Tom Courtenay

In The Legend of Barney Thomson a mild-mannered and boring Glasgow barber, a scissors-wielding Barney accidentally kills his boss Charlie (Brian Pettifer) in an argument after Barney is sacked.

Terrified that his sacking will be considered a motive for murder, Barney decides to dispose of the body, and hope that Charlie's disappearance will be linked to the ongoing serial killings plaguing Glasgow.

Adapted from Douglas Lindsay's novel The Long Midnight of Barney Thompson, this comedy is chock-a-block with twists and turns, and boasts a superb cast -- Ray Winstone plays a fish-out-of-water Cockney copper convinced of Barney's guilt, Emma Thompson has a whale of a time playing Barney's hard-drinking harridan of a mother, while Tom Courtenay's turn as the least effective Chief Superintendent of all time is a joy.

Throw in Carlyle's own terrific performance as the harried Barney, and The Legend of Barney Thompson should be an instant comic classic, but somehow the individual elements, all excellent in their own right, fail to gel.

It's difficult to work out why, because Carlyle keeps things moving along at a fast clip and the comic moments are crisply timed.

The Legend of Barney Thompson is a frequently funny but ultimately dissatisfying black comedy.

Declan Burke, The Irish Examiner, 25th July 2015