The Undertaker

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. .

Full disclosure I'm a big fan of Paul McGann. From Withnail and I, Monocled Mutineer to Dr Who and beyond, he is one of Englands most underrated and underused talents. I'd watch him making a cup of tea and in this film that's exactly what he does. The whole film has a tea stained quality to it, 'a nicotine stained fly blown lung' to quote his character, Marwood in Withnail and I. He is beautifully reserved as The Undertaker, 'I just bury people' is his mantra delivered with such a simple throw away bespectacled look that underscores the duplicity underneath. He really shines in this film. As Paul has said in interview he did this film because it's the sort of film he'd go and see and that sums him up. Cult film actor who does the most riskiest of films others turn down. I love him and the sparkle he brings to any production. A real star.

A very good film. Saw this in the local cinema. I didn't know what to expect but it was very interesting. Described as a dark film noir thriller. Certainly the quality of the film is film noir. It's set in a Northern town in England in the 1960's, very much reminiscent of those kitchen sink dramas of the time. An Undertaker (Paul McGann) is presented with an offer he can't refuse by the town gangster (Roger Barclay). The film descends into a killing spree with someone's final demise. The acting is great, really string performances particularly from Tara Fitzgerald as the gangsters moll. Cameos by Nick Rowe and Sean Gilder bring a strong quality to the work. Michael Wrights direction is good although the story is repetitive at times. The whole feeling is claustrophobic and dystopian. Some ingenious use of sets makes this a very unique film harking back to the classic British cinema of the late50s early 60's I liked it but I'm not sure I'd watch it again.

Beautifully art designed and chocful of British character actors that you've seen in all kinds of things for years, The Undertaker is a bit of a cult treat for lovers of unusual British films. Paul McGann heads up a cast that could have been plucked out of an industrial town from the mid 20th century, replete with starched collars and drizzled raincoats. Colour and joy have seemingly been bleached from the lives of these stoic post-war Englanders. You can almost smell the carbolic. The plot follows Arthur (McGann), a seemingly mild mannered undertaker operating a modest business somewhere in the north of England in the early 1960s. After he is approached by Finlay (Roger Barclay), a local gangster, he is coerced into disposing of a mounting number of cadavers created by Finlay's gang, as they launch a power grab. Arthur is faced with the dawning reality that when the music stops, he may well be the last man who literally knows where the bodies are buried. As Kelly (Sean Gilder), the detective investigating the case puts to him "Who's going to bury you?' Arthur's journey is one of complacency, rather than greed. He seeks the easier, softer way but in doing so, places himself and others in serious peril. The vampish Vic (Tara Fitzgerald) and Finlay's accountant Pullman (Bob Cryer) recognise this, but their warnings may not arrive in time to save Arthur from a fate that could be considered far worse than death. The Undertaker is an unusual little film for the movie watcher who doesn't shy away from the quirky. Its beautifully crafted sets and overall design are somewhat reminiscent of Caro and Jeunet's 1991 classic 'Delicatessen', having a slightly other worldly quality about them. Great performances throughout and worth watching for the late, great Murray Melvin's cameo performance alone (he plays Lenny, Arthur's business partner.) A solid 8/10.

A noir tour de force directed by Michael Wright The Premise, Script, extraordinary set Design, Photography, Casting and performances, Foley, sound design, music the pace, the pathos, the menace ... are all exemplary It's a gripping and evocative watch. It has an intoxicating and hypnotic atmosphere, and the strong narrative grips throughout.

So rare to see a production in the modern day embracing the true art of film making, with nearly all the devices shot in camera. True creative endeavour .

Add to that Incredible performances from all cast.

I haven't stopped thinking about it since I watched it yesterday.