Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
William has failed to kill himself so many times that he outsources his suicide to aging assassin Leslie. But with the contract signed and death assured within a week (or his money back), William suddenly discovers reasons to live... However Leslie is under pressure from his boss to make sure the contract is completed.
Dead in a Week has a genuinely inventive, darkly comic premise that sets it apart — the idea of outsourcing suicide to a contractually bound hitman is a fresh and singular conceit that drives genuine comedic and dramatic tension. The plot is competently constructed if somewhat predictable once the rom-com undertones kick in, hitting familiar beats of rediscovering life's worth. Acting is solid from Tom Basden and Aneurin Barnard without being revelatory. Cinematography is functional British indie fare — competent but unremarkable. The ending resolves things amiably but leans into convention rather than taking the braver, darker route the premise implied.