The Odd Job [Blu-ray]

The Odd Job Blu-ray brings Peter Medak’s pitch-black British comedy to disc for the first time worldwide, anchored by a brilliantly offbeat performance from Graham Chapman just before Life of Brian. Released in 1978, this sharp, unsettling farce blends Monty Python absurdism with dry British menace, turning a premise about suicide-for-hire into something increasingly tense and darkly hilarious.

Chapman stars as Arthur Harris, a comfortably married man whose life collapses when his wife suddenly leaves him. Unable to end things himself, Arthur hires a strange and overly eager handyman (Sir David Jason, in a role originally intended for Keith Moon) to kill him instead. When Arthur’s wife unexpectedly returns, relief quickly turns to terror as he realizes the hitman has no intention of backing out of the arrangement.

As the situation spirals out of control, The Odd Job Blu-ray showcases a perfectly judged balance of farce and unease, with strong supporting turns from Diana Quick, Carolyn Seymour, Simon Williams, Bill Paterson, and Richard O’Brien. Co-written by Chapman and Bernard McKenna and produced by Mark Forstater, the film has been newly scanned in 2K from director Peter Medak’s personal 35mm print, restoring this cult favourite with care and precision.

directed by: peter medak
starring: graham chapman, david jason, diana quick, simon williams
1978 / 88 min

Language: English
Audio: stereo
Discs: 1