The gangster film is one of the genres we tend to do better than anyone else here in the UK, and The Wee Man is shaping up to be a very promising entry into that genre.
Hitting UK cinemas in just over a month’s time, the film sees Martin Compston (The Disappearance of Alice Creed) star in the lead, based on the true story of reformed Glaswegian gangster, Paul Ferris. And with just a few weeks left to wait, we’ve had an impressive new trailer and poster sent our way to share with you.
“The story begins in the sixties. At the age of just eleven, Paul has already learned that life on the street is tough. Everybody knows his place. Poverty breeds corruption, crime, violence and bullying. Blackhill was the most notorious area of all.
The film charts the way in which Paul was bullied as a child, and whose road to crime came as a reaction against the monsters of his youth. Paul worked for feared gangland boss Arthur Thompson Snr (Patrick Bergin) and rose to power in Glasgow’s murky underworld in the late 80s and early 90s. In 1991 he was charged with the murder of Arthur ‘Fat Boy’ Thompson Jr (Stephen McCole), son of Arthur. Ferris sparked a furore when he was given a hero’s reception outside the High Court and walked free after a not-proven verdict, following one of Scotland’s longest murder trials. He was jailed for gun-running in 1998, and on his release in 2002 turned his back on his former gangster life and vowed to go straight, determined to teach others how to avoid a life of crime.”
John Hannah (Four Weddings and a Funeral) leads a fine supporting cast, with Compston and Hannah starring alongside Denis Lawson (Perfect Sense), Lorna McMonagle (Lip Service), Clare Grogan (Gregory’s Girl), Stephen McCole (Neds), and Patrick Bergin (Patriot Games).
Ray Burdis (Love, Honour and Obey) is behind the camera, directing from his own script.
The Wee Man will be released in selected UK cinemas on 18th January, 2013, and looks like it should be a fine start to the New Year from the British film industry. For now, here’s the new trailer and poster.
