Review of Filth (2013) by Stuart K — 27 Apr 2014

Adapted from Irvine Welsh's 1998 bestselling novel, which was claimed to be unfilmable due to the broken and unorthodox narrative. However, when writer/director Jon S. Baird (Cass (2008)) took it on, some worried, as some Welsh adaptations like The Acid House (1998) and Ecstasy (2011) didn't translate as well.

But, Filth translates to the screen brilliantly, it's an insane and trippy black comedy. Set in Edinburgh, Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy) is scheming, manipulative and bigoted, and when he hears about a position of Detective Inspector, Robertson will do ANYTHING to get that position over his partners in the force like Ray Lennox (Jamie Bell) and Amanda Drummond (Imogen Poots).

However, Robertson's life seems to be coming apart at the seems, he sends sick phone calls to Bunty Blades (Shirley Henderson), the wife of his best friend Clifford Blades (Eddie Marsan). Then Bruce ends up having hallucinations of Dr.

Rossi (Jim Broadbent), who prescribes him his medication, and it gets worse for him. It's a very good adaptation, even if it does change a few things around here and there, it keeps the spirit of Welsh's book intact.

It's not a film for everyone, and this is a film which will make make you feel very unclean for watching it, but it's not everyday you get a film this twisted, perverse and carefree.