Filth

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Filth

R

2014

1h 37m

Crime

Drama

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

66%

Tomatometer

95 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A drug-addled, manipulative misanthrope (James McAvoy) begins to experience increasingly severe hallucinations as he tries to solve the murder of a Japanese student.

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Critics Consensus

Warped, grimy, and enthusiastically unpleasant, Filth lives up to its title splendidly.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Filth is ghastly and unpleasant, but also kind of brilliant, and therein lies both the reward and the rub.

Sep 5, 2018

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Josh Kupecki

Austin Chronicle

To its detriment, Filth too often pulls its punches, and if you're striving for pitch black, that is most definitely a cardinal sin.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 5, 2014

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Bill Goodykoontz

Arizona Republic

"Filth" lives up to its title and then some, but a no-holds performance by James McAvoy is reason enough to watch.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 5, 2014

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Robert Sims

Lights Camera Austin

Jon S. Baird's manic adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel maintains a constant high for much of its 97 head-spinning minutes before it sets up into a confrontation between a broken man and his personal demons.

Jan 22, 2022

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Jim Ross

TAKE ONE Magazine

Although it often stumbles into gaudily hedonistic mud-rolling, Jon S. Baird's film boasts a bold tone, sharp dialogue and a towering performance from James McAvoy.

Feb 13, 2020

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Shikhar Verma

High on Films

The vomitous, lingering ill effects of Filth will stay with you for a long long time.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 13, 2020

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Camille B

Too much all at once. Made me feel like I was the one on drugs not the character of the show. No thanks.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/01/25

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Russell H

Good for what it was. A little overboard on the sex. We get it. Edgy. But not every 5 minutes. McAvoy is great.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/01/25

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Joshua C.

Was kind of fun typical British type film. Semi sad twist at the end

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/30/25

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Tracy P

James Macavoy is an energy ball and this film suits him to a tee. He is horrible and wonderful at same time. Anyone who says otherwise is mad. He encapsulates the character like I imagine no one else could. The other actors are just fabulous as well. What a great Scottish movie this is. Adapted of course from the book by the legend Irvine Welsh.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/24/25

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Rod S

Filth's a tough assignment to convert book to movie. There are harder titles penned by Irvine Welsh, but this one is tricky. Capturing the spirit and essence of the book was no easy task and yet... Jon S Baird did an excellent job. Considering its relatively short runtime, this is an object lesson in concise story-telling. Tragedy, friendship, psychology, love, hate, sex - Filth takes a wild ride across the human condition through the eyes of its damaged, magnetic, layered leading character. Such a film succeeds or fails on the performance of its protagonist, and James McAvoy crushes it - a lightning rod, capturing much of the nuance Welsh fired into his lead character. Superb performance, and not unique from this actor. It's a very stylised film - overtones of Guy Richie's work are in there, but there is also surprising depth - beautifully clear notes that linger after the credits roll. As Welsh adaptations go, this probably takes second place to Trainspotting - it isn't quite as pristine as that - but it has echoes of its greatness. Impressively apt soundtrack, brilliant lead performance, fun plot, very humourous, and with more gravitas that you'd imagine it could warrant given its comedic tone. Top marks all round. Outstanding film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/31/25

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Ainsley F

McAvoy is definitely the go-to guy for the tortured soul roll. Amazing performance. Intense film, but not for the socially squeamish.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/08/24

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Jon S. Baird

Director

James McAvoy

Bruce Robertson

Jamie Bell

Ray Lennox

Eddie Marsan

Bladesey

Jim Broadbent

Dr. Rossi

Imogen Poots

Amanda Drummond

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Synopsis

A drug-addled, manipulative misanthrope (James McAvoy) begins to experience increasingly severe hallucinations as he tries to solve the murder of a Japanese student.

Director: Jon S. Baird
Producer: Mark Amin, Christian Angermayer, Jessica Ask, Jon S. Baird
Screenwriter: Jon S. Baird
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Logie Pictures, Steel Mill Pictures
Rating: R (Graphic Nudity|Drug Use|Language|Some Violence|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 30, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $34.3K
Runtime: 1h 37m

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