Film review: 'Dead In A Week (Or Your Money Back)' is a fresh and original take on the black comedy genre

With a unique perspective on life, death and suicide, the new British black comedy hits the sweet spot between tragedy and comedy with its deadpan style and absurd premise.
PUBLISHED NOV 30, 2018

On his feature-length directorial debut, British filmmaker Tony Edmunds offers the tongue-in-cheek black comedy 'Dead In A Week (Or Your Money Back)', an absurd, dark, but delightfully funny film that engages audiences from the very first shot all the way till the end.

The plot of the film is wonderfully refreshing. The film stars Aneurin Barnard in the lead role of William, a struggling writer battling the existential dread of everyday life. After trying to commit suicide seven times (ten if you count the "cries for help", as he puts it), William decides to outsource his suicide to a hitman who oddly specializes in these kinds of deals. The deal, as the title suggests, is that the hitman kills you within a week or you get a full refund! But the hitman, Leslie, played by the inimitable Tom Wilkinson has some issues of his own. He's an old man now and fighting retirement by trying to meet his 'quota' for the 'Guild of Assassins' and William is his last shot (excuse the pun) at redemption.

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