FILM: The Wee Man (18)

Based on the life and memoirs of Paul Ferris, The Wee Man is a gritty portrait of the rise of a gangster in Glasgow and his relationships with the people he loved and terrorised.

By The Newsroom

Published 19th Jan 2013, 17:00 BST

Growing up in 1970s Blackhill, 11-year-old Paul (Daniel Kerr) is tormented by a gang of bullying local kids.

Surrounded by crime, corruption and senseless brutality, Paul snaps and decides to systematically wreak revenge on his tormentors.

He develops a reputation and is taken under the wing of notorious gangland boss Arthur Thompson Snr (Patrick Bergin).

Ignoring the pleadings of his father (Denis Lawson), Paul (now played by Martin Compston) steadily rises through the ranks of the operation, much to the annoyance of Arthur’s son, ‘Fat Boy’ Thompson Jr (Stephen McCole), which invariably creates friction between the two heirs to the empire.

Thompson Snr’s rival Tam McGraw (John Hannah) exploits this obvious tension by manipulating Fat Boy to bring down Paul so that Glasgow is his for the taking.

Released: January 18 (UK, selected cinemas), 106 mins

Glasgow Martin Compston