Fresh
Scottish actor Robert Carlyle makes a bold impression as a first-time director with Barney Thomson, a brash, dirty little film that's eager to please in devilish ways.
Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly
The Legend of Barney Thomson
2015 · 1h 36m · Unrated
Comedy, Drama
Directed by
Robert Carlyle
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The Legend of Barney Thomson
Overview
Barney Thomson, awkward, diffident, Glasgow barber, lives a life of desperate mediocrity and his uninteresting life is about to go from 0 to 60 in five seconds, as he enters the grotesque and comically absurd world of the serial killer.
Director and cast
- Robert Carlyle Director
- Robert Carlyle as Barney
- Emma Thompson as Cemolina
- Ray Winstone as Holdall
- Ashley Jensen as Detective Inspector June Robertson
- James Cosmo as James Henderson
- Tom Courtenay as Chief Superintendent McManaman
- Kevin Guthrie as MacPherson
- Martin Compston as Chris
- Stephen McCole as Wullie
- Samuel Robertson Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
62%
Tomatometer
Fresh
You don't have to be a Scot to laugh yourself silly at The Legend of Barney Thomson, although canny viewers will no doubt catch more of the inside references.
Liz Braun, Toronto Sun
Fresh
Robert Carlyle is excellent as the lugubrious and downtrodden Barney, but as he makes his directorial debut here his rhythm on this deadpan comedy is erratic.
Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail
Rotten
Not as clever as it wants to be, some comic bits stumble and the ending is ridiculous, although Carlyle and Thompson give it their best shot.
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star
Fresh
If you grew up south of Gretna Green, bribe a Scot to translate the thick Glaswegian accents in Robert Carlyle's grisly serial killer comedy.
Cath Clarke, Time Out
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