Jack Black turns in a career best performance in Bernie, a true crime comedy where small town gossip, religion and the world’s friendliest killer converge to make for brilliantly funny and tragically heartfelt viewing.

The director of Bernie is Richard Linklater, who from Dazed and Confused to Before Sunset to School of Rock has proven to be a master of variety. He’s also one of those directors who can conjure career best performances from his actors, as he does here from Black who is (as the popular term goes) “Oscar worthy”.

Black stars as Bernie Tiede, an assistant mortician in small town Carthage, Texas. “Beloved” is the word to describe Bernie’s standing in the community, with his Methodist congregation in particular viewing Bernie as a gift from God: patient, charitable and always there to help.

For Black the role is another gift from Linklater, who previously directed Black to critical acclaim in Scholl of Rock. While it’s a role that asks for Black’s comedic and singing talents (with Bernie often leading his congregation in song), it also stretches Black’s dramatic range to make one hell of an all-round performance.

Bernie’s Christian compassion leads him to Marjorie Nugent (Shelly McLaine) a widowed millionaire hated by the townspeople, yet befriended by Bernie with the two becoming inseparable…until Bernie kills her after their relationship turns into a torturous daily grind for Bernie.

Linklater pulls a brilliant move by involving the real town people of Carthage in supporting roles (playing themselves, of course) and offering testimonial about the events depicted on screen, resulting in a quasi documentary/re-enactment of a murder case that does indeed prove the truth is stranger than fiction.

So enamoured are these people Bernie that it’s easy to also root for him. It’s up to District Attorney Danny Buck (an almost unrecognisable Matthew McConaughey in another great role) to play the part of rational moralist, reminding us that Bernie is indeed a confessed killer no matter how nice a guy he is.

While Linklater does a fantastic job in creating an entertaining true crime story, he also hits home the realisation that darkness can be found in the sweetest of souls, making a film that is as tragic as it is funny. Such elements rarely make comfortable bed fellows, yet Linklater melds the two to make engrossing viewing.