The Legend of Barney Thomson

Barney Thomson leads a life of quiet routine as a Glasgow barber in Bridgeton, working under the watchful eye of Henderson's Barbers and his blunt, demanding boss. His days drift by in mediocrity, with small disappointments shaping his sense of self. The shop becomes a neat box of expectations he never seems to transcend.

A simmering dissatisfaction finally boils over during a tense confrontation with Wullie at Henderson's Barbers, and Thomson accidentally kills him. Fear and the weight of what his act means creep in as the crime sinks in. This moment drags him into a reality he never intended to face.

Thomson reaches out to his mother, Cemolina, hoping she can help hide what happened. She reveals a chilling competence in the macabre, dismembering the body, shrink-wrapping the pieces, labeling them, and storing them in the freezer. The revelation upends Thomson's sense of safety and multiplies the stakes of the crime.

A careless slip from Charlie sets Chris Porter on Thomson's trail, tipping the balance from suspicion to pursuit. Chris begins questioning Thomson's alibis and stories, tightening the net around his friend. The air grows tense as the investigation narrows in.

Desperation drives Thomson to reveal that Wullie's death was an accident, but fear escalates when Chris acts. In a panic, Thomson defends himself with a mop and kills Chris Porter. He drags the body back to Cemolina's apartment to hide the crime.

As the scheme unravels, a chilling discovery emerges: an extra hand in the freezer and a notebook listing destinations tied to the body parts. The pieces of the crime spread wider than Thomson could have imagined. The mental spiral accelerates as the evidence tightens.

Thomson returns to Chris's apartment to stage a grim setup and frame Chris, hoping to divert suspicion. He discovers, however, that the freezer is too small to hold all the parts, exposing the scope of what is hidden. The plan to misdirect the investigation begins to collapse.

Detectives close in on Thomson as the case spirals out of control. The investigation uncovers that Cemolina is the killer behind the mailed body parts, linking her predatory past to the present horror. The truth shifts the entire burden of guilt onto Thomson's family history.

The revelation devastates Thomson as Cemolina's predatory past and the depths of her power are laid bare. He learns that his father's abandonment is part of a longer, painful history that informs the present turmoil. The family history redefines what Thomson believed about safety and innocence.

After the exposure, Thomson dumps Chris's body into Loch Lubnaig, acutely aware that someone may have learned the truth. A surge of anger fuels him as he confronts Charlie, testing the limits of his control. The momentum of the night continues to spiral.

Thomson confronts Charlie, unloading his guilt and anger in a volatile exchange. The confrontation heightens the sense that loyalty, truth, and family have collapsed into danger.

In a brutal clash in the woods, police led by Detective Inspector Holdall engage Thomson, Henderson, and their allies in a deadly gunfight. The skirmish ends with multiple deaths on both sides, and Holdall dies before hearing Thomson's full explanation. Thomson survives, but the truth about the night remains unsettled.

The town slowly absorbs the shock of the night’s events as Thomson survives and is finally cleared. He becomes a reluctant local legend, a reminder that truth and memory can collide with family histories and mediocrity. The final mood is one of uneasy calm and lasting consequence.