pleasing links to the great horror and comedy films of the past. The use of the real life Edinburgh locations where the two real villains would have lurked is a nice touch, as are the little details such as an appearance from Greyfriars Bobby. But while the whole thing is ok, it never really seems to really take off.
Some of the jokes are a bit laboured, and some of the performances lacklustre (especially, and it pains me to say this about someone whose work I have enjoyed so much in the past, Tim Curry). The romantic subplot, which is necessary to give the film its noble ending, never really gets off the ground due to a lack of chemistry between Pegg and Fisher. The film does often take off and provide genuine laughs, and some scenes are hilarious. But it just isn't consistent, so 3 stars only. It's worth seeing, and enjoyable enough, but not a classic.
The guest appearance from the real William Burke was a great touch, and shows some real imagination on the part of the film makers. And any film in which a certain annoying insurance salesman is treated in such a fashion is worth a look.
I would recommend a look at Flesh & The Fiends [DVD] [1959] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] for a somewhat different take on the legend.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Simon Pegg (Shaun Of The Dead) and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) play Burke & Hare, two Irish immigrants to Edinburgh in the 19th century. Edinburgh is becoming a globally-renowned medical authority, attracting many physicians to concentrate in the city to study medicine, creating a demand for cadavers to practise upon and study. When demand rises sharply, it attracts entrepreneurial minds who come up with a rather morbid way of providing fresh bodies - enter Burke & Hare...
Directed by John Landis, I had high-hopes for this film, we're ushered in by Bill Bailey and the cast is a who's who of British acting these days - it starts well with only Pegg's rather dubious Irish accent raising an eyebrow. After you have got over the initial interest of recognising people from other productions (Ronnie Corbett amongst them) you settle down into the story and realise that you already know where this is going, especially seeing as it's based on a true story.
Not only is it incredibly predictable, it's not even all that interesting as the ups and downs of grave-robbing and sourcing the freshest corpses provide slapstick routines for Pegg and Serkiss to play out. There are large sections that could have been lifted from the equally disappointing I Sell The Dead which also featured a major character from the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Dominic Monaghan, and Pegg's accent just isn't quite upto scratch. Don't get me wrong, it's fun and will probably make you laugh if you enjoy Pegg's affable manner, but it's nothing more than that, a couple of laughs in a period setting with some household names. Worth a watch but it's not going to blow you away.
Directed by John Landis, I had high-hopes for this film, we're ushered in by Bill Bailey and the cast is a who's who of British acting these days - it starts well with only Pegg's rather dubious Irish accent raising an eyebrow. After you have got over the initial interest of recognising people from other productions (Ronnie Corbett amongst them) you settle down into the story and realise that you already know where this is going, especially seeing as it's based on a true story.
Not only is it incredibly predictable, it's not even all that interesting as the ups and downs of grave-robbing and sourcing the freshest corpses provide slapstick routines for Pegg and Serkiss to play out. There are large sections that could have been lifted from the equally disappointing I Sell The Dead which also featured a major character from the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - Dominic Monaghan, and Pegg's accent just isn't quite upto scratch. Don't get me wrong, it's fun and will probably make you laugh if you enjoy Pegg's affable manner, but it's nothing more than that, a couple of laughs in a period setting with some household names. Worth a watch but it's not going to blow you away.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not very haha
This was a let down as it was not very humorous at all. Would not recommend as it's a total borefest
Published 1 month ago by Piratejen
Good all round film !!
Like a few others I wasn't sure whether or not to purchase this film but I'm a fan of Simon Pegg so I thought I'd give a go especially at a nice cheap price you can't go too far... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Richieno5
Good, but not that funny....
Enjoyable enough, but not hilarious. I would pass it on but I wouldn't buy it for anyone.I can't quite understand how Pegg has become so successful - he often misses the comedy... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mayor Hobbies
Very enjoyable
Anything with Simon Pegg has got to be good, then add in Andy Serkis and it's double the fun. We certainly enjoyed watching this and had nothing bad to say about it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lorna Symonds
Uneven At Best
19th century Edinburgh grave robbers Burke & Hare have been the subject of at least 4 films prior to this one (5 if you count Val Lewton's THE BODY SNATCHER (1945) which has the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Chip Kaufmann
Carry on Bodysnatching
Seen on Sky Movies.
Landis gets to grips with the English - in Scotland. A great cast and good performances cannot quite transmorgify (pun intended), the film from pleasant... Read more
Landis gets to grips with the English - in Scotland. A great cast and good performances cannot quite transmorgify (pun intended), the film from pleasant... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Man from poundstretcher
Better than expected game of victorians and villains
This is a proper game of victorians and villains, I had for some time avoided watching this feature because I knew the story of Burke and Hare and could not believe how in any way... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lark
Burke & Hare-hilarious
We so enjoyed this film, great dark comedy, so many laugh out loud moments. Whether it's historically accurate or not, makes no difference, this film's a great story.
Published 4 months ago by Franki
Edinburgh - by a Glaswegian!!
I didn't know this fillum (I'm a Scot) existed until I got a "marketing" E-Mail frae "Amazon". Then thinks "intriguing". Read more
Published 5 months ago by Gina Sergent
Review
THis was a really funny uptake on a serious, true story. Simon Pegg was brilliant! Highly recommended yet grusome and factual.
Published 6 months ago by Fiona
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