Filth

Director: Jon S. Baird
Year Released: 2013
Rating: 1.5

Rogue cop Bruce (James McAvoy) schemes to get a promotion by manipulating his co-workers and solving the case of a murdered Japanese student, but that storyline gets basically lost as the movie (tiresomely) revels in sensationalism and Bad Boy behavior as McAvoy's drug abuse and antisocial antics lead him to go even more insane. Based on the book by Irvine Welsh - famous for Trainspotting - this is one-dimensional and bombastic, and while McAvoy's willing to go all out for the role, the script provides little substance or real-world knowledge aside from a delight in immorality. At least at the conclusion of Trainspotting one would hope Renton has really and truly turned his life around (and that his famous "Choose life" speech is genuine); Bruce here is beyond salvation.