Skip to content

DEAD IN A WEEK (OR YOUR MONEY BACK)

Written By:

Andrew Marshall
Dead

After numerous failed attempts to kill himself, depressed writer William outsources the job to an aging hitman who specialises in assisted suicide. Soon afterwards, William’s life drastically improves for the better and so must evade his own death until the contract for his death expires.

Attempting to mine humour from something as serious as suicide is a tough undertaking, almost as big a challenge as it is to get an audience to find it. Despite the inherent difficulty, Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back) attains its goal admirably. The achievement comes from taking discussion of suicide itself seriously, but by placing it within a world of black comedy it allows the film to be humorous without belittling the gravity with which the subject should be taken.

Although driven by depressed nihilism William is an engaging protagonist, his unassuming reaction to the world around him blending compellingly with his evident frustration at the life he no longer wants to lead, seemingly conscious of the absurdity of his situation but having already moved beyond it. His failed suicide attempts inspired the idea that he might be immortal and subsequently gave him a semiautobiographical book idea that resonates with literary agent Ellie, with whom he ends up on the run after a series of intense situations.

Cinema history is rife with examples of unconvincing hook-ups resulting from an extreme experience pushing two people together, but for once the setup feels far more natural. Finding someone to whom you can relate at a core level is often the best seed of a true relationship, and it’s made clear that Ellie is affected by psychological issues similar to William’s, but is far more adept at coping with them. Already feeling she knows him through his writing she senses a connection before they even meet, while his realisation that he’s met someone who has some inkling of what’s going on inside his head makes her all the more appealing to him. It never feels like she’s just along for the ride or merely there to look pretty, and her decisive nature and willingness to take action make her even more of an unlikely hero.

The hitman Leslie is undergoing his own crisis of trying to stave off irrelevance in the only profession he knows and competition from younger and more ruthless killers (“All these Eastern Europeans taking our jobs,” he dryly comments), while his boss Harvey, a snarling castoff from a Guy Ritchie film trying to push Leslie into retirement, has introduced a kill quota for his employees and tries to use Leslie’s failure to meet it to push him out the door. Juxtaposing Leslie’s days of death for hire is his home life of genteel Middle Englanders, where his wife’s stories of scrapbooking, embroidery contests and afternoon television provide him with something stable and normal to come home to, the contrast between the banal everyday and the murky underworld of contract killing making for endearing and amusing viewing.

Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back) is a jet-black comedy on just the right side of farce that nevertheless treats a serious topic with the respect it deserves, with distinctive characters populating a surreal yet believable tale of love and death.

REVIEW: DEAD IN A WEEK (OR YOUR MONEY BACK) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: TOM EDMUNDS / STARRING: ANEURIN BARNARD, TOM WILKINSON, FREYA MAVOR, MARION BAILEY, CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON / RELEASE DATE: MAY 6TH

Andrew Marshall

You May Also Like...

chinese remake of anaconda drops trailer

ANACONDA Trailer Grants First Look At Remake Of 1997 Horror Flick

Three sequels and a spinoff-crossover film wasn’t enough for the 1997 creature feature Anaconda, which not only has a new movie in development, but is getting a Chinese remake! From
Read More
black widow star scarlett johansson in talks to lead new universal jurassic world film

Scarlett Johansson In Talks To Join JURASSIC WORLD Film

Another MCU star appears to be taking up the reins for Universal’s new Jurassic World movie: two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to lead the franchise that
Read More

Exclusive Reveal! Titan Comics to Deliver Prehistoric Hysterics in First 2 DUMB DINOS Collection

Titan Comics have exclusively revealed to STARBURST that they’re gearing up to publish the first-ever collection of the hilarious cult digital comic strip 2 Dumb Dinos, and we’re not the
Read More

New Dates For Lovecraftian Key of Dreams

Key of Dreams has announced new spaces for its titular immersive luxury horror event. The critically acclaimed company is known for its overnight experiences that dunk you into a strange
Read More

FAB Café to Host Free Film Screening of New Indie Comedy SECRETS OF A WALLABY BOY

We’re well known for our championing of truly independent filmmakers here at STARBURST, so it’s doubly exciting to be writing about one of our own! After joining the crew in
Read More
colin farrell returns as oswald cobblepot in the penguin series trailer

Colin Farrell Returns In THE PENGUIN Trailer

Colin Farrell returns as Gotham City’s answer to Tony Soprano in the first trailer for Max series The Penguin, which spins out of the world of the 2022 DC film
Read More