The Legend of Barney Thomson
| The Legend of Barney Thomson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Robert Carlyle |
| Screenplay by | Colin McLaren Richard Cowan |
| Produced by | John G. Lenic Kaleena Kiff Brian Coffey Holly Brydson Richard Cowan |
| Starring | Robert Carlyle Emma Thompson Ray Winstone Ashley Jensen Brian Pettifer |
| Cinematography | Fabian Wagner |
| Distributed by | Gravitas Ventures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 94 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,329,376[2] |
The Legend of Barney Thomson, known in the United States as Barney Thomson, is a 2015 Scottish comedy thriller based on the novel The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson by Douglas Lindsay. It is the directorial debut of Scottish actor Robert Carlyle, who also stars in the film, alongside Emma Thompson, Ray Winstone, Ashley Jensen and Brian Pettifer. It was previewed at the 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2015 before its release on 24 July 2015.[3]
Plot
Set in Glasgow, the film centres around 50-year-old Barney Thomson, who works at Henderson's Barbers in Bridgeton and lives a life of desperate mediocrity. Barney's uninteresting life gets turned upside down when he enters the grotesque and comically absurd world of a serial killer after accidentally killing his boss Wullie.
Cast
- Robert Carlyle as Barney Thomson
- Emma Thompson as Cemolina, Barney's mother
- Ray Winstone as Hold-all
- Ashley Jensen as Detective Inspector June Robertson
- Kevin Guthrie as Detective MacPherson
- Sam Robertson as Detective Sergeant Sam Jobson
- Brian Pettifer as Charlie, Barney's friend
- Stephen McCole as Wullie Henderson, Barney's boss
- Eileen McCallum as Mrs. Gaffney
- James Cosmo as James Henderson, Wullie's father and the owner of Henderson's Barbers
- Barbara Rafferty as Jean Monkrieff
Reception
Critical response
The film-critics aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports 59% positive reviews based on 29 reviews and a weighted average score of 6/10. The site's consensus statement reads, "The Legend of Barney Thomson may not quite live up to its grandiose title, but it offers a fine calling card for debuting director Carlyle, and Emma Thompson's performance adds a spark."[4] At the review aggregator Metacritic, the film has a normalized score of 59 out of 100, based on 9 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5]
References
- ^ "The Legend of Barney Thomson (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "The Legend of Barney Thomson". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ Leo Barraclough (5 May 2015). "Edinburgh Film Festival to Open with Robert Carlyle's 'The Legend of Barney Thomson'". Variety. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ "The Legend of Barney Thomson (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "The Legend of Barney Thomson Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 18 June 2016.