The book on which this is based is quite funny, which considering its theme of a psycho killer dismembering corpses, is a neat trick. The film catches some of the humour (including uniquely Glasgow humour) and there are a couple of laugh out loud moments, but it's ruined by having some old actors in there who really shouldn't be, and an out-of-control performance by Ashley Jensen. The general grime and low-lifeness is caught well enough - the dog track, the bingo hall, the chain smoking nagging mother - but the police characters (with the exception of Ray Winstone who gets it right) are caricatures who swear just for the sake of swearing. A missed opportunity.
Review of Barney Thomson
