The Wee Man

As a Glaswegian, I was certainly aware of the real-life main criminal characters in this film without knowing all the ins and outs of who did what to whom, when and why. I largely looked in vain however for actual Glasgow locations, although the notes here tell me that's because the local police refused cooperation, which isn't hard to understand, watching the film.

The film itself is a tough, often violent look at turf wars in Glasgow and in particular the rival bosses fighting it out for control and centres on Paul Ferris, a very well known character in these parts. It tells his story using childhood flashbacks to demonstrate the influence of his old-fashioned tough-love father, his friendship with two childhood buddies, whose fates at the end of the film help convince Ferris to go straight at last and of course his introduction to violence amongst both police and thieves which helped lead him on his criminal path.

The story itself of a gangster's rise and fall isn't original and doesn't really aim for any great dynamism or originality in the direction either. Its striving for realism is limited by the afore-mentioned substitution for Glasgow by London, the noticeable (but not unwelcome) tempering of the way brutal beatings-up and shootings are depicted, plus the character acting in the cast isn't completely consistent.

Martin Compston is slightly restricted in his portrayal of the titular character Paul Ferris by his baby-face demeanour but otherwise carries off a tricky, if clichéd part with plenty of conviction. John Hannah as a scheming would-be kingpin and Denis Lawson as Ferris's father lend experience to their parts and probably stand out accordingly from the rest of the cast.

One could argue that the film is skewered too much in favour of Ferris's viewpoint and indeed the criminal lifestyle and modus-operandi altogether with the police and prison officials invariably shown as corrupt, barbaric and above the law they supposedly serve. Nevertheless the story, though hindered by the intrusive insertions of flashbacks to young Paul, in a failed attempt to demonstrate the child being father to the man, has a kinetic energy which keeps you watching until the bitter end.

Not an easy watch or even a great watch, but otherwise a good attempt at a contemporary true-crime story.

This film is truly awful. The lead actor is totally out his depth as a Glasgow gangland enforcer and the way the story was portrayed was nothing short of a pantomime in it's attempt to position the lead character as the hero.

Does this film have any redeeming qualities? No!

If you think you will see a good British gangster film full of big characters, violence, betrayal and other must have ingredients you are wasting your time.

Do not bother to watch this, you will be angry at how amateurish it is.

It was incredible to watch, but it put me off knowing that it was a true story, as it just seemed like a gangster fantasy. It was violent for no reason and slightly annoying at times. The main actor playing Ferris was brilliant. I almost felt myself acting his scenes after I watched it. He played the script off realistically and I really wanted to believe him. It's very rare that I'm on the edge of my seat. He was so intense, in the right way for this role. Great job, someone give this guy more work. Some of the accents were a little confusing. I'm pretty sure none of the actors were from Glasgow, but whatever, I'm sure anyone outside Scotland won't notice. I would've liked to have seen Ferris and his Dad act more together. Those scenes with just him and his dad were beautiful to watch. Fantastic acting! In some parts, I really caught a glimpse of working class Glasgow, however, I think it should've been portrayed slightly darker. It was a bit candy floss compared to "NEDS". I didn't feel like I was watching Glasgow. At times it could've been based in an old London setting. Overall, it's a great film to watch with the boys. It was intense but I could imagine it would be fun to watch it with others. It shouldn't have been portrayed as a true story as it may have been slightly more successful. But great film, decent acting and visually entertaining.

I was interested to see this movie as I had heard about it in production and thought a Scottish gangster film would be entertaining. Well, first you have to tune in to the Scottish accent which my wife found pretty hard. But other than that I found it a very enjoyable romp with a few scenes that make you flinch or smile but without the use of close up gore. How accurate it is historically is questionable but that is true of almost all "true life" movies, nevertheless the characters are well developed and largely believable and there are some great performances from Martin Compston as Ferris, John Hannah as Tam McGraw and particularly Stephen McCole as a troubled Junior Thomson. Watch it with an open mind and enjoy, The Godfather it isn't but for a low budget UK produced movie it is good entertainment.

"The Wee Man" is an above average British gangster flick that has a serious pacing issue in the final act, and too few memorable characters, to make it a classic.

There are so many British gangster flicks that there are even a few that are considered classics, such as "The Long Good Friday", "Get Carter", and "Mona Lisa". I've never seen one set in Scotland, though. This one is allegedly based on a real person. The movie feels fairly realistic as it shows his embrace of crime and what led him to it. You can empathise; the man isn't just a cold hearted killer.

When it gets involved with the details of criminal life, the movie loses a bit of ground because it's hard to tell who everybody is. The movie eventually becomes a series of shootings that tries to wrap it up a bit too quickly.

Despite having an R18+ rating here in Australia the violence isn't particularly graphic, but there is a fair bit of it.

It's probably a must-see for British gangster film fans, but anybody else can skip it.