The Undertaker

In a dark northwestern town in England sometime in the 1950s or 60s, Paul McGann plays a silent brooding undertaker, scarred by the death of his brother at the hands of local Gangster Finlay (Roger Barclay) and mourning the loss of the love of his life. As Finlay's brutal business ambitions result in a series of killings by his henchmen Arthur is pressured into disposing of the bodies by burying them with the naturally deceased. This underhand deal begins to eat away at Arthur who realises he's getting into deep trouble as the police in the shape of Kelly (Sean Gilder) start to take an interest.

This is a stark, but sometimes darkly humorous, character study, that really focusses on McGann's captivating performance as Arthur, as he deals with the pressure by trying to continue with business as usual even as his respectable facade and his mental state is crumbling.

The film is shot through with a gothic shadowy grime that shifts from virtually monochrome to lurid reds in Finlay's hellish nightclub 'The Chessboard Club' where silent songbird Vic (Tara Fitzgerald) focuses on philosophy rather than belting out caberet numbers. Lily Frazer is Arthur's mortuary assistant who having signed up for the job can't stomach the questionable morals of Arthur's new lucrative side line.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, dark, strange gothic crime thriller, with odd twists and turns and a unique look that creates its own deeply claustrophobic world on the screen.

The Undertaker is a solid noir crime thriller with a dash of dark humour. The film has a really strong visual look with great production design and lighting as the camera prowls around the grubby northern town the film is set in. It's claustrophobic and then some. Paul McGann is compelling as he plays Arthur a drab and depressed local funeral director who's mourning his lot in life, but is approached by local hoodlum Finlay who's got a plan, in fact an offer Arthur can't refuse. He needs Arthur to bury a few extra bodies on the quiet when he's doing his normal business, in reward for some extra cash. Arthur agrees but his moral choice (the character's name is even 'Morel') leads him down the wrong path despite warnings from both Tara Fitzgeral'd's as a nightclub siren, and Lily Frazer's character who works part time at the undertaker's shop.

The Undertaker is a modern day (albeit 1960s set) morality tale about making the right choices while it counts.

In gentle, stylish, 1950s-based British dramatic-thriller "The Undertaker" quietly professional titular Manchester undertaker Paul McGann is pressured by local mobster Roger Barclay to discretely dispose of dead bodies... despite the concern of the likes of Tara Fitzgerald & Lily Frazer, and the interest of copper Sean Gilder. Michael Wright's debut as director is excellent, eliciting terrific performances while shooting in a striking, original, ethereal manner... but the screenplay (his second) doesn't match that level, being TOO sedate before failing to deliver the necessary bite in its final punch. It's an engaging, good-looking film - but one that ultimately comes up short.

Watched this at premiere in Bristol. Went because big Dr Who fan and Paul McGann. Enjoyed the film, cool looking and atmospheric. Acting was good. It was a bit slow but kept my interest. They made the sets with models which was amazing. It's set in 1960's and the film was stylish and dark has a supernatural element which I wanted more of, all filmed in Bristol at Bottleyarde Studios which has produced lots of UK tv. Also last performance of Murray Melvin, who was in lots of cult films, Barry Lyndon etc. I would recommend seeing it as it's unlike most things you get on tv. All in all a good film.

The Undertaker is a dark and compelling period British crime thriller shot through with some amazing performances and stark visuals. Paul McGann plays the titular undertaker in a small northern town sometime in the 1960s. But Arthur's haunted by his past, a lost love of his life killed in the war, and the more recent death of his brother at the hands of local hoodlum Finlay, played by a compelling Roger Barclay who injects the small town bully with both menace and pathos. Also in the mix is a jaded and philosophical nightclub singer played by Tara Fitzgerald, watchable as ever, plus an an array of sinister sidekicks pilling the pressure on an increasingly nervous Arthur. When Finlay makes him an offer he can't refuse and a gig to bury a few bodies under the shadow of night, Arthur has to agree. But as the dead pile up Arthur flips and decides to take matters into his own hands, with a finale that recalls the visual chaos of early Kurosawa movies. A delight also to see the legendary Murray Melvin in his final on screen role. More morality play than gangster action flick, this film creates and maintains an amazing bleak atmosphere with some great visuals and great sound design. See it in a cinema if you can. .